Rashad Ganaway - Revision history

John at 14:44, 31 May 2018

2018-05-31T14:44:53Z

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	<boxer>440822</boxer>		<boxer>440822</boxer>
			Cousin of heavyweight [[Terry Smith (Little Rock, AR)\|Terry Smith]], [[Juan De La Rosa]] and [[James De la Rosa]]

	[[Category:NABF Light Welterweight Champions\|Ganaway,Rashad]]		[[Category:NABF Light Welterweight Champions\|Ganaway,Rashad]]

Reenthelawman: adding NABF champions category

2016-06-03T16:05:46Z

adding NABF champions category

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			[[Category:NABF Light Welterweight Champions\|Ganaway,Rashad]]

John: Removed protection from "Rashad Ganaway"

2016-06-03T11:48:15Z

Removed protection from "Rashad Ganaway"

← Older revision	Revision as of 11:48, 3 June 2016
(No difference)

John: Protected "Rashad Ganaway" [edit=sysop:move=sysop]

2009-02-25T00:30:42Z

Protected "Rashad Ganaway" [edit=sysop:move=sysop]

← Older revision

Revision as of 00:30, 25 February 2009

John: Replacing page with '440822'

2009-02-25T00:30:21Z

Replacing page with '<boxer>440822</boxer>'

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:30, 25 February 2009
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	~~Biography:~~

	�The One� Rashad Ganaway, was born in Little Rock, Arkansas and graduated from McClellan High School in Little Rock, Arkansas in 2000. If Rashad hadn't actually lived it, one might think Rashad's life to this point was from a Hollywood movie. It just doesn't seem possible that a young, black kid could rise above the series of setbacks and cruel realities of life to become a respectful, humble professional boxer who, on a daily basis, is a positive influence in the lives of troubled teens and works hard to achieve his own goal of becoming a world champion.

	Growing up, half of Rashad's time was spent in Arkansas while the other half was involuntarily spent in California. Born in 1982 to Yvonne Ganaway and Fredrick Braswell, Rashad was just six months old when the couple decided they no longer wanted to care for young Rashad, who was then suffering from pneumonia and a busted ear drum. One day, in what has to be considered one of the most unbelievably horrid scenes involving a mother and her infant son, Rashad�s mother literally took the very ill child outside, put him on the curb and told her sister, �If you want him, he's outside on the curb. Go get him if you want, I just can't deal with it anymore." Rashad's aunt, Mae Ola West, came and picked Rashad up from the curb where his mother had left him. Immediately realizing Rashad's medical problems were potentially life threatening and knowing Rashad had nobody else to take care of him, Mae Ola West assumed guardianship of Rashad and used her training as a nurse to restore Rashad's health.

	Mae Ola West became Rashad's adoptive mother and took in Rashad's brothers too. Rashad's fascination with boxing began at the tender age of three, when his brothers, Charles and Vincent, would let Rashad follow them to the gym and then teach him to hit the bags and shadow box. Rashad lived in peace in Little Rock until, at the still young age of 8 years old, Rashad's birth-mother kidnapped him during one of her summer visits to Little Rock. Rashad had seen his mother a few times before, so she was familiar enough that it didn't make him suspicious when his birth-mother told him to get in the car so she could take him to visit a cousin. But, Rashad's mother had lied to him. Two days later, Rashad found himself in California with his birth-mother and her then boyfriend, Kenneth Sanders. Kenneth became the father figure in Rashad�s life.

	To this day, Rashad is grateful to have had Kenneth in his life, as it was Kenneth and boxing that made life in California bearable for Rashad. Kenneth knew how much Rashad missed his brothers and loved boxing. Kenneth began taking young Rashad to local boxing gyms so he could at least continue boxing and stay out of trouble while away from his brothers back in Arkansas. Finally, when Rashad was twelve, Kenneth told Yvonne he thought it would be a good idea to again visit Little Rock. Kenneth, Yvonne and Rashad drove to Little Rock Arkansas for a short visit, but because Kenneth and Rashad were so close, Kenneth knew young Rashad was not ever going back to California. Kenneth was prepared, but Yvonne had no idea what was about to happen. When it was time to hit the road, the thirteen year old Rashad slipped out a back window at Mama Mae�s house and ran to a cousin�s house to hide so he wouldn't have to go back to California. Eventually, Kenneth told Yvonne what was happening and Yvonne and Kenneth drove back to California without Rashad.

	Back in Little Rock with Mama Mae and his brothers, Rashad's will to live was again tested a few months later. While Rashad lay asleep in his bedroom, a drug dealer, to whom Rashad's brother owed money, fired three rounds through the bedroom window. The bullets meant for his brother, instead hit Rashad. Rashad was rushed to the hospital and as if to show the world that it would take a hell of a lot more than that to keep him from achieving greatness, Rashad not only recovered, but was back in the gym boxing just six weeks later. While Rashad quickly recovered from the gunshot wounds, the doctors determined it was too dangerous to remove one of the bullets. So, to this day, Rashad has a 9mm bullet permanently lodged in his lung.

