Cancer has had a devastating impact on my life over the last year. My dad passed away in March 2021 after a hard-fought two-and-a-half-year battle with esophageal cancer. My mom, the epitome of a saint, showed equal toughness and was by his side every step of the way. Sometimes life isn’t fair, though. Just a month after my dad’s death, she was diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer and tragically passed away in July. It all happened so fast and still doesn’t seem real. The strength, courage, and resilience both of my parents showed in their respective fights will continue to motivate me every single day for the rest of my life.

The fact that we are raising money for cancer research through boxing makes this charity especially meaningful to me. My dad was a long-time amateur and professional boxing trainer. Boxing was always something to bond over, whether it was watching fights together or hitting the mitts in the garage. When he was first diagnosed, and I sat there in tears, he looked at me straight-faced and said, “Son, you have two options in life. You can sit around and feel sorry for yourself, or you can get up and fight. I think you know what option I’m going with.” I’m going to go with that option too, pops.   

Cancer has likely impacted most of us in one way or another. As the great Jim Valvano said in his famous ESPY speech, “We need your help. I need your help. We need money for research. It may not save my life. It may save my children’s lives. It may save someone you love.” Let’s come together and keep fighting until we knock cancer out for good.