A PRIZEFIGHTER is someone who fights for money. The term does not allude to legacy or glory, not even a love for boxing itself โ it is simply a profession. Jamie McDonnell is a prizefighter.
The 30-year-old has been boxing professionally for over a decade but in 2015 announced himself as one of Britainโs leading pugilists. He twice travelled to America to beat Japanโs highly touted Tomoki Kameda, both times successfully defending his WBA โworldโ bantamweight crown, producing two of the most notable British away days in recent history.
Despite those feats, and numerous others before them including British, Commonwealth, European and IBF titles, the plaudits have not streamed in as one would think they might.
Perhaps it was a case of bad timing โ 2015 was a standout year for British boxing with Tyson Fury dethroning Wladimir Klitschko, James DeGale becoming the first British Olympic champion to win a professional world title, and several others claiming global honours.
Regardless, McDonnell only has one concern with regards to recognition from others โ the health of his bank account.
โI was already world champion [at the start of the year], Iโd won British, Commonwealth and European titles, and I didnโt really get any credit,โ he told Boxing News.
โI started getting recognition after the Kameda fights, my name started to get chucked into the mix, so Iโm getting there but obviously Iโm in one of the smaller weights so Iโm not going to get talked about as much.
โIโve always said Iโm not too fussed [about the recognition] but I want the big paydays, and the more you get noticed and recognised, the more you get paid. Thatโs why I do it, itโs all about the money and making a better life for my family. If I want a bigger payday, Iโve got to become a bigger name, a household name.
โI should be getting more credit, but I just have to keep doing what Iโm doing, proving everyone wrong, getting the wins over in America and getting the big fights.
โPeople asked why I took the rematch with Kameda in America, but when they offer you a s*** load of money to fight a kid I already beat, why would I not take that? I thought Iโd stop him the second time
and it turned out to be an easier fight really.โ
Going into his first fight with Kameda in May of last year, McDonnell was a heavy underdog. He climbed off the deck in the third to earn a unanimous decision in a thriller, and went on to put on an even better display in the rematch four months later, dropping Kameda in the 12th to claim another UD victory.
The first time round, Jamie was seriously up against it. Not only was Kameda supposedly the better fighter on paper (he was unbeaten in 31 fights and had won the WBO crown, though vacated
it before facing McDonnell), the Doncaster nativeโs corner was in turmoil before the contest.
When he arrived with his team at the airport to travel to Texas, McDonnellโs trainer, Dave Hulley, announced he would not be able to board the plan through fear of flying. Jamie was forced to contact his manager, Dave Coldwell, to fly out instead and act as head coach.
To his credit, Coldwell was superb on the night and remains McDonnellโs trainer to this day.
As a Matchroom fighter, McDonnell also has the huge benefit of his fights being shown on Sky Sports in the UK โ though this was not to be the case in May. Rather than broadcast McDonnellโs heroics, Sky elected to show Anthony Joshua blitzing Raphael Zumbano Love inside two rounds.
โIt was a little bit frustrating. Itโs almost like they didnโt believe in me, it knocks you a bit,โ McDonnell said.
โObviously if they thought more of you, theyโd show you. Hopefully Iโve got a bit more respect now and theyโll back me more now but Iโve felt like that all my career, that I need to prove myself.
โYou just have to keep going though, I believe Iโm the best bantamweight out there, none of the other fighters scare me or anything. As long as Iโm getting what I feel is enough money, Iโll go and fight anyone.โ
That includes travelling to Japan to face WBC champion Shinsuke Yamanaka โ widely regarded as the best at 118lbs โ for which an offer was put on the table for McDonnell, though the reward was allegedly nowhere near worth the risk.
While money is, of course, a key motivator for boxers, most will also cite their love for the sport, or perhaps their desire to create history, as other driving factors in their careers. For McDonnell however itโs merely just a job, albeit a very well paying one.
โIโm not a fan, I still donโt even know all the weights. I know some of them up to welterweight, but I donโt know what order they go in. When I talk to the lads in the gym they laugh at me, but Iโm just not that bothered about it,โ he opined.