	Rashad's life with Mama Mae wasn't easy and the family didn't have much in their cramped house, but the family was very close. Mama Mae had to endure the roll of both mother and father alone. �Things were tight sometimes,� recalls Rashad, "but Mama Mae always kept it together for me and my brothers." With a total of eight brothers in her home, Mama Mae's home was basically a �Den of Men� but Mama Mae didn�t play. All of her boys had to learn how to sew, cook and clean. While they weren't always perfect, the brothers were all raised as gentlemen. Rashad remembers that sometimes Mama Mae's lessons in humility and respect for others were at times enforced with a wooden soup spoon, a belt or any other thing Mama Mae had near her when one of the boys stepped across the line.

	Mama Mae didn't like violence, but realized it would be impossible to keep Rashad happy and out of trouble if he wasn't allowed to go to the gym with his brothers. Mama Mae asked Rashad if he wanted to become a professional boxer someday and he simply responded, "Yeah." After a quick swat for not saying, "Yes ma'am," Mama Mae made Rashad promise that if he continued boxing he would do so with respect and professionalism, as well as, maintain his grades and finish his education. Thus began Rashad's road to becoming a champion. Throughout Rashad's amateur career, Mama Mae would never watch Rashad fight. Mama Mae would go to the tournaments, but every time, she would walk out as soon as the opening bell rang for Round 1. From the hallway Mama Mae would listen to the fight. Rashad still laughs when he says, �She never wanted to see us get hurt�she would pay for the fight but not watch. I always told her it was such a waste of money, but she'd just say, 'It's not a waste, I am there and you know I am there, even if I'm not watching, and that's is what is important.'" Once the fight was over, Mama Mae would step back into the gym and listen for the announcement of the winner. Mama Mae knew her son was talented and had a knack for boxing, but she never wanted him to become cocky or arrogant like so many other professional athletes. Rashad remembers, �She never called me champ. In fact, she made sure nobody else called me champ throughout my amateur career."

	Mama Mae was one of the most cherished and influential people in Rashad's life. In 2005, Mama Mae developed colon cancer and could no longer take care of herself, so she moved in with Rashad and he helped take care of her for a year. Rashad smiles when he says, �She always told me, �Rashad, you better be nice to people because you never know who�s gonna have to wipe your you know what someday.� That year Mama Mae lived with Rashad was hard and Mama Mae ended up moving into several different assisted care facilities. Soon after, the day came when Mama Mae asked everyone to leave the room except Rashad. A tear comes to Rashad's eye and his voice cracks a little when he says, "Mama Mae had never called me Champ before, but the day she died she wanted just me in the room and she said, 'Baby, you are always my Champ, you know that, right?� Mama Mae passed away soon thereafter. Rashad says, "She was the sweetest and meanest person I have ever known, and I thank God that he brought her into my life." Mama Mae had refused to let him be called a champ all those years, so she could keep him humble; but in her heart, it was always Mama Mae's wish that Rashad someday be known as a true champion. Mama Mae never got the chance to see Rashad turn pro, but he knows she is there in spirit.

	After enjoying a lengthy amateur career, where Rashad amassed a record of about 280 wins and 23 losses, Rashad turned pro late in January 2008. Despite Rashad's impressive amateur record and multiple trips to national tournaments, Rashad seemed to always fall short of a national title or Olympic birth. At the amateur level, Rashad's training was amateurish at best, as he really didn't focus on endurance and training, but just relied on his God given talent. As a result, Rashad always seemed to run out of gas before the end of the big amateur tournaments such as the National Golden Gloves or PAL tournaments. Although, Rashad's amateur career wasn't laced with awards and national titles, Rashad intends to make up for it as a pro.

	One unique fact about Rashad is that both he and his trainer, Kevin Lightburn, were both participants in the 2003 National Golden Gloves Tournament in Las Vegas. The 2003 National Gloves included a virtual Who's Who of today's top prospects in the professional lightweight division, including Anthony Peterson, Mickey Bey, Jr., Carney Bowman, and Rashad Ganaway. In the 132 pound division, Rashad just didn't have the proper conditioning and lost a decision to Anthony Peterson in the quaterfinals, while Kevin took second place in the heavyweight division via a tough loss to Travis Walker in the finals. Interestingly, Kevin was leading on all judges scorecards prior to running out of gas and being stopped in the closing seconds of the last round. Both Rashad and Kevin have used their personal experience from the 2003 National Golden Gloves to insure lack of conditioning is never a factor in Rashad's professional bouts.

