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Steve KimESPN
As boxers sit idle with no fights on the horizon, each fighter has had to assess how they will react to this sudden, unexpected layoff. There are those with the means and accomplishments to stand pat and wait for their next opportunity, but not every fighter is so fortunate.
Others are reacting based on their particular professional and financial circumstances. ESPN reached out to a group of fighters — from world titleholders to contenders and young prospects — to see how they are adjusting to life without fights because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Toka Kahn Clary (27-2, 18 KOs)
27 years old, featherweight
“I was supposed to fight March 12, and the day of the fight, hours before the fight, they canceled the whole show. My promoter, Lou DiBella, he paid me a percentage of my [purse] for the fight. That helped me.
“I still have my bills to be paid. I was working at Crotty and Son’s Body Work. I do stuff like help fix cars and stuff. They closed the shop down two days ago, so now I’m just home with my daughter, waiting for this to ride out.
“The month is coming to an end. Everybody else is talking about this money that the government is supposed to give us. My rent alone is $1,350. I have to come up with $1,350 every month, and that’s just on my rent. And I’ve gotta come up with a lot of other money just to feed my family. I don’t know what I’m doing yet, I’m just waiting.
“My wife doesn’t work, she stays with my 2-year-old. Can’t afford to put my daughter in daycare yet, because they charge you $200 a week.
“And if I don’t get another fight in due time, I will definitely have to find another job, most definitely. Not thinking it — I know I’m going to have to.”
Jessie Magdaleno (27-1, 18 KOs)
28 years old, featherweight
“Good thing I had some previous cash saved for times like this. It sucks that I made weight [for my fight that was scheduled for March 14]. I was already underweight the night before the fight. It affects me because that money was for my future, my son’s future, my family’s future and everything has to be put on hold. I got bills to pay, people to feed.
“I’m good for the next couple of months, I play smart with my money, I don’t just waste it. I don’t buy dumb things. I make the right financial choices, and I don’t plan to fail on anything. I take care of myself, I make sure my family is good, I make sure my parents are good, and I’m financially stable, and everything is good, right now.
“But I hope this doesn’t continue throughout the year — hopefully it’s only for a month or two, and I can get back in the ring because it’s tough having all these bills pile up, and you have to pay them as you go — that doesn’t stop. That’s the best advice you can give a young fighter: when you turn pro, make sure you save because you don’t really know what’s going to happen.”
Heather Hardy (22-1, 4 KOs)
38 years old, former women’s featherweight titleholder
“Truth of the matter is, I’ve never made six figures for a fight. So put that into perspective. It’s not Oscar De La Hoya money, I’m not even making 15-0 guys’ salary. Boxing was never my [primary] money, boxing was the thing that would pay my bills when they were all late. My business is training people at Gleason’s Gym — and right now, I’m not.
“A week ago, everything was fine and then, had you told me on March 1, ‘Hey, guess what? By the middle of the month you’re going to be unemployed and home-schooling your kid,’ I would have thought you were crazy. But here I am.
“I’m a hustler, and I knew right away it was time to get creative. So I contacted my girls — my clients at Gleason’s — and I’m doing FaceTime one-on-one, doing workouts with whatever equipment they have from home.
“I think for a lot of people [exercise] is an outlet. The act of going to the gym is maybe the one hour where my client doesn’t have to be ‘mom’ or somebody’s employer. They call everyone by their first name, they feel they’re among peers. So many of my girls use this as therapy, the working out, the way it makes you feel. For them to be without that, it is as essential as food or work for some people.
“So to take that out of someone’s life, sometimes it’s the only thing that makes people happy.”
Jamel Herring (21-2, 10 KOs)
34 years old, WBO junior lightweight titleholder
“I’m definitely comfortable, I’ve been smart. My business partner, Jerry Casarez, and I have been doing things outside of my own career to make sure I’m stable. We started our own management company, where we work with our own fighters. I’m probably more concerned with that right now, because like I said, I have no worries about my own career. When a fight happens I know I’ll be financially secure and everything. So I can have my mind at ease.
“We have other fighters that are less fortunate, that rely on these paydays just to be somewhat comfortable. So I can tell you right now, I’m talking to every promoter across the board.
“Had you told me on March 1, ‘Hey, guess what? By the middle of the month you’re going to be unemployed and home-schooling your kid,’ I would have thought you were crazy. But here I am.”
