above: Morrison celebrates her son’s victories.
Every boxer needs good people in his or her corner. Chordale Booker has two of the best.
Throughout his amateur and professional career Sheryl Morrison and Ahmad Mickens have been the stabilizing forces in keeping Booker focused, grounded and inspired. “Boxing is a very lonely sport,” Booker says. “I’m pretty sure every boxer will say you can’t make it on your own in this sport. You have to have a great team behind you, because you’re not doing it by yourself.”
Morrison and Mickens support Booker in ways that are similar but also different. Both have been with him throughout his travels.Whether it’s a quick whisk up to the Mohegan Sun via I-95 or plane ride to Mississippi or the Dominican Republic, they have been the linchpins to his primary support network.
Mickens has been coaching Booker for 15 years out of his gym Revolution Training and has been his ring mentor from the outset. “One of his biggest lessons he taught me is ‘How you do anything is how you do everything,’” Booker says. “I first learned that from him. I didn’t know what it meant at first, but it really applies to boxing. There are no shortcuts.”
Booker remembers when he dropped to the canvas after a hard shot to the stomach during a sparring session very early in his career. He remained on there long after the punch. “Ahmad waited for everybody to leave,” Booker says. “He said, don’t let anybody ever do that to you. You never want to show anybody weakness like that. I still tell my students that story. I don’t want them to think that things are going to be easy for them.”
While Mickens is the driving force in the ring, Morrison is one of the main motivators outside it. “I’ve seen her work, her love and her overall drive,’’ he says. “I saw her come out of a tough situation when she was raising my brother and me. She took care of us pretty much on her own.”
Booker and his mother have inspired each other. After Sheryl endured two business layoffs, she asked her son his thoughts on whether she should pursue a real estate license. “I said, with your work ethic, you’re going to get it done,’’ Booker says. “She says she was inspired by me. That was a proud moment for me.”
When self-doubt creeps in, Booker reminds himself of how his boxing journey started, how Mickens helped him find a path and how Morrison stood firm in her devotion to her son. The dedication they’ve showed toward him has helped him stay focused and determined. It’s a long climb to the top of the boxing mountain. Reaching the summit doesn’t occur without encouragement, training and love from the outset.
“I can’t quit,” Booker says. “When people tell me how proud they are to watch my fights, it reminds me how many eyes are on me and how many people I affect in a positive way that I may not know. To hear things like that—that I’m an inspiration—especially from my mother, it is surreal.”
Booker’s boxing career has not been a steady upward flight. There have been injuries and setbacks, including a torn Achilles that required surgery and kept him out of competition for more than a year in 2019. It would’ve been easy for Booker to consider another line of work.
“Without Mom and Ahmad always being there, reminding me of all the things that I’ve overcome, I don’t know if I’d still be boxing,” Booker says. “They remind me of all the kids I’ve affected, how much they look up to me. Without them reminding me of who I am and where I’ve come from, maybe I would’ve given up or wouldn’t have kept going. There are days I second guess myself. But they are always pushing me to do my best, push my limits and make the most of this career.”