	Rashad has explosive power. It only took Rashad a total of 5:45 seconds to knock out his first four opponents, two of those opponents went down inside the first minute of the first round. In addition to his power, Rashad has lightning quick speed and impressive footwork. Rashad's punch selection, patience and dedication to fight plan execution including making adjustments to the fight plan as necessary is something you typically only see in a much more experienced pro. Perhaps Rashad's extensive amateur career is now paying dividends as a pro.

	After his first four professional knock outs it became much more difficult to find an opponent who would accept the fight for anything other than a Mike Tyson sized purse, so Rashad suffered through 5 months of inactivity. But in August 2008, Rashad's manager, Jason Stuart, came up with a plan to make Rashad both a world champion and a household name. Since August 2008, Rashad has been actively pursuing his dream and the wish of Mama Mae that he earn the right to be called "CHAMP."

	In a true champion's style, Rashad honored his promise to Mama Mae by maintaining a 3.2 grade point average or higher the entire time he was in high school. Rashad is currently pursuing a college degree in Speech Communications with an anticipated graduation date of 2011.

	~~Rashad loves working with children and feels being a Speech Therapist will be the best way for him to continue being a positive influence in kids' lives after boxing.~~

	~~Other than boxing and school, Rashad �s main focus is his two year old daughter, Kelli Ganaway.~~

	Rashad is employed as an Assistant Unit Manager for G4S, a global company handling security and management of a center for troubled teens in Alexander, Arkansas. The kids at G4S have criminal charges against them because when things got tough, the kids didn't make the right decision. Rashad's job outside the ring allows him to be a positive influence in the lives of these teenagers. Rashad is supposed to be in the office but he spends most of his time on the floor working with the therapists and kids. Most of the kids know Rashad is a professional boxer too, so they look up to him and like the way he carries himself as a person and as a man. Rashad provides the youth with a shining example of an individual who has risen above adversity and used the tough times in his life as an opportunity to improve his strength of character. Rashad says he has learned, �problems come in all shapes, sizes and colors and you never know whose watching you, so I try to make sure I do the right thing and stay respectful, but when someone disrespects me, I have found the best way to deal with it is to handle the frustration inside the ring and within the rules. There simply is no good that can come from fighting outside the ring. People want to challenge you and call you out in the streets, but real men make good decisions and follow the law. It's tough sometimes, but it has served me well." Rashad says, �It�s not me, it's God blessing me with the opportunity to make a difference in these kids' lives. Mama Mae was there for me and kept me on the right path. Perhaps this is a way I can pay Mama Mae's kindness forward. Hopefully these kids and my own daughter, Kelli, can look at me and the things I am doing to see that, just because life isn't always easy or fair, doesn't mean you can disrespect people and break the law. You have to be smart and patient, sort of like the strategy you often have to use inside the ropes. I'm not perfect, but I try everyday to lead by example. I hope I never let my daughter or the youth that I work with down.�

JCSBoxing at 23:40, 24 February 2009

2009-02-24T23:40:12Z

JCSBoxing at 23:39, 24 February 2009

2009-02-24T23:39:50Z

JCSBoxing: Entered per request of Jason A. Stuart, his manager: http://forum.boxrec.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=96120&p=1647563

2009-02-24T23:39:37Z

Entered per request of Jason A. Stuart, his manager: http://forum.boxrec.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=96120&p=1647563

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:39, 24 February 2009
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	<boxer>440822</boxer>		<boxer>440822</boxer>

			Alias: "The One"

			Biography:

			�The One� Rashad Ganaway, was born in Little Rock, Arkansas and graduated from McClellan High School in Little Rock, Arkansas in 2000. If Rashad hadn't actually lived it, one might think Rashad's life to this point was from a Hollywood movie. It just doesn't seem possible that a young, black kid could rise above the series of setbacks and cruel realities of life to become a respectful, humble professional boxer who, on a daily basis, is a positive influence in the lives of troubled teens and works hard to achieve his own goal of becoming a world champion.

			Growing up, half of Rashad's time was spent in Arkansas while the other half was involuntarily spent in California. Born in 1982 to Yvonne Ganaway and Fredrick Braswell, Rashad was just six months old when the couple decided they no longer wanted to care for young Rashad, who was then suffering from pneumonia and a busted ear drum. One day, in what has to be considered one of the most unbelievably horrid scenes involving a mother and her infant son, Rashad�s mother literally took the very ill child outside, put him on the curb and told her sister, �If you want him, he's outside on the curb. Go get him if you want, I just can't deal with it anymore." Rashad's aunt, Mae Ola West, came and picked Rashad up from the curb where his mother had left him. Immediately realizing Rashad's medical problems were potentially life threatening and knowing Rashad had nobody else to take care of him, Mae Ola West assumed guardianship of Rashad and used her training as a nurse to restore Rashad's health.

