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Jesse Rowell had more than a decade of experience as a combat trainer and fighter — and four wrestling championships to his credit — when he stepped into the ring for a kickboxing match at a Harley-Davidson dealership in Milwaukee last month.

His opponent in the final bout was hardly a challenge.

He fought Jessie Roach, 31, who suffers from mental illness and, according to his family, has the intellectual capacity of a young grade-schooler.

Roach receives federal disability payments, has great difficulty reading because of dyslexia and said he doesn't know what a waiver is, though he remembers signing something before the fight. He trained in a garage with a friend and was expecting to be in a wrestling match. He didn't find out he was kickboxing until hours earlier. It was his first such bout.

Rowell, 36, an established fight promoter and gym owner, knocked Roach out in 47 seconds with a kick to the head as hundreds of fans cheered at the Milwaukee Harley-Davidson dealership, where motorcycles were cleared out to make room for a ring.

In another bout, a man with a history of 17 concussions fought over the objections of his doctor. Under the fight rules, his opponent agreed not to deliver blows to his head.

State officials were in the building that night — to regulate the boxing portion of the $80-per-premium-ticket event. But they left the room during the kickboxing, since state law doesn't allow for oversight of the increasingly popular sport.

The state does not sanction kickboxing, even though it oversees boxing and mixed martial arts, an amalgamation of disciplines including kickboxing.

Lawmakers, including state Rep. Joel Kleefisch (R-Oconomowoc) and Sen. Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay), have said they are working on legislation to regulate kickboxing in the wake of a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigation into the death of Dennis Munson Jr., who collapsed at the Eagles Club following his debut kickboxing bout in March.

The investigation revealed fight officials made a series of errors and failed to intervene despite what a dozen independent experts said was an obviously distressed fighter. Treatment for Munson was delayed because of disagreements and confusion over care. He died at the hospital as a result of head trauma.

Police investigated and found no criminal wrongdoing. The state has said it cannot investigate Munson's death because kickboxing is not regulated.

Critics say the Harley fight shows how the lack of oversight puts vulnerable people at risk.

"That is a cruelness at such a level," said state Sen. Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee), who called the fight involving Roach "extremely horrific."

"To have people manipulating them in that way, our most vulnerable citizens, it is our responsibility to make sure they are protected," she said.

Roach said Rowell promised to pay him $50 and give him a medal for participating in the fight.

"He was a real cool guy," Roach told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "He said he was my friend, he was looking out for me."

Rowell said the bout was more "just for fun" and closer to a sparring match than a real fight. Rowell said his specialty is jiu jitsu wrestling, for which he has won four regional championships. He also has fought in mixed martial arts competitions.

Rowell fought Roach several years ago in a mixed martial arts event he ran. Rowell said he spoke to Roach a few times the week before the fight and gave him a ride to the event. Yet Rowell said he didn't know Roach has intellectual disabilities.

"You gotta remember, people are punch-drunk all the time, so I thought he was just that," said Rowell, who has owned the Team Knockout gym for five years, at various locations in Milwaukee and now in Janesville. "I didn't sit down and talk to him."

Officials from the Harley dealership did not return calls for comment.

Salomon Becerra, who organized the boxing portion of the event, said all the kickboxing bouts were arranged by Rowell. He said he spoke to Roach after the fight and quickly detected his disabilities.

"I had no idea that was happening," Becerra said. "I am disgusted by it."

Disabilities create problems

Roach and his two younger brothers all have learning disabilities, according to family members. Jessie Roach graduated from John Marshall High School after spending six years in the school's special education program. His longest-lasting job has been as a dishwasher, but he said he hasn't been able to find work in recent years.

Roach lives with his cousin, who struggles to manage his care. Roach does not have a guardian. He takes medication for schizophrenia and depression. He said he spends his days playing video games and watching movies.

He has always loved watching Ultimate Fighting Championship bouts on television, with the violent takedowns and glitzy championship belts. Seven years ago he saw a guy on the street with a UFC hat, and a friendship between him and Johnny Lovejoy followed.

Lovejoy was a fighter and had trained at Rowell's gym. Lovejoy started training Roach in his parents' basement and garage.

Roach, who said he hasn't had the money to join a gym,said the training and fighting boosted his confidence.

"I just fight for respect, to get respect from people," he said. "I used to get picked on a lot, bullied a lot."

Roach's first fight was several years ago in Racine. He said he was nervous when he saw the other fighters, but that the nervousness went away when his opponent bought him beer before their mixed martial arts bout. Roach was knocked out in the first round.

That fight was not licensed — the bill that created state regulation of MMA in Wisconsin didn't come until later.

In August 2010, Roach fought Rowell at an unlicensed MMA event at the Richfield Chalet in Washington County. The event was held 11 days before Wisconsin's new law regulating MMA went into effect.

