When you surround yourself with others that are negative, unhappy and live beneath their potential, chances are you will begin to move in the same direction. On the flip side, when you surround yourself with people that have your best interest at heart, support your goals and are mentors to your success, the outcome is usually, success. Sometimes this is harder to do than it sounds. We all get caught up in the way of the world and we forget that we are the masters of our domain. We are the directors of our life. We are BOSS! I often hear people talk about industry standards. Often the question I pose is: what industry standard? ?Your standard? is the new standard when you prove it to be successful! One young, professional boxer has drawn up his own career blueprint by breaking industry standards, and proving it to be a success. Meet Denis Douglin, a boxer that is humble and smart. He knows when to hold?em and he knows when to fold?em.
One wrong move in the early stages of a boxer?s career can turn a hot young prospect into an opponent. While it can be said that boxing greats such as Bernard Hopkins and Rafael Marquez lost their professional debuts, the sport of boxing today is a bit different. Today?s young boxer has to be matched against opponents that allow them to learn the subtle differences in their transition from amateur to professional boxing.
The first fifteen fights in the career of a prospect can tell a lot about his true talents and abilities. Some young boxers feel fortunate when a promoter signs them to a promotional contract when they enter the professional ranks. Others boxers have to go out and market themselves, sending highlight films and their personal biography to local promoters in order to get on non-televised undercards. Then there is Denis Douglin, as known as ?Da Momma?s Boy?
We recently had the pleasure of speaking with ?Da Momma?s Boy?, an up and coming prospect that falls into the category of a self-promoted fighter. Denis ?Da Momma?s Boy? Douglin told us his intriguing story, the challenges and the rewards.
The boxers that are self-promoted and manage the beginning of their careers gain insight to which they might otherwise remain oblivious.
As you read this interesting tale, you will come to know a special young professional boxer that shares a unique and special bond with his mother, who is also his trainer. This exciting young southpaw has the hunger and drive needed to succeed in the sport of boxing, as well as the wisdom of a veteran with years of experience. So far, Douglin and his one-woman army are doing something right, as he boasts and impressive record in his career, as well as his personal life.
Denis Douglin started boxing at the age of eight. Douglin?s, mother, Saphya Douglin, a former amateur boxer, encouraged him to train in the gym with her after he lost a street fight. Douglin was initially hesitant to allow his mother to train him. ?I didn’t want her to train me because I was a little embarrassed at the fact that she was training me. People in the gym used to make fun of me and stuff like that. Initially I started training with my uncle in New York, and he brought me up to the amateurs,? Douglin told us.
Douglin trained with his uncle, former heavyweight boxer Delen Parsley, while his mother trained him in the basement of their home. As is seen so often in everyday life, the bond between mother and son proved to be subliminal, and a great partnership was born.
?I noticed I was learning a lot more from her than I was learning from anyone else that I was working with. We developed a comfort level. I felt comfortable when she was in my corner and she would tell me things ; she knew how to get in my head better than anybody else,? Douglin said.
Douglin began to train with his mother at the gym. The knowledge gained in her years of training was passed onto her eager and driven son. Bystanders at the gym made fun of the twelve-year old kid whose mother held the pads and barked orders at him. He was given a nickname that might make most young boys uncomfortable, but he brandishes the moniker with pride; ? Da Momma?s Boy?.
Douglin had his nickname inscribed on his trunks at the 2003 Junior Olympic Nationals. Douglin would go on to tell us, ?When we went out there my trunks caught a lot of attention, and everybody wanted to see me fight.
?It went from a big joke to, ?wow this kid really cares about his mother.? People see us working out the pads in the gym and it still amazes people, and it’s a really good look.?
Douglin had an excellent amateur career, fighting in the 165-pound division. His amateur record is reported as 79-8, and he has a long list of accomplishments to his name. When we asked Douglin about his amateur record, he replied, ?I know I had nine losses and I think I had about 84 wins, I’m not sure though. I just remember the losses because those were the ones that stuck with me. I know I had over 90 fights.?
Denis and his mother, Saphya Douglin, have become a force to be reckoned with in the boxing world. Mrs. Douglin trained her son to a successful amateur career, including a New Jersey Diamond Gloves Championship, a New York Golden Gloves Championship, and a PAL National Championship. Denis and his mother were inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame on November 13, 2008, as Amateur Coach of the Year, and Boxer of the Year.
The success of this unique mother-son boxing duo has carried over into the professional ranks, where Douglin has ran up a record of 11-0, with 7 KO?s. Douglin has made his name without the help of a manager or promoter. His mother, who works as full-time job as an accountant in New York, homework-checker, and owner of the ?New Breed Gym?, also acts as his manager and de facto promoter.