			Mae Ola West became Rashad's adoptive mother and took in Rashad's brothers too. Rashad's fascination with boxing began at the tender age of three, when his brothers, Charles and Vincent, would let Rashad follow them to the gym and then teach him to hit the bags and shadow box. Rashad lived in peace in Little Rock until, at the still young age of 8 years old, Rashad's birth-mother kidnapped him during one of her summer visits to Little Rock. Rashad had seen his mother a few times before, so she was familiar enough that it didn't make him suspicious when his birth-mother told him to get in the car so she could take him to visit a cousin. But, Rashad's mother had lied to him. Two days later, Rashad found himself in California with his birth-mother and her then boyfriend, Kenneth Sanders. Kenneth became the father figure in Rashad�s life.

			To this day, Rashad is grateful to have had Kenneth in his life, as it was Kenneth and boxing that made life in California bearable for Rashad. Kenneth knew how much Rashad missed his brothers and loved boxing. Kenneth began taking young Rashad to local boxing gyms so he could at least continue boxing and stay out of trouble while away from his brothers back in Arkansas. Finally, when Rashad was twelve, Kenneth told Yvonne he thought it would be a good idea to again visit Little Rock. Kenneth, Yvonne and Rashad drove to Little Rock Arkansas for a short visit, but because Kenneth and Rashad were so close, Kenneth knew young Rashad was not ever going back to California. Kenneth was prepared, but Yvonne had no idea what was about to happen. When it was time to hit the road, the thirteen year old Rashad slipped out a back window at Mama Mae�s house and ran to a cousin�s house to hide so he wouldn't have to go back to California. Eventually, Kenneth told Yvonne what was happening and Yvonne and Kenneth drove back to California without Rashad.

			Back in Little Rock with Mama Mae and his brothers, Rashad's will to live was again tested a few months later. While Rashad lay asleep in his bedroom, a drug dealer, to whom Rashad's brother owed money, fired three rounds through the bedroom window. The bullets meant for his brother, instead hit Rashad. Rashad was rushed to the hospital and as if to show the world that it would take a hell of a lot more than that to keep him from achieving greatness, Rashad not only recovered, but was back in the gym boxing just six weeks later. While Rashad quickly recovered from the gunshot wounds, the doctors determined it was too dangerous to remove one of the bullets. So, to this day, Rashad has a 9mm bullet permanently lodged in his lung.

			Rashad's life with Mama Mae wasn't easy and the family didn't have much in their cramped house, but the family was very close. Mama Mae had to endure the roll of both mother and father alone. �Things were tight sometimes,� recalls Rashad, "but Mama Mae always kept it together for me and my brothers." With a total of eight brothers in her home, Mama Mae's home was basically a �Den of Men� but Mama Mae didn�t play. All of her boys had to learn how to sew, cook and clean. While they weren't always perfect, the brothers were all raised as gentlemen. Rashad remembers that sometimes Mama Mae's lessons in humility and respect for others were at times enforced with a wooden soup spoon, a belt or any other thing Mama Mae had near her when one of the boys stepped across the line.

			Mama Mae didn't like violence, but realized it would be impossible to keep Rashad happy and out of trouble if he wasn't allowed to go to the gym with his brothers. Mama Mae asked Rashad if he wanted to become a professional boxer someday and he simply responded, "Yeah." After a quick swat for not saying, "Yes ma'am," Mama Mae made Rashad promise that if he continued boxing he would do so with respect and professionalism, as well as, maintain his grades and finish his education. Thus began Rashad's road to becoming a champion. Throughout Rashad's amateur career, Mama Mae would never watch Rashad fight. Mama Mae would go to the tournaments, but every time, she would walk out as soon as the opening bell rang for Round 1. From the hallway Mama Mae would listen to the fight. Rashad still laughs when he says, �She never wanted to see us get hurt�she would pay for the fight but not watch. I always told her it was such a waste of money, but she'd just say, 'It's not a waste, I am there and you know I am there, even if I'm not watching, and that's is what is important.'" Once the fight was over, Mama Mae would step back into the gym and listen for the announcement of the winner. Mama Mae knew her son was talented and had a knack for boxing, but she never wanted him to become cocky or arrogant like so many other professional athletes. Rashad remembers, �She never called me champ. In fact, she made sure nobody else called me champ throughout my amateur career."

