Billy Lyell, however, seems to have broken that mold.
A former continental champion and world title challenger during a 10-year career, the fellow native of Ray Mancini’s hometown – Youngstown, Ohio – walked away from the sport in 2013 when he felt he’d maxed out his physical capabilities and promotional circumstances.
Though still a few years short of 30, he reversed course and went back to school to complete a teaching degree before pulling up midwestern stakes to pursue an elementary school job in Florida.
But just when it seemed classrooms and lesson plans in the Sunshine State were in his future with a new wife and young daughter, a part-time gig at a local gym became a full-time role as a business owner.
These days, Lyell runs two Southwest Florida locations of The Sweet Science Boxing and Fitness – in the cities of Naples and Cape Coral — where he flexes muscles both in the ring as a trainer and in the office while coordinating member programs and making sure the lights stay on and the bills get paid.
Boxing Scene caught up with the ex-middleweight contender to chat about his career arc, his favorite memories, and the twists and turns that led him to co-founding a fitness boxing gym.
Boxing Scene: You were a pro boxer from Ohio, competed for 10 years and challenged for a world title, and now you’re a gym owner. How did you get here? What was the draw or the circumstances that brought you to Southwest Florida?
Billy Lyell: I had never thought of leaving Ohio. After I fought (Julio) Chavez Jr. I was very disappointed. My manager, Pat Nelson, had a place in Naples, Florida. He told me I should come down and clear my head. I instantly fell in love. I couldn’t believe there was a place in the United States you could swim in January. So, I told myself as soon as I retire, I was going to figure out a way to live here.
Boxing Scene: A lot of guys — high profile and lower — are trainers or work for promotional companies or whatever, just so they can stay connected to the sport. Is that your tale as well, or was being involved with a gym simply an opportunity that came along and you’d have done it regardless of your competitive background?
Lyell: I never thought of owning a gym. I was burned out with the sport after I retired. I was a school teacher in Cape Coral. I got married and had a daughter and I needed to make extra money. I originally just opened the gym at night when I was done teaching. Within a couple months it became so busy I quit my job teaching to run it full time.
Boxing Scene: A lot of good fighters have come from Ohio, was it something you saw yourself doing as a kid? Or did you get started some other way? And when did you decide, “OK, I’m going to try and make a living at this”?
Lyell: Youngstown is a big boxing town. We have four world champions in a town of about 75,000 people. I began at 11 years old, and my parents told me I was only allowed to work out. After almost one year of training, I convinced them to let me have one bout. I won with a first-round TKO and was instantly hooked to the sport. I became obsessed and knew it was what I wanted to do in life.
Boxing Scene: Though you weren’t a champion, you still achieved a level of accomplishment that only a small percentage of fighters ever reach. When you look back at your resume and reminisce, what are the things that stick out? Particular fights, opponents, venues, moments? What still resonates, even 10 years after it ended?
Lyell: There is no thrill like being center stage in a boxing ring. A lot of things stick out. The smell of the training and gym. I remember some of the grueling fights I had with (James) Kirkland, (Sebastian) Sylvester, and Yori Boy Campos. I also remember the John Duddy upset and the way it felt was something that is hard to describe. Just a lot of special feelings and emotions that you can’t find anywhere else.
Boxing Scene: Talk about the title fight opportunity. What do you recall specifically about that fight? What was it like to fight on “enemy turf”? What was Sylvester like as an opponent? Did the significance of the fight and fighting for a title resonate with you on the day of the fight itself?
Lyell: I remember I was working as a substitute teacher. Pat called me up and said “We are going to Germany next Saturday to fight for the IBF title.” The original opponent fell out over a failed drug test, and I got the opportunity. I was a very small 160-pounder and was able to easily make weight on eight days’ notice. I remember thinking Sylvester was slow and not very fluid. I remember thinking Kelly Pavlik would destroy him. However, I was surprised at how hard he punched. I honestly thought he must be on steroids, the punches felt different and didn’t lose steam as the rounds went on. I was pretty banged up after the fight. I wasn’t allowed to fly home and had to go to the ER for an MRI and brain scans. I felt like my head was going to explode with pressure! Thank God, everything turned OK with results.
Boxing Scene: Same question about Chavez. too. Fighting in Mexico against a local hero and a championship-level opponent?
Lyell: Chavez fight was a lot of fun because I had more time to train for it (four weeks) and his dad was my idol growing up. The atmosphere was electric in a soccer stadium in his hometown. As the fight started, I was surprised he was not better than he was. I fought hard and really believed I was going to win that fight. I remember boxing well with him but simply not being able to hurt him. He was a very nice guy after the fight I have fond memories of the whole experience.
