GUEST BLOG: What It's Like To Be A (0-0) Fighter Walking Into The Rough N' Rowdy Boxing Ring

Rough N' Rowdy4/19/2024 8:40 PM

What makes Rough N’ Rowdy special by: (1-0) RNR fighter Matthew Piper Jenks

Rough N' Rowdy 24 is this Friday night with 20 fights of (0-0) boxers and the same hilarious chaos you can always expect from the RNR commentary team of Dave Portnoy, Big Cat, Large, Rone, Caleb and of course Frank. It's crazy how much has happened since I stepped into the ring with 24 hours notice but I wouldn't change it for a thing. You can read about my RNR22 experience below and order RNR24 PPV on BuyRNR.com before you do! Okay let's go...

For background I have been a Stoolie for years and watched countless RNR’s. Big Cat singing the national anthem before joining Dave & Robbie on the call, Rone & Caleb with electric/hilarious interviews, Large keeping order in crazy outfits amidst the madness, Frank officiating the ring girl contest, and the insane brawls make RNR pure Barstool to the core. There are very few rules and maximum chaos.

In August, I was doing everything I could to get a job at Barstool. Frank and I were making some great content together, but I needed to do more to get on the bosses radars. I was sitting on my roof enjoying the sunset when I saw on twitter that Spencer Abel’s opponent had backed out of their fight.

Spencer and his brother had started a rivalry with Frank, knocking Frank’s hat off his head aggressively at the previous RNR. It was Tuesday night and the weigh in was set for Thursday, so I figured if I offered to fight it would show Big Cat I am willing to do damn near anything for Barstool. I also figured there was an extremely low likelihood they could get me commissioned to fight in such a tight window. Basically, my offer was intended as a bluff to make myself look good.

I DM’d Big Cat offering to fight and he responded 8 minutes later, “I think this could work.” My heart dropped into my stomach and within an hour I had spoken to the West Virginia boxing commission and was set to fight.

Bluff called.

I have done some crazy shit in my life, but the only thing that compared to fighting in RNR was skydiving. The 48 hours leading up to it was a very similar sensation of excitement combined with terror, creating paramount adrenaline.

When you skydive, you typically have a couple of seconds of a discombobulated tumble into the sky, before you reach terminal velocity. Terminal velocity is attained around 120 mph when skydiving, but more importantly it is the moment when you can no longer accelerate and wind resistance makes the fall feel more like flying. It is a heavenly feeling, but only attained by first experiencing the hell-ish lead up.

When I got to West Virginia, I was loaded with anxiety. I had never fought in or outside of the ring and hardly made it in time for weigh in. All of the fighters answer questions, sign paperwork, and are crammed together in a seating area before weighing in and squaring off with each other. It was awkward as fuck. I was sitting there quietly the moment I saw Spencer walk in.

He seemed very confident and something in my brain turned violent. It dawned on me that this dude thought he was going to kick my ass. When we squared off at weigh in his arrogance was palpable. I could sense he didn’t respect me or the potential power I could put behind a punch.

I tried to think positively as I laid awake in my hotel room that night. It is easy to preach visualization, it is harder to practice it when you know someone is going to be trying to punch you in the face on PPV. I remembered what Large told me a couple of hours earlier, at RNR you don’t box, you brawl. My positive mindset was morphing into unmitigated violence. I wasn’t going to win with boxing skills, I needed to rely on blunt force trauma.

I woke up on fight day pulsating with adrenaline. The worst messages I received were notes from friends that said things like “Be careful” or “Don’t Get Hurt”. These messages aren’t helpful before war. My friends that were notorious fighters growing up, sent me notes like, “Knock him the fuck out” and “You are more dangerous than you realize.” Those messages were appreciated.

I spent most of fight day frantically trying to use the hotel microwave in the lobby with a cup of water to mold my mouthpiece. It took me about three hours before I felt 100% confident I could breathe through my mouth if I broke my nose. When you don’t have a trainer or corner team, you have to figure it out yourself. This is the case for a lot of RNR warriors, who just sign up ready for blood.

When I arrived at the arena, the isolation of fighting set in. Frank was tied up in the RNR production and I was in the locker room with all the other fighters. I even met the entire Abel family, all of whom seemed very relaxed and ready for Spencer to knock me out. There was also an obvious split backstage between experienced fighters with proper warm up routines and the rest of us.

I stretched, hydrated, and put my phone away for good about an hour before the event started. I had no official trainer or corner people outside of Frank, which left me in the back alone with my thoughts and no proper warm up. I was shadowboxing like Rocky Balboa, with no clue how much warming up was too much.

I think I was fight 14, which meant watching 13 fights from the back before going out. There were knockouts, torn shoulders, and lots of blood before my time came. By fight ten, I felt like I was back in the plane taking off before skydiving. Everything was getting very real and there was no turning back.

During fight 13, Frank came to the back to walk out with me. We were standing behind the curtain waiting for my entrance music to hit when I turned to Frank and said, “I’m going to knock him the fuck out.” Frank smiled and nodded, “Indeed.”

When I walked out with Frank behind me, it felt like those first few seconds falling out of the plane, I was disoriented and blacked out with adrenaline. I walked way too fast down the ramp and realized Frank was 10 yards behind me as I approached the steps. I stopped, turned back to give Frank once last double pound, got into the ring, dapped up Spider, and before I could think the bell rung.

I hit terminal velocity about 10 seconds into the fight. When I heard the bell I moved forward awkwardly with my hands up but didn’t really throw a punch. Instead, I felt a couple from Spencer and immediately realized I do NOT like being punched and I am NOT made of glass.

I loaded up my rage and landed a flush right that dropped Spencer like a bag of dirt. He was definitely caught off guard. To his credit, he got up and kept fighting. Large’s words returned to me when Spencer tried to keep wrapping us up and I threw him to the ground with more of a hip toss than a punch. By the end of the first round, I think he knew he was in trouble and I was bloodthirsty.

The second round started with some back and forth, until Spencer tactfully knocked out my hair bun leaving me with a blinding mop on my head. I knew I was in serious danger and had to put Spencer down quickly before he landed a clean shot I wouldn’t see coming.

After a couple of wild misses, I connected a left handed jab that stunned him followed by a right hook that ended the fight. Frank and I embraced equally overwhelmed with delight and relief.

I was incoherent after the win, with my adrenaline still raging. There is nothing in this world more electric than winning a RNR fight via knockout. It’s an experience that will forever stand alone as a peak moment in my life as silly as it may seem from the outside. Every fighter willing to get in the ring and fight inherently deserves respect. RNR fighters are unique because they aren’t professionals looking for a big payday. They are in it for the love of bloodbaths.

RNR is unrivaled because everyday people are brave enough to get in the ring and try to deliver a legendary moment. It is raw, authentic, primal Barstool at its best. The refs let the fighters brawl, the production crew pour gasoline on the inferno of chaos, and fighters rarely know what to expect from their opponent. Anything is possible and often the unthinkable occurs.

Frank and I are here in Providence for RNR 23, with a stable of fighters we are supporting. I have endless respect for every soul who steps in the ring and finds their terminal velocity. Man in the arena is real and perhaps most real in combat sports.

If you love Barstool, combat sports, and general chaos, RNR is a must see every single time. And RNR24 this Friday night will be no different. ALL NEW (0-0) fighters on the entire card for the first time since RNR1 plus a live ring girl contest and Frank sitting ringside. After we do a walk around Clarksburg of course. Watch the PPV starting at 8 pm ET on BuyRNR.com

Thanks for reading and for all the support I got at RNR22 and every walk since. Truly living the dream and just getting started.