The fight was supposed to be a wrestling match, but right before the fight it was changed to an MMA bout, according to Roach and Lovejoy. Roach said he was promised a couple hundred dollars but was never paid.

Instead, Roach received a medal — the first one he had gotten in his life. He later lost it.

Roach still looks for it.

"It was just to remember it by, that I did something," he said.

Trained for wrestling

Roach said he started getting messages from Rowella few months ago, asking if he wanted to fight in the Harley event in November. Roach said he agreed, but said he wanted to wrestle. He didn't tell his family he planned to fight.

His friend and training partner, Lovejoy, agreed to fight, too, though doctors cautioned against it. Lovejoy has had 17 concussions — a half-dozen from fights, the rest from high-flying sports such as snowboarding and BMX bike racing.

Doctors told Lovejoy he can never fight again without grave risks. But Lovejoy said he agreed to a version of combat sports where he wouldn't get hit in the head. Lovejoy said he doesn't think he could fight in a state-sanctioned event because of concussion rules.

Roach trained for wrestling only, according to Lovejoy.

After Rowell picked Roach up to take him to the dealership, located on W. Silver Spring Road, he told Roach their opponents weren't coming. He suggested they instead fight each other in a kickboxing match. Roach agreed. He said he thought he could beat Rowell.

Lovejoy said he tried to call off the fight, worried that Roach could be seriously hurt. He said in the years that he has known Roach, he has seen him exploited.

"He puts himself in situations where he doesn't know what he is getting himself into," Lovejoy said. "His whole life he has been taken advantage of. He has a big heart and gets coerced into things. He doesn't know how to say, 'No.'"

Roach said Rowell gave him gloves and a protective cup. Rowell denied he gave Roach anything but a ride to the fight.

Roach said he was not checked out by a doctor before the fight. He said he had to sign a paper. Someone had to read it to him, but he didn't understand it. He said he thought it was a sign-up sheet. It's unclear what it was, but Lovejoy said he and his opponent that night signed a waiver.

The fight between Roach and Rowell was the finale of the night. Rowell came into the ring with two people carrying his four championship belts from wrestling bouts, according to photos posted on Facebook.

As the fight started, Lovejoy said he just planned to throw in a towel and end it. But he said he froze once he saw Roach land a couple of punches on Rowell and started yelling encouragement instead of conceding.

Rowell responded with several hard blows and then delivered a kick to Roach's head, knocking him out. The referee ended the fight.

"It wasn't an evenly matched fight," Lovejoy said. "Truly, (Rowell) could really have hurt him."

Not qualified for MMA

Someone with intellectual disabilities would most likely not be allowed to fight in a mixed martial arts or boxing match in Wisconsin, though there are no rules or laws against it, according to Hannah Zillmer, spokeswoman for the state Department of Safety and Professional Services.

Contestants receive a physical by a doctor prior to fighting, and Zillmer said the department would likely deem a fight between someone with such disabilities and someone without them as unfair.

Such a fight would not be allowed in New Jersey, according to Nick Lembo, attorney for the State Athletic Control Board. He said such people are generally steered toward other supervised competitions, such as Special Olympics.

"Learning disabilities pose special risk sets and different reactions to understandings of trauma assessments," Lembo said.

Adrian Serrano, a former UFC fighter who runs a Milwaukee gym and is a veteran of the local fight scene, said the fight between Rowell and Roach shows a need for the state to regulate kickboxing. Officials from Roufusport, the area's largest gym and promoter, which oversaw the Munson fight, also support regulation of kickboxing.

"It's just pretty sad," Serrano said. "We can't have a guy like this doing events and taking advantage of people."

Jim Hoegemeier, executive director of The Arc-Wisconsin Disability Association, said the fight involving Roach is concerning but not surprising. Typically, the organization argues for fair opportunities for people with disabilities, but he worried in a situation like this they might not understand the risk.

"He was basically preyed upon," Hoegemeier said. "It is unethical. What is the difference between doing that and using a kid to fight?"

After Roach lost to Rowell, he said he received a brief exam by a doctor and was then allowed to leave. Roach said he spoke to Rowell, but he didn't get paid or the medal. And then Rowell was gone, leaving Roach to look for another ride home.

Roach went to Becerra, the promoter of the boxing events, who gave him $50 because he said he felt bad when he realized Roach's disabilities. But Becerra had no medal for him.

Photos and video of the fight, including Rowell's kick to Roach's head, quickly went up on Facebook. Rowell made the head kick photo his profile picture for weeks. But that photo and others of the fight were taken down after a Journal Sentinel reporter made calls concerning the bout.

The day after the fight, Roach said, he had sharp pains on the side of the head where he was kicked, but that went away.

He said he has called Rowell several times but has gotten no answer. Roach said he wants to fight Rowell again.

He is still is hoping to get his medal.

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