			Mama Mae was one of the most cherished and influential people in Rashad's life. In 2005, Mama Mae developed colon cancer and could no longer take care of herself, so she moved in with Rashad and he helped take care of her for a year. Rashad smiles when he says, �She always told me, �Rashad, you better be nice to people because you never know who�s gonna have to wipe your you know what someday.� That year Mama Mae lived with Rashad was hard and Mama Mae ended up moving into several different assisted care facilities. Soon after, the day came when Mama Mae asked everyone to leave the room except Rashad. A tear comes to Rashad's eye and his voice cracks a little when he says, "Mama Mae had never called me Champ before, but the day she died she wanted just me in the room and she said, 'Baby, you are always my Champ, you know that, right?� Mama Mae passed away soon thereafter. Rashad says, "She was the sweetest and meanest person I have ever known, and I thank God that he brought her into my life." Mama Mae had refused to let him be called a champ all those years, so she could keep him humble; but in her heart, it was always Mama Mae's wish that Rashad someday be known as a true champion. Mama Mae never got the chance to see Rashad turn pro, but he knows she is there in spirit.

			After enjoying a lengthy amateur career, where Rashad amassed a record of about 280 wins and 23 losses, Rashad turned pro late in January 2008. Despite Rashad's impressive amateur record and multiple trips to national tournaments, Rashad seemed to always fall short of a national title or Olympic birth. At the amateur level, Rashad's training was amateurish at best, as he really didn't focus on endurance and training, but just relied on his God given talent. As a result, Rashad always seemed to run out of gas before the end of the big amateur tournaments such as the National Golden Gloves or PAL tournaments. Although, Rashad's amateur career wasn't laced with awards and national titles, Rashad intends to make up for it as a pro.

			One unique fact about Rashad is that both he and his trainer, Kevin Lightburn, were both participants in the 2003 National Golden Gloves Tournament in Las Vegas. The 2003 National Gloves included a virtual Who's Who of today's top prospects in the professional lightweight division, including Anthony Peterson, Mickey Bey, Jr., Carney Bowman, and Rashad Ganaway. In the 132 pound division, Rashad just didn't have the proper conditioning and lost a decision to Anthony Peterson in the quaterfinals, while Kevin took second place in the heavyweight division via a tough loss to Travis Walker in the finals. Interestingly, Kevin was leading on all judges scorecards prior to running out of gas and being stopped in the closing seconds of the last round. Both Rashad and Kevin have used their personal experience from the 2003 National Golden Gloves to insure lack of conditioning is never a factor in Rashad's professional bouts.

			Rashad has explosive power. It only took Rashad a total of 5:45 seconds to knock out his first four opponents, two of those opponents went down inside the first minute of the first round. In addition to his power, Rashad has lightning quick speed and impressive footwork. Rashad's punch selection, patience and dedication to fight plan execution including making adjustments to the fight plan as necessary is something you typically only see in a much more experienced pro. Perhaps Rashad's extensive amateur career is now paying dividends as a pro.

			After his first four professional knock outs it became much more difficult to find an opponent who would accept the fight for anything other than a Mike Tyson sized purse, so Rashad suffered through 5 months of inactivity. But in August 2008, Rashad's manager, Jason Stuart, came up with a plan to make Rashad both a world champion and a household name. Since August 2008, Rashad has been actively pursuing his dream and the wish of Mama Mae that he earn the right to be called "CHAMP."

			In a true champion's style, Rashad honored his promise to Mama Mae by maintaining a 3.2 grade point average or higher the entire time he was in high school. Rashad is currently pursuing a college degree in Speech Communications with an anticipated graduation date of 2011.

			Rashad loves working with children and feels being a Speech Therapist will be the best way for him to continue being a positive influence in kids' lives after boxing.

			Other than boxing and school, Rashad �s main focus is his two year old daughter, Kelli Ganaway.

			Rashad is employed as an Assistant Unit Manager for G4S, a global company handling security and management of a center for troubled teens in Alexander, Arkansas. The kids at G4S have criminal charges against them because when things got tough, the kids didn't make the right decision. Rashad's job outside the ring allows him to be a positive influence in the lives of these teenagers. Rashad is supposed to be in the office but he spends most of his time on the floor working with the therapists and kids. Most of the kids know Rashad is a professional boxer too, so they look up to him and like the way he carries himself as a person and as a man. Rashad provides the youth with a shining example of an individual who has risen above adversity and used the tough times in his life as an opportunity to improve his strength of character. Rashad says he has learned, �problems come in all shapes, sizes and colors and you never know whose watching you, so I try to make sure I do the right thing and stay respectful, but when someone disrespects me, I have found the best way to deal with it is to handle the frustration inside the ring and within the rules. There simply is no good that can come from fighting outside the ring. People want to challenge you and call you out in the streets, but real men make good decisions and follow the law. It's tough sometimes, but it has served me well." Rashad says, �It�s not me, it's God blessing me with the opportunity to make a difference in these kids' lives. Mama Mae was there for me and kept me on the right path. Perhaps this is a way I can pay Mama Mae's kindness forward. Hopefully these kids and my own daughter, Kelli, can look at me and the things I am doing to see that, just because life isn't always easy or fair, doesn't mean you can disrespect people and break the law. You have to be smart and patient, sort of like the strategy you often have to use inside the ropes. I'm not perfect, but I try everyday to lead by example. I hope I never let my daughter or the youth that I work with down.�

