It was the worst retirement ever.
Joey Dawejko laughs, knowing that statement is correct, considering that since he walked away from the sport in 2022, he’s had eight fights and eight one-rounders for the Team Combat League.
What happened?
“I was always working during my training back in the day and I knew I had to figure something out to do above and beyond boxing,” Dawejko explains. “I started a roofing company and I was just focusing on that, but I would still go to the gym here and there. And one night I was talking to Russell Peltz and he said, ‘Joe, why don’t you just train and fight in front of your hometown and fight back at home? You’ve been on the road for a long time, why don’t you just fight at home?’ I was like, you know what, that’s a good idea because most of my career was away from Philadelphia. So fighting back at home meant a lot to me because I have a lot of fans, a lot of friends and family, and they would still be able to come see me fight. That’s what kind of brought me back.”
So, after back-to-back knockout losses to Zhan Kossobutskiy and Stephan Shaw that dropped his record to 21-10-4, the retirement that lasted all of eight months was over in September of 2022 when he stopped Mike Marshall in four rounds at Parx Casino, about 40 minutes outside of his native Philadelphia.
There was no talk of title runs, big money fights or anything else that used to consume his days. He was just fighting, because that’s what it always was about.
“I’m the type of fighter that never asked who I was fighting,” he said. “I always asked how much I was making (Laughs), but the thing was, I never turned a fight down. And sometimes I was a little too tough for my own good because some fights that I should have never taken I did because I’m a fighter. And I enjoy fighting. I guess that’s why a lot of people like me in the boxing world, because you don’t get that anymore. People want to pad their record and become 30-0 and do this and do that. That don’t matter to me, man. I just want to fight.”
Now 7-1 since his “return,” Dawejko will be going out of town for a fight in Phoenix this Friday against unbeaten Olympic silver medalist Richard Torrez Jr. It’s the kind of contest that’s seen as a showcase for Torrez, but, at the same time, it could be a game changer for the 34-year-old father of four.
“I’ve been in this situation before, and every time I always looked ahead and said, ‘You know what, if I win this, I could do this or I could do that,’” said Dawejko, who has been in with Shaw, Jarrell Miller, Charles Martin, Frank Sanchez and Bryant Jennings during a career that began in 2009. “And honestly, I’m taking this fight as serious as I’ve taken probably any fight in my career because I know what it could do for me. And even though I was retired not that long ago, I still feel like I have a lot left in the game and I could still make some money. I’m more focused than anything right now and I know that after I win this fight, it could be big.”
It would be. Dawejko (28-11-4 with 16 KOs) represents what’s right about boxing. He’s a blue-collar family man, a ticket seller in a day and age when those fighters are rapidly dwindling, and he shows up to fight when his name is called. The owner of Tank’s Knockout Roofing also tells me he’s a pretty fair roofer, as well. So while there’s usually only the negatives spewed about the Philadelphian: He’s too small for heavyweight at 5-foot-10, he gets into too many wars, etc., he knows that the only one showing up with a cup and mouthpiece on fight night is him. And he also credits his TCL run with not just keeping him busy, but adding some new wrinkles to his game thanks to the promotion’s one-round format.
“The first fight, I went in there and everything changed,” Dawejko said. “Usually, I’m fighting eight or 10 rounds and nobody’s trying to get you out of there that fast. So the pace of the fight was different to me and I adapted to it. But after fighting all of those fights in Team Combat League, when I had a regular fight back in April, the pace transitioned with me, too. Back then, I wasn’t as busy as I should have been, but now I feel like I’m a busy fighter because of that. In April, I came out in the first round, and I was like, wow, I threw a lot of punches. I did what I was supposed to do.”
With his foot firmly on the gas, Dawejko stopped 7-1 prospect Walter Burns in three rounds at Liacouras Center in Philly, and then made the drive home to his fiancée and his girls. He won’t have that kind of commute this week, which doesn’t sit too well with the ladies, but dad promises that a trip to Target when he gets home will soothe any hurt feelings.
“When I told them that I was fighting in Arizona, they got a little upset because they think that it’s going to happen again, like how it was before, because I used to train in California,” he said. “I hated every second of it, but that’s where I had to be to keep pursuing my dreams. But they understand. They know that they will get a Target trip out of this, so it’ll be good.”
As for dad’s dreams, where do they stand before he boards a flight for the biggest fight of his career?
“I know that I could still make money in boxing, but my dream now is for my children to live a great life and keep building with my fiancée, Maria, and just go on and live a great life. That’s my dream now, to be able to take care of my family.”
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