Former light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion Bobby Czyz is reportedly battling cancer in his head and neck area.
The Long Island Boxing Charities Facebook page on December 9 with the following message:
"We are saddened to hear the news that a long-time friend of LIBC, Bobby Czyz, has been diagnosed with cancer. Having made his pro debut in 1980, Bobby amassed a record of 44-8 with 28 KOs, becoming a two-division world champion. For 18 years he enthralled fight fans in action-packed fights and now he needs your help! Please consider donating to help Bobby with all costs associated with his diagnosis. LIBC pledges to match all donations raised for Bobby. We appreciate your support."
, a 501c3 nonprofit organization, is currently collecting donations via Venmo – @LiBoxingCharities – and Cash App – $LIBoxingCharities. LIBC said they would match donations on Czyz's behalf.
Nicknamed "The Matinee Idol," Czyz, 62, from Orange, New Jersey, was the face of New Jersey boxing for most of the 1980s and a mainstay fighting on ESPN. Czyz fought from 1980 to 1998 against the likes of Evander Holyfield, Corrie Sanders, Robbie Sims, Virgil Hill, Mustafa Hamsho, Slobodan Kacar, Charles Williams, Dennis Andries, Robert Daniels and Donny Lalonde.
Czyz later transitioned into a TV commentating career as an analyst for Showtime Boxing from 1997 to 2003 and was on the call for the “Bite Fight” between Mike Tyson and Holyfield.
Throughout the years, Czyz, a proud member of Mensa for his high IQ rating, was arrested for DUI four times between 1997 and 2003 and eventually had his driver's license suspended until 2025. Czyz lost his job with Showtime following his fourth offense for DUI.
In 2007, Czyz was while unconscious from the back seat of a burning Mercedes. Czyz said a hired driver went off the road and struck a tree at a high speed. Czyz suffered broken ribs, facial lacerations, collapsed lungs and other serious injuries. He stayed in a medically induced coma for 28 days and said the accident ruined his life as he amassed more than $1.6 million in medical bills.
In 2018, , who by then had fallen on hard times and was working as a grocery store bagger.
Czyz was inducted into the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame in 2018, part of the same class as Holyfield, Hector Camacho, Bob Arum and Donald Trump.
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter whose work has appeared on ESPN, Fox Sports, USA Today, The Guardian, Newsweek, Men’s Health, NFL.com, Los Angeles Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Ring Magazine and more. He has been writing for BoxingScene since 2018. Manouk is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on , , and , through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or via .