10 Boxers Who Got Jobs Outside The Ring
Highlights
- Many boxers pursue careers outside the ring in order to support themselves financially.
- Some boxers have passions and interests outside of boxing that they want to pursue alongside their boxing careers.
- Despite working other jobs, these boxers still achieve success and make significant contributions to the sport.
Boxing is a sport where maximum effort is required to achieve the best results. Going into a fight without preparation may not only damage your ability to win, but also put your life at risk. While many boxers are able to devote all of their time and energy to training, there are still some business aspects that hurt them.
The financial realities mean that many boxers are underpaid and forced to find ways to make up the difference in order to enjoy a comfortable lifestyle. While some fighters take jobs outside the ring as a necessity, others simply have passions outside the sport that they want to pursue.
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These are the rivalries that defined boxing and lead to some of the biggest fights in the sport.10 Calvin Brock Envisioned Becoming An Entrepreneur At A Young Age
Brock Was Also A Big Fan Of Boxing As A Kid
- The Boxing Banker had a great career and showed that you can be successful taking two different paths at once.
Brock (31-2, 23 KOs) got his first pair of boxing gloves at 8 years old and eventually started training at the North Charlotte Boxing Club at 12 years old. Brock would go on to become a Golden Gloves champion, Olympian, and heavyweight contender. Brock continued to pursue his other passions as well, studying finance at UNC Charlotte. After getting his degree, Brock worked as a banker in between training for fights.
9 Gabriel Rosado Is One Of Boxing's Toughest Journeymen
Rosado Worked Various Jobs To Make Ends Meet While Training
- Rosado was dedicated to the grind and feels grateful for his career.
Rosado (26-17-1, 15 KOs) always fought hard and was willing to go out swinging. Rosado faced many top fighters, including Gennady Golovkin, Jermell Charlo, and Daniel Jacobs. Rosado dropped out of high school to pursue his dream. As he started going through setbacks in his career, Rosado once again started working an outside job. Rosado trained at the local gym in the morning and worked at night.
8 Micky Ward Is One Of The Sport's Greatest Action Fighters
Ward Is Immortalized For His Legendary Fights With Arturo Gatti
- Ward's early career struggles are highlighted in The Fighter, a movie staring Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale.
Ward (38-13, 27 KOs) also faced other top fighters like Zab Judah, Jesse James Leija, and Emmanuel Augustus. Ward is a native of Lowell, Massachusetts, an area known for toughness and blue-collar work. Ward quit his day job to concentrate on his boxing career. However, Ward decided to step away from the sport after going on a losing streak. Ward helped pace roads around the state, and returned to boxing once he was healed mentally and physically.
7 Chuck Wepner Might Be Boxing's Most Famous Journeyman
The Heavyweight Contender Is Commonly Known For Challenging Muhammad Ali For The Heavyweight Title
- Parts of Wepner's career were explored in his biographical film Staring Liev Schreiber.
- Wepner's career was also a major inspiration for the Rocky movie series.
Wepner (35-14-2, 17 KOs) also faced heavyweight champions George Foreman, Sonny Liston, and Earnie Terrell. Wepner served in the United States Marine Corps, joining the boxing team. He was encouraged to consider a boxing career. Wepner didn't want to be financially dependent on his boxing earnings, so he worked as a liquor sales assistant throughout his career.
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Cobb Pursued An Acting Career In-Between Boxing Fights
- Cobb has over 20 acting credits in his career, including The Champ, Police Academy 4, Miami Vice, and Highlander.
Cobb (42-7-1, 35 KOs) was a serious heavyweight contender, facing Leon Spinks and Earnie Shavers. He also challenged Larry Holmes for the heavyweight crown, taking a beating in a unanimous decision loss. Cobb also participated in professional kickboxing fights on and off during his pro boxing career. Cobb had a record of 9-2.
5 Hall of Famer James Braddock Did Manual Labor
Braddock Eventually Rose Above Poverty And Resumed His Boxing Career
- Braddock's shocking upset win to claim the heavyweight title earned him the nickname Cinderella Man.
Former heavyweight champion and Hall of Famer James Braddock was a solid contender during the early part of his career. However, Braddock (52-26-7, 27 KOs) dealt with severe hand injuries that derailed his career. Due to the economic downturn, Braddock quit boxing and worked as a manual laborer to make ends meet. Many assumed that Braddock was no longer a threat after working as a long shoreman, but he was able to upset heavyweight champion Max Baer.
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Some boxers managed to upset the odds and defeat their distinguished opponents.4 Tony Thompson Initially Viewed Boxing As A Side Gig
Thompson Trained Around His Regular Work Schedule
- Thompson challenged Wladimir Klitschko for the heavyweight title on two occasions.
Heavyweight contender Tony Thompson had a rough childhood, growing up in foster care. Thompson worked several jobs before being encouraged to take up boxing. By this point, Thompson was in his mid 20s, so he wasn't confident, but others believed that the 6'5 southpaw with an awkward style could make an impact. Thompson (40-7, 27 KOs) would quit his regular job, as he continued winning and his purses grew larger with each fight.
3 Terry Marsh Was A Firefighter
Marsh Retired Undefeated
- Marsh worked as a firefighter on and off throughout his career.
Nicknamed The Fighting Fireman, Terry Marsh retired while he was IBF junior welterweight champion. Marsh (26-0-1, 10 KOs) announced that he was diagnosed with epilepsy. Marsh discovered his passion for boxing while he was a member of the Royal Navy Boxing team. Marsh also served as a firefighter with the Essex County Fire and Rescue Service.
2 Heavyweight Contender Bryant Jennings Juggled Two Careers At Once
Jennings Still Worked At The Reserve Bank While His Boxing Career Took Off
- Jennings worked as a carpenter before randomly hitting the punching bag at the local recreation center.
Bryant Jennings (24-4, 14 KOs) worked at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia as a maintenance man and also in the facilities department. Jennings knew that he was headed towards a title shot when he defeated Siarhei Liakhovich. Jennings's co-workers on the night shift at the bank helped him by completing more of the physically demanding tasks. Jennings eventually challenged Wladimir Klitschko for the heavyweight title, losing a unanimous decision.
1 Juan Manuel Marquez Did Not Consider Boxing As Plan A
Marquez Completed The Coursework To Become A Certified Accountant
- Marquez still worked as an accountant full time over 40 fights into his career.
Hall of Famer Juan Manuel Marquez won World Titles from featherweight to junior welterweight. Marquez (56-7-1, 40 KOs) faced Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, Marco Antonio Barrera, and many other outstanding fighters during his career. Marquez loved math as a child and studied to be an accountant.
Marquez didn't really view boxing as a career, so he started working as an accountant in Mexico City. He would box and train in the early mornings and evenings around his accounting schedule. Marquez focused on boxing as his main priority full time after winning the IBF featherweight title by knocking out Manuel Medina.