?We don’t have a promoter right now because she is pretty much doing everything; training me, managing me, and sending out my bio to a bunch of promoters to get me on fight cards. She’s pretty much a one-woman army, she’s doing everything, and she takes care of my family at home, along with my dad.?
The surreal story of the Douglin family reads like something from a Hollywood script. Douglin?s mother works a full-time job, while he runs the ?New Breed Gym? during the day. ?I?m usually in the gym all day because we own the gym and I run it during the day. I have strength and conditioning trainer, and I work on that during the daytime. I work out early in the morning, relax, and help everyone else out before I do another little workout, then my mother comes at night time and we do the boxing,? Douglin explained.
On a typical day, Douglin won?t return home until ten o?clock in the evening. During a training camp leading up to a fight, he may not get home until midnight. The work does not stop when they leave the gym, however. ?There are some days when we go home and work out more in the house. It?s almost like a 24-hour job. ?
Denis Douglin is a dedicated fighter with a great understanding of what he must do to take his career to the next level. Boxing is his life and his full-time job, a life and job that require great sacrifices. There is an old saying; ?If you love what you do, you?ll never work a day in your life.? Douglin says that he agrees whole-heartedly with that saying. ?That?s right. Every day is a party for me. I?ve never had a job, really. Every day I wake up and go to a party.
?Some people look at it as a major sacrifice. I really don?t look at it as a big sacrifice because it?s something I love doing. When you love doing something, how can you say you?re really sacrificing anything? I?m having fun when I?m in the gym. I?ll be in the gym hitting the heavy bag, and I love it,? stated Douglin. ?It?s just fun to me; I don?t feel like I?m sacrificing anything. Of course, I don?t go out when I?m training for fights, and I don?t go to clubs and party like that. I feel like it?s a party in the gym.?
Douglin is confident in his heart and passion, yet knows his limitations. His work ethic, intelligence, skill, and determination should carry him far in this sport, and make him an interesting story to follow.
As Denis Douglin conveyed to me: he will sign with a promoter when he knows the time is right. Entering into the question and answer part of the interview that was not fully injected into the article, you will be quite impressed, entertained and enlightened by this young boxer’s humor, intelligence, humilty, and experience, as well as boxing knowledge. I have one thing to say? this boy is boss!
I hope you’re picking up what Da Momma’s Boy and I are putting down!
Charlene May: Denis, you started boxing at the age of eight, correct? When did you turn pro?
Denis Douglin: I was 20.
CM: And you’re only 22 now?
DD: Yes, I’m 22.
CM: Where do you reside? And where do you train?
DD: I live in Marlboro, New Jersey. No one has ever really heard of it but it’s like central New Jersey, but I was born and raised in Brooklyn. I train in freehold New Jersey at a gym called ?New Breed? boxing. My mom owns that gym actually.
CM: Was your mother a boxer?
DD: Yes, she was an amateur boxer but she never turned pro. She had bad knees so she was never able to really run as much as she needed, and she was never really able to take it to the professional level. On top of that there was no real money in the boxing at the time. She never turned pro, and I think she only had a handful of amateur fights; maybe seven amateur fights. Then she just put all of her focus on me after that.
CM: Does your mom train you and manage you?
DD: Yes, she trains me and manages me, I mean we have a little help but she’s kind of in charge as far as getting fights. We don’t have a promoter right because she is pretty much doing everything; training me, managing me, and sending out my bio to a bunch of promoters to get me on fight cards. She’s pretty much a one-woman army, she’s doing everything, and she takes care of me at home, along with my dad.
CM: You are a southpaw, is that correct?
DD: Yes, that’s correct.
CM: Have you ever fought against a southpaw?
DD: Yes I have.
CM: What kind of experience was that for you?
DD: It was a good experience. I think when guys fight southpaws it makes an ugly fight, because they’re not used to that style and the footwork, so they’re always stepping on each other’s toes. I was an amateur for a long time. I thought a bunch of southpaws as an amateur, so it’s really not that difficult for me. I actually like fighting southpaws because I get to them with my jab all day. Southpaws are susceptible to right hands. When you find a right-handed person it’s the same concept except reverse of a southpaw. I love fighting southpaws. I’ve only fought one so far as a pro, and I got a first round knockout against him.
CM: What is your strength as a fighter?
DD: I think my strength is my volume punching and my ability to adjust. I mean, I’m not a big jr. middleweight. I’m not the strongest jr. middleweight. I’m not the fastest jr. middleweight, but I work really hard in the gym and my stamina is always top-notch. I’m able to throw punches in bunches, and I feel like that’s something that’s missing a lot in pro boxing. They always teach you when you go from the amateurs to the pros that you want to switch your style and slow down and pick your punches more and not throw as many punches. I feel like that’s true but when you throw a lot of punches, most pros are not ready for it. They can’t keep up with it, like a Paul Williams or a Juan Manuel Lopez. When they let those hands go, most people can’t keep up. I feel like that’s my biggest asset; that I let my hands go. If we’re going to go eight rounds or ten rounds, I’m going to let my hands go the whole time without getting tired. I also adjust very well.
