This episode features Ray Tomsick, a fighter training with coach DeVarryl “touch of sleep” Williamson at TOS Boxing in Denver for the upcoming Haymakers for Hope event, Rumble in the Rockies on June 13th. Ray shares how he got involved with Haymakers through his friend Chase, who fought the previous year. He discusses the impact of cancer and other illnesses on his loved ones, including his mother's battle with multiple sclerosis, which motivated him to embrace this challenging opportunity. 

Ray vividly describes the transformative experience of training, the supportive team environment at TOS, and how boxing has become a positive outlet amidst personal tragedy. He expresses gratitude for finding purpose, discipline, and a daily "vacation from the mind" through the grueling workouts. The interview highlights the mental and physical growth that occurs during the four-month training camp, as well as the life lessons and sense of fulfillment gained from pushing oneself to new limits.

(00:00:21) "And it's just like them being debilitated. Right. And me being a capable human being, I need to be doing stuff and do it in a positive light. Right. So that's what drew me to haymakers for hope. Cause it's like, it is a fight, right? Like all these people are fighting all these things and why shouldn't I be fighting"

(00:30:49) "I have no doubt that you're going to make her very proud on event night." - Julie in reference to Ray’s mom.

(00:32:18) "Finding out things that you didn't know about yourself, finding out things that you might not know you needed in life, like mine, one of those main things, needing that daily interaction with a team, showing yourself just truly how strong you can be."

(00:34:00): "The biggest advice is show up to me. It was show up every day. Every day is a new day. Every single day. It doesn't matter what you did yesterday in the gym, whether it was good or bad. Pack it away, put it away. It's over. Today's a day. Don't think about tomorrow. Don't think, just think about what you have to do today and give it everything you got."

Donate to Ray Tomsick's Page

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Haymakers for Hope is an official 501(c)(3) charity organization that gives you the opportunity to fight back against cancer. They also have charity bibs for races all across the country and host charity golf tournaments.

Not Every Fight Ends at the Bell is presented and produced by Haymakers for Hope. Our producers are former fighters Jordan McMillan and Julian A Lewis II.

This episode of Not Every Fight Ends at the Bell features Jeff and Katie Scola sharing their inspiring story. In 2016, at age 27, Katie was diagnosed with breast cancer. Just over a year later, while in remission, she ran the Boston Marathon. Then a month after that, Jeff fought in a Haymakers for Hope charity boxing event to raise money for the Ellie Fund, which had supported them during Katie's treatment.

Despite the difficulties of Katie's cancer journey, the couple maintained remarkable perseverance and positivity. Their story highlights the power of strength, love, and fighting spirit in the face of adversity. They have since welcomed a daughter into their family.

(00:00:27) Katie: "I just remember being so proud of Jeff, so, so grateful. Like who does that? Like, you know, your girlfriend goes through cancer treatment and you sign up for a boxing tournament to potentially get the shit kicked out of you in front of a lot of people."

(00:07:41) Katie on her diagnosis: "It's like the before and the after. It's like the before where there's, you're young, you're 27 living with not a care in the world. And, you know, in a moment's notice, you're like, oh my gosh, I'm spending an hour on a call with a nurse advocate learning all these things about breast cancer that I just never, ever thought I would be hearing."

(00:11:16) Jeff on learning of Katie's diagnosis: "Yeah, it was just kind of crazy. I mean, I was, I was actually on the phone with Tom (his boss) outside. I was coming back from a meeting on the North shore. And just to give you the kind of juxtaposition of like how quickly your life changes at an instant."

(00:19:31) Jeff on seeing Katie finish the Boston Marathon: "I just lost it. And it was just like, you know, I don't think you forget that feeling and how proud I was and how fortunate I felt not just have her in my life, but that she could be there and do that."

(00:37:54) Jeff's advice for prospective fighters: "Just enjoy every moment because it will go quickly and then you'll look back and say, man, I, you know, once the scars heal, so to speak, but you're like, I would do that again."

Read how Katie and Jeff took back the date

Donate to Jeff Scola's Page

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Haymakers for Hope is an official 501(c)(3) charity organization that gives you the opportunity to fight back against cancer. They also have charity bibs for races all across the country and host charity golf tournaments.

Not Every Fight Ends at the Bell is presented and produced by Haymakers for Hope. Our producers are former fighters Jordan McMillan and Julian A Lewis II.

This episode features Rachel Hogan, an alumni fighter from the Bells of the Brawl 2019 event. Rachel discusses how she got involved with Haymakers for Hope by first attending EverybodyFights gym and taking photos at Haymakers events. She was inspired to sign up as a fighter after seeing her then-boyfriend (now husband) go through the training process.

Rachel talks about the difficulty many women face in embracing the aggressiveness needed for boxing, and how she had to adopt an aggressive "character" during training. Her coach Chris DeVega provides commentary praising Rachel's hard work and positive attitude. 

