Episode 03: Donovan Garrell Interview
On the Rise to a Bright Boxing Future!
Reel Scene Sports Media had the opportunity to meet with and interview up and coming Floyd Patterson Boxing Club prospect Donnovan Garrell, an articulate and determined young man with nothing but boxing on his mind. Sitting beside Donnovan was his personal trainer and Coach Mr. Derrick Ohlhoff.
Donnovan is a 17-year-old boxing talent with an unparalleled work ethic who trains rigorously with his boxing instructor Derrick Ohlhoff, a former fighter that has been training boxers for 13 years since his last fight in 2008. Donnovan who has a passion for competitive sports, has been participating in combat sports (which includes MMA) since the age of 12 and began his boxing career at the age of 14. Once he began boxing, the sport took a hold of him and he has since become “consumed by it”. When it comes to boxing, Donnovan has proven to be dedicated, motivated, and driven to succeed.
Derrick Ohlhoff has been a boxing instructor at Floyd Patterson Boxing club since 2018 after serving as a Boxing instructor to MMA fighters at another program for several years prior. Coach Derrick credits his personal boxing trainer and mentor Marty Hirsh (a boxing veteran with over 50 years in the game), for his ability to be a great Coach and mentor to Donnovan.
Derrick Ohlhoff with mentor and boxing trainer Marty Hirsh
Derrick met Donnovan at a boxing class that he was teaching and noticed how fast Donnovan was able to pick up the sport despite being the youngest student in the class. Shortly thereafter, Derrick began to call on Donnovan to demonstrate various boxing skills and techniques to the class because of his exceptional abilities, and has been flourishing in the sport ever since. Per Coach Derrick, Donnovan is a very hard worker and is more consistent and dedicated than most of his adult students, to whom he continues to inspire and give motivation when they see him train. Coach Derrick feels that Donnovan is a natural talent and has a very bright boxing career ahead of him. “He can go as far as he wants to go with the sport”.
Despite the negative impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the world, Donnovan continues to push through the challenges and is still able to train at least three times per week. He stated that the biggest challenge that fighters face is “mental” and the way to overcome this is to not get down on yourself when things get rough. In addition to his training, Coach Derrick also brings Donnovan to other gyms to spar with other fighters in order to keep him conditioned and sharp. Per Coach Derrick, the training gets even more intensified when scheduled bouts are on their calendar.
Outside of boxing, Donnovan enjoys “the arts” and loves painting in his spare time. He also has an affinity for social media and is generally a “fun and social guy”. Donnovan’s current record is an exceptional 7-2 and he plans on improving his record when the COVID-19 pandemic is over, and fighters are officially allowed back in the ring to compete. His last accomplishment was winning the 2019 NY Metro Tournament in the 110lb novice division and he looks forward to racking up more tournament wins on his exciting journey, in hopes of eventually winning a Championship Title Belt.
Donnovan is a visionary and understands the work that needs to be done in order to become a Champion. With his passion for boxing, and his sheer determination and work ethic on his side, Donnovan Garrell is sure to succeed and is indeed on the rise to become another boxing great!