Boxer / Roofer
He balances his passion for boxing with hard work as a roofer, having fun and earning money in both activities.
CHILDHOOD
Joey Dawejko (JD) grew up in the Tacony section of Philadelphia. His mother died when he was 13, but this just made him keep pushing.
FIRST A BOXER
JD fell in love with boxing when he was 9, after his grandfather took him to the Blue Horizon, a small indoor arena presenting both amateur and professional boxing matches. JD started boxing at age 10 at the Harrowgate Boxing Club in Philadelphia. He became a professional boxer at age 15, eventually traveling the country as a premier amateur boxer.
Called a ‘brawler’ for his early style of boxing, JD eventually grew in size (5’10”, 201+ lbs) and strength to fight as a heavyweight, becoming a 14-time Amateur National champion and Amateur World champion, winning most of his fights by ‘KO’ – knockout.
While picking up the nickname “The Tank,” JD has trained all over the world and has been a sparring partner for more than 10 heavyweight champions.
Professional fighters hire a manager (typically paid from a percentage of the fighter’s boxing related income) to coordinate their training and fight schedules, publicity, contract negotiations and finances. Early on, JD hired Philadelphia-based Russell Peltz, a member of boxing’s Hall of Fame for his long record of successful accomplishments as a manager / promoter involving many different pro fighters.
When JD suffered a second-round KO in Germany, he thought he should retire from boxing because he was “simply chasing money; the enjoyment was gone.” And then JD’s phone rang. It was Peltz, who told JD, “I think you’re making a mistake. Fight locally, compete in front of your family and friends and have fun again.”
When JD returned to the ring, he scored a KO at Parx Casino in suburban Philadelphia and felt rejuvenated. He has fought eight times in the last two years; the farthest was an hour and a half car ride to Atlantic City, N.J.
As of mid-2024, JD’s professional record over 28 fights, winning almost all of them, including 16 wins by knockout.
CHALLENGE FOR ANY BOXER – BRAIN HEALTH
Editor’s note – While the goal of boxing is to win the bout, this may be accomplished in several ways, including KO – knockout (obvious when the opponent fighter is laying down, unconscious); TKO – ‘technical knockout’ (when the fighter is declared by the referee to be physically or mentally unfit to continue, possibly over objection of the fighter or his ringside staff) or winning by scoring more points awarded by ringside officials based primarily on the number of body blows above the waist.
Regardless of the number of wins or losses, the science of brain neurology recognizes that a healthy brain can only absorb so many – though padded – punches to the head before the brain begins an unstoppable progression of dysfunction, the symptoms of which often include memory lapses, confusion, dizziness, unprovoked anger and other disabilities affecting sleeping, walking, talking and thinking.
The boxer’s challenge is to know – based on self-assessment, a manager’s recommendation (appreciating that a manager may benefit financially when the fighter continues with more paid bouts) and/or medical advice – when to quit.
ROOFER – QUALIFICATIONS AND ACTIVITIES
JD was taught to roof by his uncles when he was a teenager.
A Roofer, also known as a Roofing Contractor, installs, maintains and repairs the roofs of commercial and residential buildings. Their duties include conducting roof inspections, choosing appropriate materials based on local conditions and advising building owners on when they should replace their roofs instead of repairing them.
A roofer must understand the hazards present at each job site, choose appropriate personal protective equipment and handle tools according to state and federal safety guidelines.
To be able to accomplish everything a roofer does requires physical skills and mental concentration to stay safe in dangerous situations involving climbing ladders, walking on slanted roofs, ripping off old – often rotted – old roof materials, carrying heavy materials and equipment up ladders and sometimes working with hot sealer products.
“Everybody says roofing is hard, and I one thousand percent agree with them”, says JD. “But it’s the fact of just getting out there every day, having something to do and being good at what you do. It’s a job to me. But just like boxing, it’s also fun to me.”
(Editor’s note – A huge part of ‘career satisfaction’ is enjoying what you do to earn money to support your lifestyle. If you enjoy some – but not all – of your work, that can still be a ‘good life’. But if you enjoy nothing about your work, start to look for at least different employment and possibly a completely different career.)
D started his roofing business when he thought his time in the boxing ring was over. That career was – for him – fizzling; his manager left the sport and JD the fighter needed to think about what came next. So, he fell back on the trade his uncles taught him years earlier.
“I realized there’s life past boxing,” said JD.
Although JD owns his roofing business, he works as hard as any employee while refusing to call himself the boss. He doesn’t refer to his employees as employees. This was the way he was taught by his uncles, who “taught me everything I know,” said JD. “They taught me how to be a working man and when to know the day is not done. The day’s not done until you’re back in the shop unloading the truck. Then you start all over again the next morning. For me, my day isn’t done until I’m done training at the gym.”
CHALLENGE – BALANCING CONCURRENT WORK JOBS AND HOME LIFE
JD’s challenge is to balance the time and effort required to be successful within his two different careers at the same time: boxing and his own roofing company – plus the triple challenge of finding time to devote to his family. This often involves working a ‘double work shift’ – roofing during (often hot) days, then boxing training the same day for a few hours, after climbing roofs.
CAREER SATISFACTION
Now that JD has found fun in his return to the boxing ring while also enjoying banking deposits from owning his own business, JD has found a balance for all his activities.
While his satisfied roofing customers recommend JD’s business – called Tank’s Knockout Roofing – he has won most of his recent boxing bouts, putting himself back into contention for a significant fight involving big earnings.
JD says he wants “just one more payday. But first, I have some roofs to finish.”
“My motivation is my 4 beautiful daughters. My future goals are to keep providing a great life for my family.”
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This career story is based on a news article written by Matt Breen, published by the Philadelphia Inquirer on July 27, 2024 plus internet research.