The episode also includes a segment from fighter Luke, who is preparing for an upcoming Haymakers event after battling cancer. He discusses how the training stacks up against other challenges like football camp and cancer treatment.

(00:24:14]) Rachel: "Trust the process. I feel like that's a really cliche thing, but it's true. Trust the process, trust your coach."

(00:31:27) Rachel: "If I had to choose one to photograph over and over and over again, I think I already said it. It would have to be bells just cause something about having all female fighters and like when girls friends show up to cheer you on, like the cheer squad for an all female event is unreal."

(00:33:20) Rachel: "I've definitely gained a level of self confidence and like strength that I always want to continue. Embracing again, like I was kind of not like timid, but I wasn't really a pushing forward in the ring and metaphorically kind of a person. So it's definitely helped me become stronger."

Check out Rachel’s photography on her Instagram

Donate to Rachel's husband's marathon page (Ryan Hogan)

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Follow Haymakers on Instagram

Haymakers for Hope is an official 501(c)(3) charity organization that gives you the opportunity to fight back against cancer. They also have charity bibs for races all across the country and host charity golf tournaments.

Not Every Fight Ends at the Bell is presented and produced by Haymakers for Hope. Our producers are former fighters Jordan McMillan and Julian A Lewis II.

This episode of Not Every Fight Ends at the Bell featured Ben Heller, a 49-year-old boxer training to fight in the Haymakers for Hope charity boxing event to raise money for cancer research. Ben's motivation comes from his wife Amanda's battle with metastatic breast cancer.

Ben shared his family's history with cancer, including losing his father to cancer and his mother being a breast cancer survivor. When Amanda was diagnosed with breast cancer during the pandemic, she initially went through treatment and was declared cancer-free. However, the cancer metastasized to her brain, and she has been undergoing intense treatments for the past 18 months.

Finding boxing helped give Ben a sense of purpose during this difficult time. He has immersed himself in training and fundraising, raising an astonishing $108,000 at the time of this recording and just over $124,000 by the time this will air. Ben will be fighting in Rock ‘N Rumble XIII on May 9, 2024 at the MGM Music Hall at Fenway. 

(00:01:48): "I lost my father almost 10 years ago, 10 years in July, my mother's a breast cancer survivor and my partner at work passed away Christmas Eve of 2020, so I've had some really close people in my life and there's too many to count who have passed away or battled cancer and um, close as those people are, my wife is dealing with Metastatic breast cancer right now and it's really close to home."

(00:26:25): "It's crazy when you think about it because you're going in that ring alone. You know, your coach is standing there, but they're not in there. You're the one fighting. And yet at the same time, you're carrying every person who either did drills with you or who sparred you, who smacked you in the mouth."

(00:29:50): "I want to win. I want to make people proud of me. Um, I want Amanda to be proud. I want my opponent to, to know that I'm in this for real. This isn't just an activity. I'm doing this. This is very personal. I'm fighting as if Amanda's in there with me."

(00:39:22): "I don't want to wish time away. I'm afraid of these next two months of training come May 10th, I'll be an alum. Um, so I really want to savor this moment. This part of the journey, but after that, that's, that's with me forever."

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Haymakers for Hope is an official 501(c)(3) charity organization that gives you the opportunity to fight back against cancer. They also have charity bibs for races all across the country and host charity golf tournaments.

Not Every Fight Ends at the Bell is presented and produced by Haymakers for Hope. Our producers are former fighters Jordan McMillan and Julian A Lewis II.

This episode of the "Not Every Fight Ends at the Bell" podcast features an interview with Luke Gambale, who will be fighting in the upcoming Liberty Bell Brawl charity boxing event in Philadelphia to raise money for cancer research. Luke was diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer when he was 30 years old. After undergoing chemotherapy and immunotherapy, he was told the cancer was incurable and he would need lifelong treatment. However, he later underwent surgery that successfully removed the tumor. He is now nearing 2 years cancer-free and sees the boxing match as a way to celebrate this milestone while fundraising for cancer charities. 

The hosts Todd and Julie, who are also cancer survivors, interview Luke about his cancer journey, decision to do the boxing match, training, and hopes for the event. Luke talks about ignoring health problems when he was younger, finally getting diagnosed, and going through intense cancer treatment. He provides details about his various surgeries. Luke then discusses how he learned about Haymakers for Hope events, committed to the boxing match, and started training at a local gym. He talks about staying motivated for the fundraising aspect. The hosts and Luke discuss what he's looking forward to about the upcoming media day when boxers meet their opponents. Luke also shares his excitement for fight night itself. He emphasizes that he sees the match as part of his healing journey and wants to raise money for cancer charities.

(00:05:43) “To sort of have other people with you going through the exact same training regimen, same frustrations, maybe same fears, then also fundraising and having that on your shoulders is really, really helpful.”

