CHORDALE Booker looks to shock the world on March 22 in Las Vegas as he takes on unified WBC/WBO super welterweight champion – ‘The Towering Inferno’ Sebastian Fundora.
After many on and off reports of a potential clash with former unified WBC/WBA/IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. for champion Fundora, Booker found himself with the opportunity of a lifetime that he is looking to take with both hands.
“I did whatever I could to make sure I was the guy that was chosen for this fight. I know there were two or three other options that they were exploring, and I don’t know if they were frontrunners to get the fight or not but from my side, I just wanted to make it as easy as possible to get the fight over the line.
“At the end of the day the main thing for me in this situation is getting the win, if I can get the win then I’ll be in a position 10 times better than I am currently and it’s about doing whatever it takes to get to that point”.
The size of the opportunity at hand is not lost on Booker who has worked his way back to relevance in the last two years after a stoppage loss to Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams at middleweight. He had to rely on his heart, grit and life experiences to claw his way back into title contention and is grateful for the adversity he has faced along his journey.
“I got into some trouble when I was 18 which is what lead me to get into the sport of boxing, it kept me out of trouble – that’s the truth. The judge of one of my Golden Gloves tournaments just happened to be the same person who was the judge for my court case which is crazy to say out loud but he gave me a second chance at life.
“I always loved boxing but that opened my eyes and especially my faith, my faith kept me grounded, it’s the driving force for my career and the connection and impact I have on the younger generation around me.
“I had over 100 amateur fights and fought at every national tournament as well as the WSB I had some fights there too. I didn’t make it to the Olympics, I lost to Charles Conwell and turned professional after that, so you know, I have a lot of experience in the sport already and I feel like this is where it’s all been leading me to. I trust in God’s timing.”
Outside of his professional career Booker is also a youth mentor and professional trainer within his local community. He believes that his connection with the youth is important to set an example for them to follow and give them options in life. This has also given him a way to stay connected to his roots and keep the level headedness and humility that has brought him this far.
“My coach was a positive role model for me, and I couldn’t afford to train at the gym so he would tell me to train the youth and in return he would train me. I fell in love with having conversations with these kids and seeing how they thought, there wasn’t a lot of difference between me and them as I was only 19 at the time but I wanted to make sure they didn’t go down the wrong path and make decisions that could see them end up in jail. I wanted to do for them what my coach was able to do for me.
“I’m proud of all the work I’ve been able to do from the age of 18, I’m 33 now and I’ve watched a lot of these kids grow up in front of my eyes. It’s a special feeling and I’ll always be proud of having such a connection to my roots, some people forget where they’ve come from – that could never be me.
“I grew up in the hood, but I was a church kid, I was a bit of a nerd too. When I got in trouble that one time it really brought me back to my faith in a stronger way and I have always prayed for my opportunity to show what I can really do and it’s finally here, I’m very grateful”.
Booker has been preparing diligently for the task at hand in facing the Fundora and has been watching tape of recent bouts to find some chinks in the armour that he may be able to exploit come fight night. In particular, the Erickson Lubin bout from 2022.
“I’ve been watching the Lubin fight a lot because we’re the same height and both southpaws so it’s a good way to get an idea of how I can approach this fight. Lubin also put him down and managed to put a lot of pressure on him so it’s about finding ways to be able to do that in my own way too.
“I know he’s very tall and he has a long reach and great stamina, I take nothing away from him, he also has a ton of heart, but I must be willing to compete with this guy. I can’t let him walk all over me, I must make sure he has some resistance and push back, I can’t let him bully me on the night – I’ll have to bully the bully.
“I’m ready for this moment, my ultimate goal is to be a world champion, and I know I’m not undefeated anymore but I’m not afraid to talk about my losses in boxing and in life. All we see is people posting there wins on social media, but they rarely talk about their losses.
“This is the first time in my career that I have been able to have a full fight camp leading up to a fight and it couldn’t have come at a better time. I have a nutritionist now and I am living like a true professional – that will help me close the gap on the other guys at the top of the division.
“It’s time for me to prove to myself and the world what I can do in this sport when I am the best version of myself, I look forward to the challenge on the 22nd of March and win, lose or draw there are so many great fights to be made in this division and I look forward to mixing it with every single one of those guys in the future”.
