Today I got word that my May 13th fight is a no-go. I had agreed to fight the W.I.B.A (Women's International Boxing Association) fourth ranked minimum weight female fighter as an underdog for an insulting pay check that would basically just pay for my training and all the medical and legalities to get my Korean pro license switched to a Filipino one but I was okay with that. It wasn't about the money for me.
This marks the second fighter to cancel a fight with me here in the Philippines and it's so completely frustrating. I love this country but what's a fighter if they're not willing to fight?!
The fight was my much-needed goal. After all, why would I be killing myself at training day after day and jeopardizing the growth of my business if I didn't have something big like this. I'm not interested in losing weight and I really don't have the extra cash to even pay for all this pre-fight training. I switched boxing clubs, switched coaches, took up walking about 55kms a week so that I could better prepare for this fight and agreed to dropping 17lbs. Now it's been called off. Not cool.
Heading into boxing to tell my coach the news was also so not cool. I've only been working with him for about a week and a half now but I know he's designated a lot of effort and attention into prepping me for this would-have-been and should-have-been fight. Me not having the fight means I don't get paid now but it also means he doesn't either. Unlike most other jobs where you get a regular pay check, us fighters only get paid when we fight. Sponsors help support you while you're training for a fight, but they usually only provide a service or product, like with the case of Supreme Diet and then providing me with food. The pay check comes with the fight. No fight, no pay. It's that simple, that blunt and that brutal.
Here's to hoping they'll find me an opponent and put us on the May 22nd fight card.
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