Heather Hardy
Seniesa Estrada (18-0, 7 KOs)
27 years old, flyweight
“That’s the thing I’m thankful for, that financially I’m fine. Of course, fighting on March 28 at the Forum would’ve been huge for me because my purse would’ve been a very good amount, and especially for a female fighter. So it’s kind of disappointing I won’t be making that, but at the same time I just have to be grateful that I’m not struggling like I was.
“If this would’ve happened two years ago, I would’ve really been down and out, and hurting financially, just because where I was in my career. But thankfully this happened at a time when I’m OK financially till I fight again. But it sucks for so many fighters because so many aren’t in the same situation as I am, or other fighters are.
“I have an endorsement deal from RVCA clothing, which I get paid monthly and it’s a three-year contract. So that’s another way I make money, as well. And I just signed with an agent who represents [actor] Danny Trejo, because I’m good friends with him. I was booking little commercials and acting gigs right before this whole thing went down. So now everything is on pause, that’s kind of held me back a bit.”
Andrew Cancio (21-5-2, 16 KOs)
31 years old, former junior lightweight titleholder
“It’s really hard for me to give up my day job [at California Gas Company] — they consider us emergency responders and all that stuff. So we still have to report to work, we’re obligated to work. So as of right now, financially, I’m good.
“We don’t know when it’s going to go back to normal, or when the fights are going to be rescheduled. I’m pretty sure it’s going to have a domino effect on how we’re going to be scheduled to fight. And we still don’t know what’s going to happen.
“[I see] boxing as just extra money to hopefully put down on a house one day, so it’s just extra income. I’ll be able to live my lifestyle on my gas company paycheck”
Charles Conwell (12-0, 9 KOs)
22 years old, junior middleweight
“As of now, I’m fine, but depending on how long this lasts — especially if it lasts six to eight months, or a year — you start to wonder, ‘Where’s my next payday going to be? How am I going to pay my bills?’
“As of this moment, [I’m not looking for another job]. But as time goes on, yeah, if I don’t get a chance to fight, I would have to get a job. I really don’t want to get a job, and it’ll be hard to get a job because all the businesses are closed down.”
Adam Lopez (13-2, 6 KOs)
23 years old, featherweight
“I’m comfortable, I just moved into a new spot with a roommate. So we’re splitting the rent, a little townhouse. I’m not struggling, I got what I need, I don’t really live that lavish lifestyle. I save my money, stay smart with it. [Getting that extra money for facing Oscar Valdez as a late replacement] was definitely the biggest payday and I didn’t expect to make that much money with that amount of time as a pro.
“I didn’t think I’d reach those numbers for another year or two. So it was definitely a nice little paycheck. You definitely need to save, [and] as I was coming up with my earlier fights, my paydays were nothing. I couldn’t live off of them. So that’s one thing I had to teach myself — save that check. Because as fighters, we get big checks at a time and we have to make that last for a year, a few months, whatever we have to do.”
Edgar Berlanga (13-0, 13 KOs)
22 years old, middleweight
“Thank God that I have my dad [taking care of me], because for two years I’ve been saving all my money from every check that I was getting. But with that being said, it’s a blessing that I made that decision to save my money, put money aside and don’t go splurging my money.
“So for any given day, if that rainy day comes, I have money put away. If anybody sees me buying anything it’s because I can afford it, and not only that, if I buy it, I know I’ll still be comfortable.”
Michael Dutchover (13-1, 10 KOs)
22 years old, lightweight
“I’m fine, financially. I always provide for me and my needs. My coach and manager Danny Zamora, he helps me out, here and there. I don’t have a car payment, I get a truck to drive around while I’m training, so I’m fine. It just sucks I might be out for a little while. I was a day away from fighting [on March 14]. I was so ready to get back in the ring again, and just to be shot down like that, it was really devastating.
“One thing I’ve been thinking about in my future is going back to school. I was thinking about this even before all this happened. But I really want to look into some online classes, business management classes and continue to look at my future after boxing.”
Joe Smith (25-3, 20 KOs)
30 years old, former light heavyweight title contender
Smith, who most recently fought Jesse Hart in January, has maintained a job throughout his boxing career.
“I’ve been out there, still with my tree company, Team Smith Tree Service — just keeping my distance from people, and we’re working. We’re trying to stay busy, but we’re definitely not getting as many phone calls to come and do jobs because of the virus. So it’s definitely impacted us a little bit. But we’re managing to get a job here and there, so we’re doing OK.