Former Cebuano boxing champ works as ‘kargador’ amid pandemic

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Former WBA Oceania featherweight champion, Jessie Cris Rosales, was forced to enter another profession amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

With boxing operations suspended due to the pandemic, boxers no longer have their main source of livelihood, putting them in a survival situation before bouts will be re-activated.

Rosales, who resides in Cebu, chose to become a ‘kargador’ to provide his family’s basic needs amid the crisis.

“I didn’t have any fight offer when this broke out, so I decided to apply for work in industries that are not even related to boxing,” said Rosales.

Even boxing promoters can’t do anything because social distancing and avoiding mass gatherings are two of the key safety measures to avoid the spread of the virus.

After Governor Gwendolyn Garcia placed Cebu in lockdown, Rosales had to do something in order to feed his family.

“When we learned in the news that many countries were starting to feel the effects of the virus, we were really worried that this would happen in the Philippines as well. So I had to step up for my family,” Rosales added.

Receiving a salary of 400 pesos a day in a 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM shift, Rosales had to carry heavy bags of cement into a big truck.

In his closing statement, Rosales emphasized that he swallowed his pride in entering this kind of job because his family was his only priority amid the crisis happening all over the world.