โWe were talking about Martin Murray the other day and I asked, โHas he fought โGGGโ [Gennady Golovkin]?โ And they told me heโs fought them all, [Sergio] Martinez, [Felix] Sturm, and Iโm like, โI didnโt know any of that!โ
โGavin [Jamieโs twin] follows it religiously though, so when Iโm going to fight someone heโll say, โHeโs handy this kid bruv, have you seen him?โ And Iโll say, โI havenโt watched him yetโ, and heโll tell me, โHe can bang a bit, you better have a look!โ Heโll look up their records as well and Iโll watch them for two minutes, see what they look like, thatโll do me.
โIโve heard of all the big names, but Iโve never watched them. Iโve never seen [Muhammad] Ali or [Mike] Tyson, it doesnโt interest me. It should really though because itโs my job isnโt it?โ
Itโs a dangerous and notoriously difficult career to make your way in โ something McDonnell knows first-hand. The aforementioned problems with the first Kameda fight were bad enough, but in 2013 he was inexplicably stripped of the IBF title he had won against the vastly talented Julio Ceja.
Naturally, there are times when he questions his choices, particularly when he is boiling his 5ft 10in frame down to the bantamweight limit, but his mercenary-like outlook keeps him on track.
โEven now, at this level, itโs hard keeping on a strict diet, training two or three times a day when youโre tired, weak and fed up,โ he said.
โI come home some days and think, โI canโt be arsed with this, Iโll go back to plastering [a job he used to hold],โ but then you fight and you get your money, so thereโs no comparison.
โJust to get in the ring takes some knackers, especially on the telly in front of everyone. Some can cope with it, some canโt. I love the pressure.โ
Like most British fighters, McDonnell served a stint in the unpaid ranks but admits he stopped at the age of 17 โ until a year or so later when a friend told him he could earn ยฃ500 per fight if he turned over.
McDonnell duly did so and soon found himself fighting for the Lonsdale Belt against Chris Edwards.
โI remember fighting for the British title and earning ยฃ11,000 and jumping up from ยฃ2,000, itโs a lot of money. I didnโt even know what the British title was,โ he admitted.
โHe beat me, but Iโd done 12 rounds and I remember feeling right proud for doing 12 rounds, I wasnโt bothered about the belt.
โWhen I fought for it the second time against Ian Napa and won, that was one of my proudest moments because it was my first major title [the vacant Commonwealth strap was also on the line]. Some people like to win it outright but I was offered a chance at other belts for more money, so I vacated and moved on.โ
Jamie faces late substitute Fernando Vargas on Saturday night on the huge Charles Martin vs Anthony Joshua bill at the O2 Arena in London. And yes, Sky will be showing his fight this time.
โI think this [fight] will kick start the year. [Lee] Haskins has got the IBF title, maybe thatโs a domestic fight that could happen in the summer.
โIt all depends on what kind of moneyโs available, I might move up [to super-bantamweight] and try and catch the likes of [Scott] Quigg, [Carl] Frampton and [Nonito] Donaire. You have to time it right though. Itโs not bad money at bantam but I could make a name for myself at super-bantam and make a lot of money.โ
So if there are no historical milestones McDonnell wants to meet in boxing, what are his long-term goals?
The answer, by now, is obvious. However, he does not pursue cash just to splash it on lavish items, he merely wants to provide the best life possible for his young family, to whom he is fiercely dedicated.
โI always say, โJust get me the most money you can, I donโt care who itโs against.โ Youโre getting punched in the face, youโre not going to do it for nothing. Iโve got to try and get as much as I can for my family,โ he said.
โIโm going to get out on top, call it a day having earned enough money. Donโt get me wrong, itโs nice to have all the belts in your cupboard, but at the end of the day they donโt pay the bills.
โTwo or three more big fights, earn a couple of million say, set myself up and Iโll get out of the game. Iโve paid my house off now and Iโm only 29, thatโs what I always wanted to do when I started out.
โIf I can come out of the game with a bit of something and my health, Iโll be happy. But if my career ended now, Iโd be happy.โ
Don’t miss this week’s issue of Boxing News for the Anthony Joshua vs Charles Martin preview