John: removed total PR piece, sorry Grey

2009-02-24T22:58:14Z

removed total PR piece, sorry Grey

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:58, 24 February 2009
Line 1:		Line 1:
	<boxer>440822</boxer>		<boxer>440822</boxer>

	"The One" Rashad Ganaway, was born in Little Rock, Arkansas and graduated from McClellan High School in Little Rock, Arkansas in 2000. If Rashad hadn't actually lived it, one might think Rashad's life to this point was from a Hollywood movie. It just doesn't seem possible that a young, black kid could rise above the series of setbacks and cruel realities of life to become a respectful, humble professional boxer who, on a daily basis, is a positive influence in the lives of troubled teens and works hard to achieve his own goal of becoming a world champion.

	Growing up, half of Rashad's time was spent in Arkansas while the other half was involuntarily spent in California. Born in 1982 to Yvonne Ganaway and Fredrick Braswell, Rashad was just six months old when the couple decided they no longer wanted to care for young Rashad, who was then suffering from pneumonia and a busted ear drum. One day, in what has to be considered one of the most unbelievably horrid scenes involving a mother and her infant son, Rashad's mother literally took the very ill child outside, put him on the curb and told her sister, "If you want him, he's outside on the curb. Go get him if you want, I just can't deal with it anymore." Rashad's aunt, Mae Ola West, came and picked Rashad up from the curb where his mother had left him. Immediately realizing Rashad's medical problems were potentially life threatening and knowing Rashad had nobody else to take care of him, Mae Ola West assumed guardianship of Rashad and used her training as a nurse to restore Rashad's health.

	Mae Ola West became Rashad's adoptive mother and took in Rashad's brothers too. Rashad's fascination with boxing began at the tender age of three, when his brothers, Charles and Vincent, would let Rashad follow them to the gym and then teach him to hit the bags and shadow box. Rashad lived in peace in Little Rock until, at the still young age of 8 years old, Rashad's birth-mother kidnapped him during one of her summer visits to Little Rock. Rashad had seen his mother a few times before, so she was familiar enough that it didn't make him suspicious when his birth-mother told him to get in the car so she could take him to visit a cousin. But, Rashad's mother had lied to him. Two days later, Rashad found himself in California with his birth-mother and her then boyfriend, Kenneth Sanders. Kenneth became the father figure in Rashad's life.

	To this day, Rashad is grateful to have had Kenneth in his life, as it was Kenneth and boxing that made life in California bearable for Rashad. Kenneth knew how much Rashad missed his brothers and loved boxing. Kenneth began taking young Rashad to local boxing gyms so he could at least continue boxing and stay out of trouble while away from his brothers back in Arkansas. Finally, when Rashad was twelve, Kenneth told Yvonne he thought it would be a good idea to again visit Little Rock. Kenneth, Yvonne and Rashad drove to Little Rock Arkansas for a short visit, but because Kenneth and Rashad were so close, Kenneth knew young Rashad was not ever going back to California. Kenneth was prepared, but Yvonne had no idea what was about to happen. When it was time to hit the road, the thirteen year old Rashad slipped out a back window at Mama Mae's house and ran to a cousin's house to hide so he wouldn't have to go back to California. Eventually, Kenneth told Yvonne what was happening and Yvonne and Kenneth drove back to California without Rashad.

	Back in Little Rock with Mama Mae and his brothers, Rashad's will to live was again tested a few months later. While Rashad lay asleep in his bedroom, a drug dealer, to whom Rashad's brother owed money, fired three rounds through the bedroom window. The bullets meant for his brother, instead hit Rashad. Rashad was rushed to the hospital and as if to show the world that it would take a hell of a lot more than that to keep him from achieving greatness, Rashad not only recovered, but was back in the gym boxing just six weeks later. While Rashad quickly recovered from the gunshot wounds, the doctors determined it was too dangerous to remove one of the bullets. So, to this day, Rashad has a 9mm bullet permanently lodged in his lung.

	Rashad's life with Mama Mae wasn't easy and the family didn't have much in their cramped house, but the family was very close. Mama Mae had to endure the roll of both mother and father alone. "Things were tight sometimes," recalls Rashad, "but Mama Mae always kept it together for me and my brothers." With a total of eight brothers in her home, Mama Mae's home was basically a "Den of Men" but Mama Mae didn't play. All of her boys had to learn how to sew, cook and clean. While they weren't always perfect, the brothers were all raised as gentlemen. Rashad remembers that sometimes Mama Mae's lessons in humility and respect for others were at times enforced with a wooden soup spoon, a belt or any other thing Mama Mae had near her when one of the boys stepped across the line.

