Man with mental disabilities KOed in unregulated Wisconsin fights
Jesse Rowell knocked out Jessie Roach, 31, who suffers from mental illness and, according to his family, has the intellectual capacity of a young grade-schooler.
Last month investigative journalist John Diedrich brought to national attention the death of kickboxer Dennis Munson Jr in Milwaukee. Now Diedrich reveals that Jessie Roach, a man with mental disabilities, has been knocked out twice by promoter/fighter/trainer Jesse Rowell in unregulated combat sports events.
Rowell is adamant that he not did know Roach’s mental state, and says would not have taken the fight(s) if he had.
Jesse Rowell had more than a decade of experience as a combat trainer and fighter — and four grappling championships to his credit — when he stepped into the ring for a kickboxing match at a Harley-Davidson dealership in Milwaukee last month.His opponent in the final bout was hardly a challenge.
He fought Jessie Roach, 31, who suffers from mental illness and, according to his family, has the intellectual capacity of a young grade-schooler.
Roach receives federal disability payments, has great difficulty reading because of dyslexia and said he doesn’t know what a waiver is, though he remembers signing something before the fight. He trained in a garage with a friend and was expecting to be in a wrestling match. He didn’t find out he was kickboxing until hours earlier. It was his first such bout.
Rowell, 36, an established fight promoter and gym owner, knocked Roach out in 47 seconds with a kick to the head as hundreds of fans cheered at the Milwaukee Harley-Davidson dealership, where motorcycles were cleared out to make room for a ring.
State officials were in the building that night — to regulate the boxing portion of the $80-per-premium-ticket event. But they left the room during the kickboxing, since state law doesn’t allow for oversight of the increasingly popular sport.
The state does not sanction kickboxing, even though it oversees boxing and mixed martial arts.
Critics say the Harley fight shows how the lack of oversight puts vulnerable people at risk.
“That is a cruelness at such a level,” said state Sen. Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee), who called the fight involving Roach “extremely horrific.”
“To have people manipulating them in that way, our most vulnerable citizens, it is our responsibility to make sure they are protected,” she said.
Roach said Rowell promised to pay him $50 and give him a medal for participating in the fight.
“He was a real cool guy,” Roach told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “He said he was my friend, he was looking out for me.”
Rowell said the bout was more “just for fun” and closer to a sparring match than a real fight. Rowell said his specialty is jiu jitsu, for which he has won four regional championships. He also has fought in mixed martial arts competitions.
—
Salomon Becerra, who organized the boxing portion of the event, said all the kickboxing bouts were arranged by Rowell. He said he spoke to Roach after the fight and quickly detected his disabilities.
“I had no idea that was happening,” Becerra said. “I am disgusted by it.”
The day after the fight, Roach said, he had sharp pains on the side of the head where he was kicked, but that went away.
He said he has called Rowell several times but has gotten no answer. Roach said he wants to fight Rowell again.
He is still is hoping to get his medal.
—
Rowell also fought Roach several years ago in a mixed martial arts event he ran. Rowell said he spoke to Roach a few times the week before the fight and gave him a ride to the event. Yet Rowell said he didn’t know Roach has intellectual disabilities.
“You gotta remember, people are punch-drunk all the time so I thought he was just that,” said Roach, who has owned the Team Knockout gym for five years, at various locations in Milwaukee and now in Janesville. “I didn’t sit down and talk to him.”
Jesse Rowell made this photo of him head-kicking Roach his Facebook profile photo for weeks.
PLEASE read entire article… it gets worse.
When asked via his social network to comment on what transpired, Rowell again professed ignorance of Roach’s mental capacity.
“I would never fight a guy if I new (sic) he had a disability,” he wrote. “I wasn’t the promoter or didn’t hang with that other guy. The other guy has over 15/20 fights. I just fight never would fight if I new anything like this.”
Some members of The UnderGround were touched by Mr. Roach’s story, and are sending him medals, or well wishes. If you care to send anything, his address is:
Jessie Roach
PO Box 5016-05
Milwaukee, WI 53205