Former two-division world champion Bobby Czyz has spent most of his life somehow coping with situations that could easily have killed him.
Now, at the age of 63, Czyz faces another brutal battle after being diagnosed with aggressive squamous cell cancer of his right nostril and neck.
The surgeries necessary to remove the cancer left the former boxing star with a severe facial disfigurement and extensive scarring on his face and nose.
Photos shared publicly by Czyż during his recovery surprised many boxing fans, who remembered him as one of the toughest champions of the sport in the 1980s and 1990s.
But even now, the Novel Jersey striker still sounds like a fighter.
“It’s not as bad as it looks,” Czyż wrote under one of the restoration photos. “We can all rise up.”
This mentality accompanied him through almost every stage of his life.
Bobby Czyz has avoided disaster time and time again
Long before winning the world title, Czyz narrowly avoided one of boxing’s darkest tragedies.
In 1980, members of the United States amateur boxing team died on board Polish Airlines LOT 007 in a crash near Warsaw.
Was it supposed to be part of the trip? He only avoided boarding the plane because he was recovering from injuries suffered in a car accident.
Escape has become one of the defining “what if?” moments of his life.
Czyz eventually turned professional and became a two-weight world champion, winning the IBF delicate heavyweight title and later winning the WBA cruiserweight crown.
Known as “The Matinee Idol,” Czyż (44-8, 28 KO) fought in the ring with names such as Evander Holyfield, Virgil Hill, Charles Williams and Corrie Sanders in an era full of threatening fighters.
But the punishment in the ropes wasn’t the only trauma he experienced.
In 2007, Czyz was rescued from a burning vehicle after another terrible car accident, which left him with sedate facial injuries.
Now, almost two decades later, cancer has forced him to fight again.
thewhatsnextkid | IG
The boxing world is rooting for Bobby Czyż
Friends and figures from the boxing world have already begun to rally around the former champion as he continues his rehabilitation.
Nick Furris wrote: “Good friend, boxing icon and three-time champion Bobby Czyż will fight the biggest fight of his life.
“Out of nowhere, Bobby was diagnosed with nose and neck cancer.
“I spoke to him today and he is in good spirits after the surgery, but he has a long road ahead of him.
“For those who have seen him fight or know him, please take a moment and say a prayer. Knowing Bobby, if there is one SOB who can beat ‘C’, it will be him.”
In 2026, Czyz explained her cancer discovery in an interview with The What’s Next Kid (thewhatsnextkid) on Instagram.
He said: “One morning I woke up with a lump in my nose. The doctors said it was a polyp with cancer.
“Now I have to go through all these surgeries to try and look even remotely cute again.”
For many boxing fans, images of Czyz barely resemble the fighter they watched during his championship years.
But the mindset still is.
After surviving boxing, a plane crash, devastating crashes and now cancer surgery, Bobby Czyz is still trying to rise again.
About the Author
Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.
The heavyweight landscape could look very different by the end of the year.
Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua will finally meet at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium in December, more than a decade after a fight between the British rivals was first discussed.
Their bout has reportedly been earmarked for a WBA ‘super’ heavyweight title, although that has proved controversial.
Gassiev remains listed by the WBA as its world champion and his team have lodged an objection to the prospect of another WBA heavyweight champion being crowned.
But it means the winner of Dubois-Wardley could enter 2027 with several lucrative options.
For Dubois, another victory would settle his rivalry with Wardley at 2-0 and give him a successful first defence of his second world title reign.
At the age of 29, wins over Joshua, Hrgovic and Wardley twice would leave Dubois with one of the strongest recent records among the division’s leading heavyweights.
Unification fights against Kabayel or Hrgovic would be obvious targets, while the winner of Fury-Joshua could provide another huge all-British option depending on how the WBA title situation develops.
For Wardley, victory would see him regain the title, avenge the only defeat of his career and put himself firmly in the conversation for unification fights.
The consequences of defeat are slightly different, though.
A second successive loss to Dubois would leave Wardley needing to rebuild before another world title opportunity.
Should Dubois lose, the rivalry would stand at 1-1 and calls for a third fight would begin almost immediately.
Tim Tszyu is reportedly set to enter a major title fight next month, bidding to become a two-division world champion at 160lbs.
The Australian has decided to remain at middleweight following his last outing, against Errol Spence Jr, which resulted in a unanimous decision victory on home soil.
While many had anticipated a more competitive affair in July, it ended up being largely one-sided, with Tszyu winning convincingly and sending his opponent into retirement.
In doing so, the 31-year-old claimed his most significant win since 2023, when he outpointed Brian Mendoza for the WBO super-welterweight title following back-to-back stoppages of Tony Harrison and Carlos Ocampo.
Tszyu would then suffer stoppage defeats to Bakhram Murtazaliev and Sebastian Fundora, but now looks to join the world title scene at 160lbs.
According to Fox Sportshe is expected to return in late November and face WBA champion Erislandy Lara, who has not fought since scoring two knockdowns and unanimously outpointing Johan Gonzalez last December.
Prior to that, the Cuban retained his middleweight title with a ninth-round stoppage of Danny Garcia and, at the age of 43, is currently the sport’s oldest reigning world champion.
At his best, Lara is a highly-skilled southpaw with deceptive power but, due to his age and lack of activity, is rarely mentioned as one of boxing’s leading pound-for-pound operators.
Tszyu could therefore dethrone the 40-fight veteran in Australia next month, with Jermell Charlo reportedly set to feature on the undercard after having not fought since his wide points defeat to Canelo Alvarez in 2023.
The highly anticipated October 31 showdown between Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and WBC super-middleweight champion Christian Mbilli has faced mounting speculation in recent weeks, with growing concerns that the entire card could be pulled – or at least moved – from Saudi Arabia.
The fight marks Canelo’s return to the ring following his loss to Terence Craford last September – just his third defeat of his career.
He has landed an immediate shot at one of his old belts against Mbilli, who was elevated from interim to full champion when Crawford retired.
Set to headline the Mexico vs The World card at The Venue in Riyadh, the bout has been overshadowed in recent weeks by escalating regional hostilities, including drone strikes near the Saudi capital by Houthi rebels. Today, King Khalid airport was struck again.
The U.S. Mission in Saudi Arabia issued a security alert on October 5. The advisory cautioned American citizens to remain vigilant, immediately sparking rumours across the boxing world that the event could be abruptly relocated to Las Vegas in November.
There has been silence on the issue from the promotion, and even an official undercard announcement last week.
Today, boxing powerbroker Turki Alalshikh posted online to confirm that Canelo still wants the event to go ahead.
“Canelo reached out and told me he’ll still fight in Riyadh this October, no matter what happens.
“He fears nothing. My country is home to the two Holy Mosques, land of peace, safety, rich civilization, deep history, and kind-hearted people.
“Thank you to everyone who checked in and showed support. Hard times reveal true friends.”
Whether or not this encourages fans remains to be seen, with an increasing number still calling for the fight to be moved.
The decision locks in what is arguably the most crucial fight of Canelo’s recent career. After undergoing elbow surgery early this year, it is a must-win for Alvarez, who has hopes of becoming undisputed once more before retiring.