	Mama Mae didn't like violence, but realized it would be impossible to keep Rashad happy and out of trouble if he wasn't allowed to go to the gym with his brothers. Mama Mae asked Rashad if he wanted to become a professional boxer someday and he simply responded, "Yeah." After a quick swat for not saying, "Yes ma'am," Mama Mae made Rashad promise that if he continued boxing he would do so with respect and professionalism, as well as, maintain his grades and finish his education. Thus began Rashad's road to becoming a champion. Throughout Rashad's amateur career, Mama Mae would never watch Rashad fight. Mama Mae would go to the tournaments, but every time, she would walk out as soon as the opening bell rang for Round 1. From the hallway Mama Mae would listen to the fight. Rashad still laughs when he says, 'She never wanted to see us get hurt' she would pay for the fight but not watch. I always told her it was such a waste of money, but she'd just say, 'It's not a waste, I am there and you know I am there, even if I'm not watching, and that's is what is important.'" Once the fight was over, Mama Mae would step back into the gym and listen for the announcement of the winner. Mama Mae knew her son was talented and had a knack for boxing, but she never wanted him to become cocky or arrogant like so many other professional athletes. Rashad remembers, "She never called me champ. In fact, she made sure nobody else called me champ throughout my amateur career."

	Mama Mae was one of the most cherished and influential people in Rashad's life. In 2005, Mama Mae developed colon cancer and could no longer take care of herself, so she moved in with Rashad and he helped take care of her for a year. Rashad smiles when he says, "She always told me, 'Rashad, you better be nice to people because you never know who's gonna have to wipe your you know what someday.' That year Mama Mae lived with Rashad was hard and Mama Mae ended up moving into several different assisted care facilities. Soon after, the day came when Mama Mae asked everyone to leave the room except Rashad. A tear comes to Rashad's eye and his voice cracks a little when he says, "Mama Mae had never called me Champ before, but the day she died she wanted just me in the room and she said, 'Baby, you are always my Champ, you know that, right?' Mama Mae passed away soon thereafter. Rashad says, "She was the sweetest and meanest person I have ever known, and I thank God that he brought her into my life." Mama Mae had refused to let him be called a champ all those years, so she could keep him humble; but in her heart, it was always Mama Mae's wish that Rashad someday be known as a true champion. Mama Mae never got the chance to see Rashad turn pro, but he knows she is there in spirit.

	After enjoying a lengthy amateur career, where Rashad amassed a record of about 280 wins and 23 losses, Rashad turned pro late in January 2008. Despite Rashad's impressive amateur record and multiple trips to national tournaments, Rashad seemed to always fall short of a national title or Olympic birth. At the amateur level, Rashad's training was amateurish at best, as he really didn't focus on endurance and training, but just relied on his God given talent. As a result, Rashad always seemed to run out of gas before the end of the big amateur tournaments such as the National Golden Gloves or PAL tournaments. Although, Rashad's amateur career wasn't laced with awards and national titles, Rashad intends to make up for it as a pro.

	One unique fact about Rashad is that both he and his trainer, Kevin Lightburn, were both participants in the 2003 National Golden Gloves Tournament in Las Vegas. The 2003 National Gloves included a virtual Who's Who of today's top prospects in the professional lightweight division, including [[Anthony Peterson]], Mickey Bey, Jr., [[Carney Bowman]], and Rashad Ganaway. In the 132 pound division, Rashad just didn't have the proper conditioning and lost a decision to Anthony Peterson in the quaterfinals, while Kevin took second place in the heavyweight division via a tough loss to [[Travis Walker]] in the finals. Interestingly, Kevin was leading on all judges scorecards prior to running out of gas and being stopped in the closing seconds of the last round. Both Rashad and Kevin have used their personal experience from the 2003 National Golden Gloves to insure lack of conditioning is never a factor in Rashad's professional bouts.

	Rashad has explosive power. It only took Rashad a total of 5:45 seconds to knock out his first four opponents, two of those opponents went down inside the first minute of the first round. In addition to his power, Rashad has lightning quick speed and impressive footwork. Rashad's punch selection, patience and dedication to fight plan execution including making adjustments to the fight plan as necessary is something you typically only see in a much more experienced pro. Perhaps Rashad's extensive amateur career is now paying dividends as a pro.

	After his first four professional knock outs it became much more difficult to find an opponent who would accept the fight for anything other than a [[Mike Tyson]] sized purse, so Rashad suffered through 5 months of inactivity. But in August 2008, Rashad's manager, Jason Stuart, came up with a plan to make Rashad both a world champion and a household name. Since August 2008, Rashad has been actively pursuing his dream and the wish of Mama Mae that he earn the right to be called "CHAMP."

