Philadelphia man's unlikely rise from handyman to heavyweight
PHILADELPHIA - Bryant Jennings might not be a household name right now, but if the undefeated boxer keeps climbing the heavyweight ranks he could one day be mentioned with Philadelphia’s greatest fighters -- guys like Joe Frazier, Bernard Hopkins and Meldrick Taylor...
“I have a pretty big dream.”
Bryant Jennings might not be a household name right now, but if the undefeated boxer keeps climbing the heavyweight ranks he could one day be mentioned with Philadelphia’s greatest fighters — guys like Joe Frazier, Bernard Hopkins and Meldrick Taylor.
“I have the quality of past fighters that came out of Philadelphia,” Jennings told NBC10. “I have that heart, I have that passion, I have that intensity.”
NBC Philadelphia: Trial underway for Delaware County cop accused of tasering teen
But unlike those legends who threw punches for the City of Brotherly Love before him, Jennings’ ring story starts in his mid-20s after hopes for a career in football never came to fruition.
“I was kind of like shot down and reality kind of hit me,” Jennings said. “Had to get a job… A little bit later I had a child, and that’s when life really hit me and I realized that I had to be something for my son.”
What he did first was get a job as a mechanic and handyman at the Federal Reserve in Philadelphia — a job he remains dedicated to as he dreams of boxing a world champion fighter. Jennings even returned to his day job of the past six-plus years just 48 hours after a recent bout, according to Philly.com.
So how did the 6-foot-2, 220-pounder wind up in a ring?
Click here to read the full story on NBC Philadelphia.