(00:43:13) “Luke, how do you live with the idea of kind of hanging over your head that you could get cancer again?”... “I mean, I could get hit by a car. I live in Philadelphia. There's a lot of bad things that could happen to me here. I would say with that it's definitely a driver just to make sure like doing all the right things to lower that chance”.

(00:45:29) "Anyone can go sign up for a marathon. My brother signed up on three weeks notice and ran it. It was super awesome to do it with him. Granted, I beat him by like three hours, but not everyone can go box.

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Haymakers for Hope is an official 501(c)(3) charity organization that gives you the opportunity to fight back against cancer. They also have charity bibs for races all across the country and host charity golf tournaments.

Not Every Fight Ends at the Bell is presented and produced by Haymakers for Hope, in partnership with StudioPod Media. Our producers are former fighters Jordan McMillan and Julian A Lewis II.

In this episode of Not Every Fight Ends at the Bell, Todd and Julie interview Brian “Braveheart” Wallace, an alumni and former boxer from the 2018 Hope NYC event. Brian took up boxing for fitness after some time off from work to travel on a personal journey, and his friend Halvo convinced him to sign up for Haymakers for Hope.

The episode explores Brian's journey with Haymakers - from his initial fears about boxing and being judged, to finding a welcoming community at the gym. He won his fight, but the ultimate accomplishment was honoring his mom, a 20-year cancer survivor. Brian reflects on special moments with his mom before and after his event, including her later becoming a beloved "ring card girl" at a future event. 

 (00:22:25) "I swear my chest is so tight just like thinking about this moment, right? Like, it's, it is, it's, it's, it's, but I, I can, I know that feeling so well. I will never forget that moment. I will never forget that feeling."

(00:26:40) "That was the most special thing was, was doing this for her and, and kind of seeing it through and then finding her."

(00:44:58) "But every event I've been to, every time I step in, every time I see [the] Dark Auditorium. You know, because I'm usually there early with a spotlight shining on this boxing ring, like my heart skips and every moment from here on out."

Donate to Brian

Read Brian's Blog Post

Donate to Haymakers for Hope

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Haymakers for Hope is an official 501(c)(3) charity organization that gives you the opportunity to fight back against cancer. They also have charity bibs for races all across the country and host charity golf tournaments.

Not Every Fight Ends at the Bell is presented and produced by Haymakers for Hope, in partnership with StudioPod Media. Our producers are former fighters Jordan McMillan and Julian A Lewis II.

Jenna Taylor recounts her experience fighting for Haymakers for Hope, a charity that raises money for cancer research, care, awareness, and survivorship through charity boxing events. Jenna originally got involved after attending a co-worker's fight in 2017. Inspired by his fundraising effort and the spectator experience, she signed up for the next event to honor her grandfather who battled cancer. 

Throughout her Haymakers journey, Jenna has participated in multiple boxing bouts, marathons, and Polar Plunges. She even took a fight on 24 hours' notice to allow another fighter to still compete after a last minute cancellation. Through it all, Jenna has evolved mentally and emotionally. She credits Haymakers for instilling discipline, self-control, empowerment and changing her outlook to be more positive. 

Jenna cherishes the community she’s found through Haymakers. Some of her closest friendships started at events, evident by a group trip to volunteer at the debut Philly fight. She tries to recruit new fighters and spread awareness, eager to contribute to the mission of “knocking out cancer” in any way possible. For anyone hesitant to sign up, her advice is simple: “Don’t be a pussy.”

(00:02:34)"There's something about it. I was like, let's go. Let's do it. I talked to him after and I'd been present for his journey when he signed up to when he got in to media day through all of it. And it was just the whole experience. I was just like, I need that. Like every I saw the impact that he made and I wanted to do the same."

(00:04:43) "I put one of those little billboards in my room with like the little letters and put ‘don't be a pussy’ because there's days that I just did not want to go."

(00:14:00) “The last point two of the marathon was walking up to Julie's fridge in her garage, grabbing a beer and walking back down to the end of the driveway and that hit our 26.”

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Haymakers for Hope is an official 501(c)(3) charity organization that gives you the opportunity to fight back against cancer. They also have charity bibs for races all across the country and host charity golf tournaments.

Not Every Fight Ends at the Bell is presented and produced by Haymakers for Hope, in partnership with StudioPod Media. Our producers are former fighters Jordan McMillan and Julian A Lewis II.

This episode of "Not Every Fight Ends at the Bell" features Joanne "Killer Bee" Beck, a fighter from the 2023 The Liberty Bell Brawl event in Philadelphia. Joanne talks about how she first heard about Haymakers from an alumni, and decided to sign up as a way to reconnect with herself and find empowerment after struggling with postpartum depression. 