	In a true champion's style, Rashad honored his promise to Mama Mae by maintaining a 3.2 grade point average or higher the entire time he was in high school. Rashad is currently pursuing a college degree in Speech Communications with an anticipated graduation date of 2011.

	~~Rashad loves working with children and feels being a Speech Therapist will be the best way for him to continue being a positive influence in kids' lives after boxing.~~

	~~Other than boxing and school, Rashad's main focus is his two year old daughter, Kelli Ganaway.~~

	Rashad is employed as an Assistant Unit Manager for G4S, a global company handling security and management of a center for troubled teens in Alexander, Arkansas. The kids at G4S have criminal charges against them because when things got tough, the kids didn't make the right decision. Rashad's job outside the ring allows him to be a positive influence in the lives of these teenagers. Rashad is supposed to be in the office but he spends most of his time on the floor working with the therapists and kids. Most of the kids know Rashad is a professional boxer too, so they look up to him and like the way he carries himself as a person and as a man. Rashad provides the youth with a shining example of an individual who has risen above adversity and used the tough times in his life as an opportunity to improve his strength of character. Rashad says he has learned, "problems come in all shapes, sizes and colors and you never know whose watching you, so I try to make sure I do the right thing and stay respectful, but when someone disrespects me, I have found the best way to deal with it is to handle the frustration inside the ring and within the rules. There simply is no good that can come from fighting outside the ring. People want to challenge you and call you out in the streets, but real men make good decisions and follow the law. It's tough sometimes, but it has served me well." Rashad says, "It's not me, it's God blessing me with the opportunity to make a difference in these kids' lives. Mama Mae was there for me and kept me on the right path. Perhaps this is a way I can pay Mama Mae's kindness forward. Hopefully these kids and my own daughter, Kelli, can look at me and the things I am doing to see that, just because life isn't always easy or fair, doesn't mean you can disrespect people and break the law. You have to be smart and patient, sort of like the strategy you often have to use inside the ropes. I'm not perfect, but I try everyday to lead by example. I hope I never let my daughter or the youth that I work with down."

Grey at 22:02, 15 February 2009

2009-02-15T22:02:16Z

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	?The One? Rashad Ganaway, was born in Little Rock, Arkansas and graduated from McClellan High School in Little Rock, Arkansas in 2000. If Rashad hadn't actually lived it, one might think Rashad's life to this point was from a Hollywood movie. It just doesn't seem possible that a young, black kid could rise above the series of setbacks and cruel realities of life to become a respectful, humble professional boxer who, on a daily basis, is a positive influence in the lives of troubled teens and works hard to achieve his own goal of becoming a world champion.		"The One" Rashad Ganaway, was born in Little Rock, Arkansas and graduated from McClellan High School in Little Rock, Arkansas in 2000. If Rashad hadn't actually lived it, one might think Rashad's life to this point was from a Hollywood movie. It just doesn't seem possible that a young, black kid could rise above the series of setbacks and cruel realities of life to become a respectful, humble professional boxer who, on a daily basis, is a positive influence in the lives of troubled teens and works hard to achieve his own goal of becoming a world champion.

	Growing up, half of Rashad's time was spent in Arkansas while the other half was involuntarily spent in California. Born in 1982 to Yvonne Ganaway and Fredrick Braswell, Rashad was just six months old when the couple decided they no longer wanted to care for young Rashad, who was then suffering from pneumonia and a busted ear drum. One day, in what has to be considered one of the most unbelievably horrid scenes involving a mother and her infant son, Rashad's mother literally took the very ill child outside, put him on the curb and told her sister, "If you want him, he's outside on the curb. Go get him if you want, I just can't deal with it anymore." Rashad's aunt, Mae Ola West, came and picked Rashad up from the curb where his mother had left him. Immediately realizing Rashad's medical problems were potentially life threatening and knowing Rashad had nobody else to take care of him, Mae Ola West assumed guardianship of Rashad and used her training as a nurse to restore Rashad's health.		Growing up, half of Rashad's time was spent in Arkansas while the other half was involuntarily spent in California. Born in 1982 to Yvonne Ganaway and Fredrick Braswell, Rashad was just six months old when the couple decided they no longer wanted to care for young Rashad, who was then suffering from pneumonia and a busted ear drum. One day, in what has to be considered one of the most unbelievably horrid scenes involving a mother and her infant son, Rashad's mother literally took the very ill child outside, put him on the curb and told her sister, "If you want him, he's outside on the curb. Go get him if you want, I just can't deal with it anymore." Rashad's aunt, Mae Ola West, came and picked Rashad up from the curb where his mother had left him. Immediately realizing Rashad's medical problems were potentially life threatening and knowing Rashad had nobody else to take care of him, Mae Ola West assumed guardianship of Rashad and used her training as a nurse to restore Rashad's health.