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He’s 21-0 with 16 knockouts. He spent six weeks in training camp with world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis.
But no matter which of the alphabet-soup boxing organizations you check, those achievements have not been enough to get Gerald "The Jedi" Nobles mentioned among the heavyweight elite. This South Philly native, originally of 19th and Kauffman streets, is now ready to literally fight for recognition.
"Basically, I am at the stage where I want to beat anybody with a name," said the 32-year-old Nobles, a big fan of the Star Wars movies. "In order to be the best, you have to beat the best."
That doesn’t mean he’s about to get a multimillion-dollar payday against top contenders Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson or Vitali Klitschko.
However, Nobles hopes his decision in May to sign an exclusive agreement with Cedric Kushner Promotions will lead to more opportunities. The firm, which has presented more than 300 world championship fights over the last 20 years, is well known in the boxing industry.
Nobles is looking for the deal to earn him more time in the ring. Last month’s eight-round decision over Ron Guerrero at the First Union Spectrum marked his first fight this year. The Southwest Philly resident will head to Reno, Nev., Aug. 22 to face a yet-to-be-named opponent.
"I just want to stay fighting and stay busy," Nobles said. "I wish I could fight this month."
The heavyweight stays sharp by training at West Philadelphia’s James Shuler Memorial Boxing Gym and locally at Augie’s Gym. Spending a couple hours in the gym every day can take its own toll on the body, especially during the summer, when temperatures in the facilities routinely clear the 100-degree mark.
But sweating it out in a gym is nothing compared to the four years Nobles spent at Graterford Prison.
Back in 1992, he was arrested and convicted of drug possession with the intent to distribute, according to court records.
"Sometimes in life, people do foolish things," the fighter said. "I was one of those people who wanted to follow the Joneses. I am pretty sure a lot of people in life did things wrong. I was just one of those who got caught."
He made his hard time as constructive as possible by joining the Graterford boxing team, which fought against inmates from other state prisons. Nobles became the super-heavyweight and heavyweight champion, but prison glory was not exactly the life he had envisioned.
Realizing his route would never take him to the International Boxing Federation or World Boxing Council rankings, the boxer vowed to make drastic changes. Four years was plenty of time for him to spend asking himself, "Whoa, is this what I want to be doing the rest of my life?"
Nobles told fellow inmates that he planned to continue boxing once he got out of jail, but he was met with nothing but discouragement.
"A lot of guys in jail said, ‘You are going to go back to the streets,’" the father of three recalled. "I am one of those guys who likes to prove people wrong. It added more fuel to my fire to make me motivate myself more."
Sure enough, after his release in 1995, Nobles started out on his mission. This wasn’t going to be like high-school football, which he tried for one season at Bok before deciding the sport wasn’t for him. A self-described person of action, the fighter believed he found his destiny in boxing. It’s boxing, not prison, that he credits for keeping him clean.
"Boxing, I think, has helped me in a lot of different ways," said Nobles, who previously trained at the Philadelphia Boxing Club. "I am able to be more dedicated towards things. Boxing helped keep me out of the streets."
He did have another brush with trouble, though — in 1999, after Nobles’ younger brother, Jermaine, was murdered. The fighter declined to discuss details of the sensitive subject, but a tattoo of Jermaine’s face on his inner left arm is a clear statement of the siblings’ close relationship.
Over the next couple of years, Nobles is hoping to pay tribute to his little brother by winning the coveted heavyweight championship. The prospect knows he still has a long way to go. Last spring, he did spend six weeks in the Poconos training with champion Lennox Lewis, who was preparing for a title defense against Tyson. Nobles describes the experience as instructive.
"I’ve been in the ring with guys that have more talent than he does, but he takes what he has got and makes the best of it," he said. "That’s why he is the three-time heavyweight champion of the world."
Nobles hopes the two meet again in a heavyweight championship fight in which he could finally get a shot at the gold and big payday he’s been dreaming of for so long.
As befits his nickname ‘Jedi,’ Nobles believes even though the galaxy has been rough at times, the force in his fists will someday provide a better lifestyle for him and his kids.
"I want my children to grow up and be doctors and lawyers so they won’t have to travel the road I traveled," he said.