Boxing Scene: What were the circumstances at the end of your career? Did you get out when you wanted to? What was the calculation that led you to say, “OK, it’s done”? Was there any debate about whether it was the right time?
Lyell: I decided to retire from the sport at a relatively young 27 years old because I didn’t have a knockout punch and didn’t think I could get a fair decision against opponents often in their hometown or on their promoters’ shows. I remember fighting Dominik Britsch in Germany for the IBF intercontinental belt. I thought I won nine, 10 rounds of that match. When I lost a majority decision something clicked inside of me, like “How can I win these bouts if I don’t have the power to knock them out?” I always believed I could be champion but after that night my spirit was broken from the reality of the sport.
Boxing Scene: Any regrets with the way the career went? Wish things had gone differently? Or did you do all that you set out to?
Lyell: I have some regrets about my career because I didn’t achieve my goals. I would have liked to have a promoter or a manager that built up my record and paid for my training and living expenses, so I didn’t have to take so many tough fights so young, and so many fights on short notice outside of my ideal weight class. With proper nutrition and ample time to train for bouts I believe I would have competed at 147 and 154 pounds, not 160, and won the title. I should have been more disciplined outside of the ring also. I regret not acting more like a professional outside of the ring. However, I’m very grateful for the lessons the sport of boxing has taught me, and I would not trade my results in the ring for the lessons I learned from them.
Boxing Scene: What’s the day of a gym owner like? Do you get involved in day-to-day workout routines for people, or are you more of an administrator? Do the people who put on boxing gloves there have any idea about your background? Is that a selling point or do you not tell people? Is it more of a fitness gym that does boxing workouts, or are you seeing people who actually know how to fight?
Lyell: We have all types of members. I do not talk much about my career because I’m so invested in helping them reach their goals. I had some of the top amateurs in the country when I first opened the gym. I don’t encourage anyone to be a professional boxer. It is a difficult path for anyone. However, with a young family I cannot commit to traveling around the country for amateur competitions, so I transitioned more to boxing/fitness. We have a lot of people who want to spar and get in the ring but are not serious enough to be good amateurs or professionals. We started a Friday Night Fights series every two weeks from our Naples location at 7:30 p.m. We have had over 2 million unique viewers tune in to watch on TikTok Live (@BillyLyell) and get hundreds of people to show up to watch the sparring at our gym. It has turned into a huge underground hit! Our next event is August 11 at 7:30 p.m.
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This week’s title-fight schedule:
IBF bantamweight title – Oxon Hill, Maryland
Emmanuel Rodriguez (No. 2 WBO/No. 3 Ring) vs. Melvin Lopez (No. 3 WBO/Unranked Ring)
Rodriguez (21-2, 13 KO): Fourth title fight (2-1); Held IBF title at 118 (2018-19, one defense)
Lopez (29-1, 19 KO): First title fight; Eight-fight win streak since 2019 (8-0, 7 KO)
Fitzbitz says: Lopez arrives with a gaudier record and a nice win streak, but Rodriguez has fought a better quality of opposition and succeeded while doing so. Another reign. Rodriguez in 10 (90/10)
WBO junior lightweight title – Glendale, Arizona
Emanuel Navarrete (WBO champion/Unranked Ring) vs. Oscar Valdez (No. 1 WBO/No. 1 Ring)
Navarrete (37-1, 31 KO): First title defense; Held titles at 122 and 126 (eight total defenses)
Valdez (31-1, 23 KO): Eleventh title fight (9-1); Held titles at 126 and 130 (seven total defenses)
Fitzbitz says: This is a terrific fight on paper and more than likely in the ring as well. Navarrete has been a dominant force in two divisions but Valdez, to me, seems to have more tools. Valdez by decision (60/40)
Last week’s picks: None
2023 picks record: 26-10 (72.2 percent)
Overall picks record: 1,276-418 (75.3 percent)
NOTE: Fights previewed are only those involving a sanctioning body’s full-fledged title-holder – no interim, diamond, silver, etc. Fights for WBA “world championships” are only included if no “super champion” exists in the weight class.
Lyle Fitzsimmons has covered professional boxing since 1995 and written a weekly column for Boxing Scene since 2008. He is a full voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Reach him at fitzbitz@msn.com or follow him on Twitter – @fitzbitz.