BEDFORD HEIGHTS, Ohio — They know the risks.
That's the message from local boxers just days after boxer 27-year-old Patrick Day died, following a bout on Sunday against Cleveland boxing star Charles Conwell.
RELATED: Boxer Patrick Day dies of brain injuries after fight with Cleveland Heights native Charles Conwell
The list is long of sports with high risk of serious injuries but for the athletes, the determination is stronger.
“If I'm doing it, I must go all in with it,” Tyrone Evans, who wants to go pro, said.
It’s what’s expected in the ring, to go all out but sometimes the final round is the last.
Edwin King, USA Level II Boxing referee and judge and owner of Kings Gym, said the future of the sport will only stick around if something changes.
“Right now, the main issue that each state is regulated by itself,” King said. “There's no national governing body in the professional ranks that governs the health and safety of the fighters.”
It’s a safety concern for some, since there’s no national oversight.
“A lot of times these boxers that don't necessarily pass a physical in one state will go to another state and fight in a sanctioned show and that's where you can run into trouble,” King said. “It's ultimately the coach's responsibility to be aware of what the boxer is doing at any particular moment.”
For those who are in the ring or who dream of going professional, they said it’s part of the game.
“You gotta be willing to take a punch and give a punch to really adjust to this type of sport,” Evans said.
It’s a sport that has seen the highs and lows, from calls to ban it altogether to dwindling ratings.
“The sport itself is struggling a bit because the accessibility of seeing bouts, seeing the big names fight is a lot less because you have to pay for it,” King said.
It’s the young athletes, though, who are fighting to keep it around.
“Watching it as a kid, I knew stuff that happens with boxing,” Greg Taylor, young boxer, said. “But it's something I love about it."
WATCH | Dorsena Drakeford talks about her story of how local boxers are reacting to the death of Patrick Day with Dave "Dino" DeNatale on 3News' Facebook Live and YouTube.