CM: When you say you adjust well, explain what you mean by that?
DD: I’m able to read weaknesses. I’m able to see mistakes that my opponents make. Very quickly, I’m able to pick up on them and figure out what’s the best way to capitalize on those weaknesses. If I’m fighting a tall person, most of them jab down, I’m able to pick that up and hook over their jab, just little things. I’m able to pick up on stuff really quickly and use it to my advantage. I feel like that’s my biggest strength right now. I’m fighting six rounds, or eight rounds, and you have to pick up on things quickly and capitalize on them. I’m able to do that.
CM: When it comes to boxing, how much of it is intelligence? How much of it is focus in the ring?
DD: In a lot of ways I think the intelligence aspect is more important than the physical aspect. You have to be able to see what the other guy is doing, or he will see what you are doing wrong. Somebody could be capitalizing on your mistakes, you have to be able to make adjustments to fix your mistakes, and I feel like that a real big issue is that a lot of fighters are really successful, but they have that one fight where they’re exposed and then their career goes downhill from there because they can’t make adjustments. I feel like making adjustments, making changes and giving our opponents a different book each time is what really makes great fighters great. Mayweather is able to make adjustments in the ring with his opponents, and that’s why he’s such a challenging fighter. Fighters like Juan Diaz, who was a great fighter when he was undefeated, was exposed as far as him just coming straight in and not hitting that hard. Diaz can be out-boxed. He wasn?t able to make the adjustments in his last fight, and that?s why he wasn?t as successful as he was before, in my opinion.
CM: Are you a Mayweather fan? I know you said he has great skills and you praised his ability to adjust.
DD: Yes, I?m a fan of Mayweather?s fighting.
CM: Who is your boxing idol?
DD: I have to go with Pernell Whittaker; he was a great southpaw. He was slick, he was fast, he made great adjustments, and his defense was amazing. The only thing I think he lacked was a little bit of power, and that?s what held him back a little bit. He still goes down as a legend in the sport, and he?s one of my favorite fighters.
CM: What about current fighters?
DD: For current fighters, I would have to go with [Floyd] Mayweather, and then Manny Pacquiao.
CM: What is your opinion on the Sergio Martinez and the Paul Williams fight? I think it?s going to be a war coming up, but tell me your opinion on that fight.
DD: I think they?re both amazing fighters with two very different styles. I think, technically, Sergio Martinez is a way better fighter, but he?s also awkward. Martinez gives you a bunch of different angles, and he gets in and out. I think he?s a great fighter. Paul Williams, technically, I think he?s not as good as Sergio Martinez, but because he lets his hands go and he punches so much, it?s hard to do anything with him. He doesn?t give you the opportunity to use your skills because he?s always punching. I think that Sergio Martinez is a better fighter, but Paul Williams is a busier fighter and that?s why their fight is such a great fight. The first one was amazing; I thought it was fight of the year last year. I think this fight is going to be great. I?m actually going for Sergio Martinez in this one, although I like Paul Williams, I think Sergio is going to win this one.
CM: I think humility is important for a young fighter. It can be a turn-off for some people to see a young fighter thinking he?s a superstar before he really builds up a resume. What do you feel about that?
DD: A lot of people tell me that I?m humble, and I look at it as that?s just the way I am. This is my job. I?m a boxer that?s trained by his mother, I mean, how am I going to walk around talking tough? My mom trains me. I?m grateful for the people that take their time or spend their money to come see me. I wouldn?t want to turn my back or be disrespectful to anybody that?s a fan of the sport. This is what I plan on making my income from, so how can I disrespect the people that are putting money in my pockets?
CM: Some people don?t even realize they?re being disrespectful; they just get caught up in the fame. I always say that you?ve got to build up a resume like [Muhammad] Ali.
DD: Right, there are a lot of people that believe what promoters are putting out. When you?re starting out in the boxing game, you?re not fighting world-caliber fighters as your opponents. You?re first 10-15 fights are against opponents that aren?t on your level, because the promoters are trying to get your name out there and build up your fan base. So some people think that they?re doing something special by beating a bunch of tomato cans up there. It?s really ignorant to me, and for me to act like I?ve done something, or I deserve to be a superstar now is ridiculous. I have 11 fights, and I know I haven?t fought anybody and everything right now is to build that fan base and to get more experience. For me to walk around like I?m doing something amazing is ridiculous.
CM: Do you have anything closing thoughts to your fans?
DD: I just want to say thank to everyone that?s supporting me, watching me, and following me; I appreciate all of the support. To any new fans; welcome to the team, we?re going to the top! I want to take anyone that is with me, to the top. We?re going to make history.
