From the Navy to USC football to fighting for a heavyweight title, Gerald Washington's journey has been anything but ordinary

Some people get to where they want without taking the long road. For others though, the journey is not that easy.

The latter can definitely be said for Gerald Washington as he prepares to face Deontay Wilder in the Premier Boxing Champions event Saturday at the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.

Washington grew up in Northern California, but when he was 13, him and his mother, Rosa Rangel, moved to Mexico. During his time south of the border, Washington attended school and took care of animals on a ranch.

He eventually returned to the states and got involved in athletics, but he only played one season of football, as a senior (his only catch of the season was a 21-yard touchdown).

After high school, Washington decided he wanted to serve in the military, where he was a helicopter mechanic in the Navy from 2000-2004. There, he learned how to work in a team environment. It started to prepare him for what was to come.

“My job in the military was to work on helicopters,” Washington told Yahoo Sports. “Everybody had their little mission. You have your electricians, your mechanics, your air framers and everybody doing different jobs. In order to get this helicopter in the air and get it flying to do the search and rescue, we have to do our job. It showed you have to work with everybody.”

When his time in the Navy was coming to an end, Washington decided to enroll and play football at Chaffey Junior College in Southern California. In his sophomore year, he was named a Junior College All-American as a tight end. With his physical gifts, the University of Southern California came calling, offering him a scholarship. Washington became a contributor on the other side of the ball at defensive end and then, after graduating, he had brief stints on the practice squads of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks and Buffalo Bills.

Going through the experience at Chaffey, USC and his brief stint in the NFL made Washington learn what the environment would be like when it came to what he ultimately decided to do in life.

“If you understand how your team works, you have to know every little detail,” Washington emphasized. “You have to be right. Have to have your hands up, your pistons right, your feet under you, can’t be leaning forward. You have to have all these different particular things. If everything isn’t right, it’s not going to go right.”

Not knowing what to do after graduating from USC, Washington worked at the Sheriff’s Youth Foundation in south Los Angeles. There, it all come together for Washington as he served as a mentor and became a boxing coach.

That’s where Washington realized his experiences in the Navy and playing football on a big stage made him capable of more than just coaching.

“Looking at those kids’ eyes and how they were growing not only as a boxer but also a human being made me understand that everything I had done before was what led up to that point,” Washington said. “Those experiences and teaching those great kids made me want to pursue my passion.”

Just three months shy of his 30th birthday in July 2012, Washington made his pro debut, knocking out Blue DeLong in the first round.

Eighteen fights (and a bunch of knockouts later), Washington emerged as a long-shot title contender – a title fight against Wilder didn’t seem that far-fetched for Washington. Both fighters were managed by Al Haymon. They fought on the same card in July at the same arena they will fight on Saturday. Washington went out first and knocked out Ray Austin in the fourth round. Wilder took a little longer but he knocked out Chris Arreola in the eighth round.

“The Bronze Bomber” took some time off due to a torn bicep and a broken hand. In December, Wilder announced his return date would be this Saturday night against Andrzej Wawrzyk. But that fight was called off a month later after Wawrzyk tested positive stanozolol, an anabolic steroid.

Needing an opponent, Wilder looked to Washington, who was ready, willing and able to go for the chance of a lifetime.

“I said something. I was like, ‘Look, if anything happens, I’m right here and I am ready’,” Washington said. “And look at what happened? I’m a man of my word. I’m stepping up for the challenge. Like I said, I was already training. I was preparing for a fight date. I didn’t exactly know who it was going to be or what was going to happen. I knew that the time has come. This is what I want. If I didn’t take the challenge now, who was to say what would have happened? Who was to say Deontay Wilder would go on to lose and the title would get off the map and have to wait another two years and work my way up to be the number one contender to get the opportunity? But, I am here now and I’m ready to go.”

Washington, 34, knows what he’s getting into come Saturday night. Wilder is 37-0 and all but one of those wins have come by knockout. Many regard him as the most athletic fighter in the heavyweight division and think he can bring heavyweight boxing back into the mainstream in the United States.

Washington respects everything about Wilder, but the even-keeled challenger feels if he does what him and his team have worked on, he will shock the world and walk out of Wilder’s home state of Alabama the new WBC heavyweight champion of the world – completing the long, winding journey that has brought him to prominence in the squared circle.

“I just have to do my job,” Washington said. “I have to do a little bit of everything. I have to mix it up. He’s a great fighter. I have to let my hands go at the right time and be smart in there. I have to watch him. He’s very unpredictable, athletic and has power in both hands and can knock you out at any time.”