Though training was difficult at first as she worked to regain athletic conditioning post-pregnancy, Joanne persevered with the motivation of honoring her father, who passed away from liver cancer when she was 13. She remembers her father as a fighter in his battle with cancer. During a tough training session, Joanne considered dropping out but her husband encouraged her to keep going.

Joanne discusses her entrance and walkout music containing a quote from the movie "Creed" about fighting with pride for yourself.

(00:14:16) "He was the absolute epitome of a fighter in every sense of the word. And there were so many times across his two diagnoses where he could have just said like, I'm not doing this." - Joanne Beck talking about her father battling cancer

(00:11:21) "He said, Joanne, put your hands up. I am not going to let you sit there and cry. After how hard you've worked and how far you have come, stand up and put your hands up, let's finish this session." - Joanne recounting her husband motivating her to keep training

(00:27:59) "I feel like myself again, and I feel like I tapped into something that I don't want to let go of." - Joanne on rediscovering a part of herself through boxing

Donate to Joanne

Joanne’s Fight (check out her intro)

Donate to Haymakers for Hope

Follow Haymakers on Instagram

Haymakers for Hope is an official 501(c)(3) charity organization that gives you the opportunity to fight back against cancer. They also have charity bibs for races all across the country and host charity golf tournaments.

Not Every Fight Ends at the Bell is presented and produced by Haymakers for Hope, in partnership with StudioPod Media. Our producers are former fighters Jordan McMillan and Julian A Lewis II.

This episode of "Not Every Fight Ends at the Bell" features Jennifer Markowitz, a Haymakers for Hope charity boxing event participant. Jennifer was motivated to participate in Haymakers after her coach said that she could do it and that he believed in her, giving her the belief in herself. Her connection to the cause is personal, as she lost grandparents to cancer and her mom is a cancer survivor. On fight night, Jennifer experienced some issues with her headgear slipping off but kept fighting through it, showcasing her grit and determination. She sees boxing as transformative - it has allowed her to find confidence and empowerment while also connecting more to the passion and anger she feels around injustice. 

(00:04:12)  "That pushed me forward enough. I was able to say, well, if Noel says that I can do this, I can ignore those voices that say, well, You're supposed to be able to run also like a seven minute mile and you're supposed to be able to do this, this, this, and this. And I can't do those things. So therefore I can't, I was able to kind of ignore those little things and focus on the big picture of, well, somebody in this world believes I can do this, so I'm just going to do it."

(00:23:02) "It's been really exciting to discover this other part of me because that you can be more than one thing has been really exciting."

(00:28:17) "You have this big goal. Stay consistent, but focus on one day at a time. Check one box at a time. That's how you're going to get to the end goal."

Donate to Jennifer

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Haymakers for Hope is an official 501(c)(3) charity organization that gives you the opportunity to fight back against cancer. They also have charity bibs for races all across the country and host charity golf tournaments.

Not Every Fight Ends at the Bell is presented and produced by Haymakers for Hope, in partnership with StudioPod Media. Our producers are former fighters Jordan McMillan and Julian A Lewis II.

This episode of the "Not Every Fight Ends at the Bell" podcast features an interview with Mike Castillo, a boxing coach who has trained numerous fighters for the Haymakers for Hope charity boxing events over the past 11 years. Mike talks about how he got into boxing himself after a major weight loss transformation as a teenager. He started competing in amateur boxing and eventually became a coach, training both amateur and charity boxers. 

Mike discusses his approach to training the Haymakers boxers, many of whom have no prior boxing experience. He talks about both the physical and personal transformations he has witnessed and helping boxers overcome their fears and accomplish their goals. Julie, Todd and Mike also reflect on some of his most memorable Haymakers fighters over the years. Finally, Mike explains why fundraising for and running the NYC Marathon for Haymakers has been such a meaningful experience for him.

Quotes:

(00:19:19) "When you help a person accomplish that goal that they set out to accomplish, be it the W, be it to lose five or 10 pounds, to be able to run a mile in under seven minutes, being able to bench press more than their body weight, when something comes to fruition like that. It's the best feeling in the world."

(00:18:09) "I think the hardest part of the training sometimes is convincing that person like, Hey man, someone's coming for your ass. You know, like you gotta, you gotta take the training serious." 

(00:24:32) "I feel like it's made me a better person, a better coach. And even though I don't fight anymore, a better fighter, because sometimes like I'm teaching something, a certain technique or a certain exercise or something, and then like, Oh, wait, that's how you do it or whatever."

Resource Links:

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Haymakers for Hope is an official 501(c)(3) charity organization that gives you the opportunity to fight back against cancer. They also have charity bibs for races all across the country and host charity golf tournaments.

Not Every Fight Ends at the Bell is presented and produced by Haymakers for Hope, in partnership with StudioPod Media. Our producers are former fighters Jordan McMillan and Julian A Lewis II.