Sponsored by:
Jacquie Richardson, Exec. Director, RETIRED BOXERS FOUNDATION
Professional Boxing is the only sport that does not have a nationwide pension plan for retired athletes. 87% of professional boxers end their career with some kind of damage. For some, there are brain injuries, neurological and or physical damages, and for too many, these injuries lead to homelessness, substance abuse issues, phsychiatric disorders and dementia pugilistica (the medical term for being "punch drunk."
In 1998, retired professional boxer, Alex "The Bronx Bomber" Ramos started the Retired Boxers Foundation to assist these fighters in the transition from their glorious days in the ring to a dignified retirement. Only one state offers a pension--California--and it charges the fans $.89 per ticket sold at each boxing show, resulting in a pension that pays $2.00 a round. For a boxer like Alex Ramos, it would amount to $150 a month, which is clearly not enough to live on. If EVERY STATE charge $1 per ticket sold, Alex would have retired with a monthly income of nearly $1,200 a month.
If the powers that be in boxing are not willing to initiate a nationwide pension for retired professional boxers, then we will--with the help of sports fans around the country!
We, the undersigned fans of the sport of boxing, would gladly pay an extra $1 for every ticket sold to a professional boxing event, so that professional boxers who risk their lives for our entertainment, have a decent pension when they retire!
Professional Boxing is the only sport that does not have a nationwide pension plan for retired athletes. 87% of professional boxers end their career with some kind of damage. For some, there are brain injuries, neurological and or physical damages, and for too many, these injuries lead to homelessness, substance abuse issues, phsychiatric disorders and dementia pugilistica (the medical term for being "punch drunk."
In 1998, retired professional boxer, Alex "The Bronx Bomber" Ramos started the Retired Boxers Foundation to assist these fighters in the transition from their glorious days in the ring to a dignified retirement. Only one state offers a pension--California--and it charges the fans $.89 per ticket sold at each boxing show, resulting in a pension that pays $2.00 a round. For a boxer like Alex Ramos, it would amount to $150 a month, which is clearly not enough to live on. If EVERY STATE charge $1 per ticket sold, Alex would have retired with a monthly income of nearly $1,200 a month.
If the powers that be in boxing are not willing to initiate a nationwide pension for retired professional boxers, then we will--with the help of sports fans around the country!
We, the undersigned fans of the sport of boxing, would gladly pay an extra $1 for every ticket sold to a professional boxing event, so that professional boxers who risk their lives for our entertainment, have a decent pension when they retire!
We the undersigned, are fans of the sport of boxing and we want to make sure that retired professional boxers have a pension when they retire. Boxing is the only professional sport that does not provide a pension for all of the athletes that risk their lives for our entertainment and we, as fans and consumers, would be happy to pay an extra $1 on the ticket price for professional boxing shows. The Retired Boxers Foundation wants to help every fighter make the transition from their glorious days in the ring to a dignified retirement. Thank you for becoming an "undisputed champion for DIGNITY!
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