You know him, you love him. Now come support Work Train Fight’s very own Donovan “Chocolate Thunder” Jarvis, in his first fight on Saturday April 28th. Read the interview and watch the video below for a taste of how he’s been preparing for Fight Night IV.
Elena Carpi: Hi Donovan! So, tell me about how you got into boxing.
Donovan Jarvis: I started boxing when I was 22 or so. Kind of late, but better late than never. I had just started working at NYSC and playing football was my goal. If you don’t know football, I don’t have time to explain it, but there’s a lot of hand fighting as you’re jockeying for position. A lot of the top pros were using boxing to get an edge in that area. I’m little, so I’ll take any edge I can get. We had a good boxing program led by my guys, Ricardo, Smith and Steve. These guys are great and they kind of took me under their tutelage. Football didn’t work out, but teaching boxing and being involved in boxing became my new outlet.
EC: I see you working hard in the gym. Tell me about your routine.
DJ: I go hard. I mean sparring, training, running, two-a-days. For a little more than a year I’ve been living a Rocky montage, with some cheat days mixed in. Aside from sparring with Thomas and the other animals that work with me, training with my coach Freddy, I’ve done some 3-4 mile runs. If it’s a slow run, I’ll shadow box while I run. Martin told me I should do that. I do a soccer sprint routine my friend Leslie put me on to. I cut out most of my lifting. I gain a lot of weight when I lift, but it’s not from the lifting, ladies. My appetite is insatiable when I lift heavy. I’ve used plyometrics and kettle-bells for resistance training. Lastly, jumprope is my sugar honey iced tea.
EC: I’m sure all that hard work is gonna pay off in just a few days. Speaking of which, this will be your first fight. Why?
DJ: This should be my second or third bout but the fates haven’t been kind. A year ago, it got the point where the guys I was sparring with and my coach asked me why don’t I fight. I was pretty much convinced it was time to roll the dice. Peer pressure is very real, children.
EC: Well, it appears that your time has finally come. What is your mindstate going into the fight?
DJ: I’m confident and nervous. The fun thing is anything can happen. I’m confident in my prep, my coaches and the guys that have helped me to this point. With all that, it only takes one punch.
EC: I can’t wait to see you in the ring! So, what’s your favorite things about boxing?
DJ: Boxing puts a lot of life into perspective. Can you defend yourself? It’s you and one other person. Only one can win. You don’t even need to knock anyone out to win. Do what the ref says and what Mayweather has mastered, “defend yourself at all times.” Are you willing to do what it takes? We all face obstacles in life. Sometimes we turn around and don’t face them. If you walk away from your problem in the ring, guess what? The ring is smaller now. You’ve got a bigger problem. How do you handle that? You can submit or you can be a caged animal and step up. Can your endure? A lot of people think of endurance as a physical thing. Good for you, if you do. I think it’s all about the mental. Boxing is a series of moments you have to win. Can you focus for the 100 moments that occur in a round? That’s the beauty of the game.
EC: Well said! So, most important question of the interview: what’s your plan post-fight?
DJ: I plan on taking a shower after the fight and we’ll see where the night takes me. Probably home or to Popeye’s. Maybe both.
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