By Thomas Gerbasi

It’s the little things in life sometimes. Or in the case of 7-foot heavyweight Taishan Dong, it’s the big things. Like his clothes, one of the perks of now living in the United States.

“I haven’t thought too much about the environment in the United States, but I really love it though, because they have a different variety of good clothes that I can buy,” he said through an interpreter. “I love living here.”

If Dong hasn’t had much time to think about the adjustments of moving from China to southern California, that’s because he’s been getting a crash course in the sweet science, with the next chapter taking place tonight at Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, where he will face Tommy Washington Jr. in a four-round bout to be televised on Fox Sports 1.

That’s two pro fights, both nationally televised, and more attention than most 1-0 prospects with no amateur boxing experience get. When asked about the media flocking to his side ever since the days before his July debut, he admitted that “I’m very surprised about that, but I don’t feel uncomfortable about it. If I get more attention from people, more people like me.”

Taishan appears to be a likable sort, a family man trying to make a living in the hardest game. But being a nice guy has little bearing on what happens in the ring, and so the 26-year-old born Jian Jun Dong has to make up for a lot of lost time quickly.

“I didn’t have that many chances to find people with my same weight or level that I can fight with, and the United States is one of the strongest sport countries, so if I want to achieve my goals in boxing, I had to come here,” he said. “There are some difficulties, but I’ve picked up boxing as a career, and I will try to achieve my goals step-by-step to get rid of those disadvantages.”

Now working with Buddy McGirt in his corner, Dong didn’t come to the sport as a complete neophyte with no experience, as he is a former kickboxer as well as a university wrestling champion. But with that type of background, it is a bit surprising that he didn’t delve into mixed martial arts

“As a child, I really loved boxing and I was always watching the boxing competitions in China, but I never learned to box,” he said. “So that’s why when I came over here, I chose boxing and I really love it.”

Linking up with local attorney George Gallegos as his manager, Dong made his intentions known immediately, and they’re ambitious, but you like to hear that from a prospect.

“He really has the goal to be heavyweight champion,” Gallegos said. “Of course the obvious interest at first was his height and his strength, and then I watched tape and asked him if I could see some other tape of him fighting because some of it you can’t find on YouTube. And I saw his athletic ability, which is off the charts, and that’s unusual for such a tall person. Plus, he has the desire. He’s really an intense competitor.”

Winner of his first bout over Alex Rozman via second-round TKO, Dong isn’t expected to have any problems in tonight’s fight either, as Michigan’s Washington enters the bout not just with a 3-6 record, but he also hasn’t fought since 2008. This is the learning phase for Dong though, and if he’s going to eventually make some noise in the heavyweight division and be Nikolay Valuev and not Tye Fields, his team is going to have to avoid going for the quick hit too soon. And they know it.

“A lot of it’s going to rely on Golden Boy, which is a great promoter to guide his career and make sure that everything is done right,” Gallegos said. “I think that the most important thing is to always make sure you don’t rush through things and make sure that things are done right and in time. He trusts me and we have a mutual respect for each other in terms of me respecting his ability and him respecting my guidance, and we take it step-by-step to make sure that every step of the way he’s performing at his best and he’s ready.”