Most stories end there. The dream is gone, the career begins, and all that's left are the wonderful memories of what could have been. At the age of 39 though, Bill realized how much that missed opportunity dogged him all those years. He had job security and the money was good, but his spirit was gone. He mentions in his book, “There was no escaping the fact that I’d spent the last 20 years of my life in a field chosen for me, rather than by me.” Against all logical judgment, Bill sent an email to his boss volunteering his name for the difficult Reduction in Force (RIF) list. He understood the risks, stating “In corporate America, any action that appeared ‘emotionally,’ rather than ‘logically’ motivated, could derail the career of an aspiring executive, regardless of any success that preceded it." Going back wouldn't be an option. One severance package later, Bill was free to pursue the dream he abandoned 20 years ago.
He and his family moved to Gulfport, Mississippi where he found a gym, a trainer, and after extensive training at the age of 40 stepped into the ring for his first professional fight in Shreveport. He lost. He lost the next fight too, and broke his hand in the process. While recovering his family wanted him to quit, but he couldn’t end his dream this way. He carried on, coming back from his hand injury and winning his next two fights in Alabama.
Each fight in Bill's professional career is well detailed in Million Dollar Maybe, and can easily be followed by boxing novices such as myself. Bill proves he knows his stuff. In reality though, his story goes deeper than fights, showing the intimate struggle and personal sacrifices required to find his purpose. It wasn’t all joy, despite his strong feeling that he was doing the right thing. He split with his wife who took the kids. The money he saved started to deplete thanks to some investments gone bad (Enron), and a failing home business. He didn’t give up though, and his dream took him to Las Vegas next, where the boxing climate was much harder.
Vegas was not kind, and after losing one fight, the Nevada State Athletic Commission during his application for a permanent license in Bill's words, "...took the decision of 'when to hang up my gloves' out of my hands and into theirs." They denied his renewal out of concern over his age and poor performance in his last fight. His boxing career was over. After the premature end of his three-year career, Bill has no regrets over the experience. He wrote, “I feel like I’ve evolved more into a human being in these past three years than I had in my first 39.”
Article comments
1 - Gordon Hauptfleisch
Thanks for an engrossing, well-written read.