It was September of 2018 and one of boxing’s most anticipated matchups of the year, Shawn Porter vs. Danny Garcia, was about to take place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. At ringside, mixed in with the celebrities, pro athletes, influencers and Wall Street guys, was a 49-year-old woman preparing for a fight of her own. “I couldn’t stop smiling,” Julie Brown, a mom of five from Holly Springs, North Carolina, told me. “I knew I was exactly where I was supposed to be.” Weeks earlier, Brown had been diagnosed with breast cancer. The following Thursday she would be beginning chemotherapy, 13 scheduled treatments, and she mentally prepared herself by thinking of each as being one round of a boxing match. For now, though, that could wait. It was time to watch the fights. Every sports fan has their favorite athlete, and for Brown that man is two-time world champion Porter, whose unanimous decision victory over Garcia (34-1) earned him the WBC welterweight belt. Porter started in the pro ranks three weight divisions higher, but has chosen to fight virtually his entire career in boxing’s toughest and most talent-laden category, thriving off his smarts, precision, athleticism and tenacity, while his savvy observations have led to a position as a regular FOX Sports boxing analyst. For Brown, news of her condition filled her with a sense of urgency. The furious threat of cancer made her want to tick off some bucket list items and her doctors encouraged her to stay busy. So, she and a group of friends started their own “Fight Club,” a collection of boxing fans who would travel to various events, share good food, enjoy plenty of laughs and watch the action from as close to the ring as they could get. They went to Las Vegas for Manny Pacquiao’s outstanding performance against Keith Thurman and again for Tyson Fury’s dominant rematch victory over Deontay Wilder. But her No. 1 never changed. It was always Porter. “When I thought of Shawn, I realized this was someone I could draw strength from,” Brown said. “He has a warrior mentality but he is humble enough to listen and learn; he’s had his dad (Kenny) by his side the whole way. I knew he could give me extra motivation.” In September 2019, Brown flew to Los Angeles to watch Porter lose a narrow decision to pound-for-pound king Errol Spence, in a bout tilted by an 11th round knockdown decision. She had just received the all clear from breast cancer and the future was bright. More fight trips ahead. More good times. Then 2020 happened. In March, Brown was left heartbroken by the death of her close friend, Josie Harris. To the boxing community, Harris was Floyd Mayweather’s ex-partner and mother to three of his children. To Brown, she was a source of kindness, a business partner, a firm confidante and a member of the traveling “Fight Club.” Then, in August, as the ravages of COVID-19 continued to take their toll on worldwide life, Brown went for a coronavirus test after suffering from fatigue and headaches. She didn’t have the virus, but given her history, doctors suggested a CT-scan as a precaution. The image revealed a tumor the size of a golf ball in her brain. Historically, brain metastasis caused by breast cancer has had a survival rate of around six months, though significant advancements in the field have greatly improved that prognosis in many cases. “It was time to fight,” Brown said. “All over again.” On a midweek morning towards the end of September, Brown was in the middle of an appointment with Dr. Peter Fecci, a world-renowned neurosurgeon from Duke Medical Center who is handling her treatment. As they sat side by side in his office, Fecci clicked open a link for a Zoom call invitation and motioned for Brown to lean in and look at the screen. She saw a familiar face. “Good morning Julie,” Shawn Porter said. Porter had heard of Brown’s plight and her admiration for him through a FOX colleague and instantly asked to be put in contact. A proud family man, he often uses his experience to speak to groups of underprivileged youngsters and his eloquence has also spawned a popular podcast, the Porter Way. It was a private conversation, but both Porter and Brown gave permission for some of it to be shared. “I want you to have an athlete’s mindset,” Porter said. “I want you to be like a boxer. I understand you are against the odds and that makes you the underdog. When I say I am pulling for you and I care about you, I mean that to the fullest. When you beat those odds you’ll make a lot of people smile and a lot of people happy.” Porter shared the story of his own grandmother, who fought cancer for more than three decades before passing away last year. Brown, who also has former NFL defensive end and ex-pro boxer Ray Edwards in her support group, was visibly moved by Porter’s words. “Having someone to look up to and draw strength from is indispensable,” Dr. Fecci said. “It is just like anything, when the fight goes out of people it really goes out of them. There is a phrase unfortunately that ‘nice people die of cancer.’ It has to be that tough mindset that makes such a big difference in survival. In the ring, in the hospital, in cancer, in any disease.” Boxing has been a powerful source of inspiration for untold numbers of people in their individual struggles. Maybe it is the mere concept of a challenge to be overcome, or the fact that it is the ultimate test of spirit and nerve. “Being on the call was a great reminder about what I want,” Brown added. “I am going to fight with everything I have and be completely relentless against cancer but still keep hold of who I am. I see that in the two sides of Shawn, the competitor in the ring and the compassionate human outside it.” Brown can’t wait to get back to an event, to remind herself to never stop battling. For now, due to present realities, that must wait. Meanwhile, there are challenges to meet and treatments to tackle, head on. She will do so knowing that however big a fan she is of Porter, those sentiments are returned just as strongly. “You recognize the struggle,” Porter told me. “The fact that a person is fighting for their life and staring down this opponent that looks unbeatable. Putting your mind to giving it everything. That takes incredible strength and the respect I have for her is off the charts.” Within moments of the call, Porter set the wheels in motion for Brown to receive a special, boxing-themed gift. We won’t spoil the surprise, but let’s just say that it is the perfect gesture for a boxing fan as she continues her most important battle. And a token of appreciation – from one fighter to another. Here’s what others have said … Ron Rivera, Washington Football Team head coach: “When I first was diagnosed, I was angry. People have reached out and talked to me and have given me their examples or just sent their well-wishes. It helps push me forward and I think that’s so important. When you go through something like this, you need a support system. When you have the right type of people pushing you, man, I tell you what it really helps. It gets your momentum going forward.” Chuck Pagano, Chicago Bears defensive coordinator: “Because of my wife and kids and grandkids, I just thought, ‘No way, I have no options. I will beat this.’ We say we can, we will, we must, by any means necessary, we have no choice. That’s what I say going into games. That’s how it was for me. These people (his family), I’ve got to be there to care for them. So I never had a choice.” Mark Herzlich, former New York Giants linebacker: “When I was going through the process, I wouldn’t allow myself to fall into that pattern of thinking, ‘Why me?’ Then hope would have been lost. You don’t want to lose hope or quit on yourself. I went through something terrible and other people are going through something terrible right now. If I can help motivate them in a way or just share my story and show them an example of a positive outcome, then I can give them hope.” |
