Once I had secured the first of my interviews, I needed to swiftly follow up with another. This time around I knew I needed to speak with an expert in this field, and someone who had actively done something to contribute towards the issue I have been investigating. The major issue was that I had no idea where to even look for an expert on retired boxers, and what kind of person would even be able to give me a different perspective from that of an ex-fighter themselves.
After a while of deliberation, I began to consider whether there would be any charitable organisations or bodies that have actively worked to build a support network for boxers struggling to deal with the transition into normal life. I had a look into programmes set up by MIND UK and the British Board of Boxing Control, but struggled to find anything that could provide me with more of an insight. It was around this time that I found a page on Facebook called “The Retired Boxers Foundation”, which was an American charitable organisation that assisted retired professional boxers. They aimed to assist struggling boxers and their relatives in any way possible, whilst also educating the public about the cruel realities surrounding the aftermath of a boxing career. I reached out to the foundation online, and after a few days of organising a meeting around the different time-zones, was able to sort out a meeting with founding member Jacquie Richardson.
I came prepared with a specific set of questions for Jacquie, which were honestly abandoned around five minutes into our meeting. The entire conversation was so relaxed and natural that I was able to talk to her about a host of different topics without referring to any pre-prepared questions or pointers, which is always a massive positive. We spoke about an assortment of different subjects, such as the difficulties surrounding retirement, her own run-ins with retired fighters, and she even shared many stories of her different experiences meeting world famous boxers such as Mike Tyson. Jacquie was also quick to highlight her firm belief that a boxer should always retire at their highest point of accomplishment, and added that Deontay Wilder should have done exactly this - I assume after beating Stiverne for the WBC heavyweight belt in 2015.
One thing I did find really interesting was the story of Alex Ramos, a retired middleweight boxer that Jacquie started the Retired Boxers Foundation with. Nicknamed “The Bronx Bomber”, Ramos won four NY Golden Gloves and boxed on the US national team. After retiring from the sport, Ramos fell into heavy substance abuse and found himself living on the streets. It was only after a long period of rehabilitation that he decided to assist other struggling ex-boxers through a non-profit organisation, which he eventually formed with Jaqcuie Richardson in 1998. I was told many stories of Alex Ramos during our conversation which spanned over an hour, and was given a direct insight into just how scary it can be for boxers facing reality at the end of a career.
Richardson mentioned how her experience handling fighters had caused her to become very educated on the topic of brain injuries, as many had been living with complications caused as a result of damage taken by spending too long inside the ring. Ramos himself is now living with dementia pugilistica, and is quite literally punch drunk. I discovered that he is now assisted by a carer, and was even once discovered in a coma by Jacquie Richardson, who realised that more effort was going to have to go into looking after the retired Bronx Bomber. A decision was made to prioritise caring for Ramos, and as a result the successful foundation is no longer an active non profit organisation.
This conversation was genuinely so insightful, and above all taught me just how grim the reality of retiring from boxing can be for so many people involved in the sport. Listen to the full interview here: https://soundcloud.com/user-816938972/interview-two-jacquie-richardson