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SHARE Jesse Rowell After a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story told how Jessie Roach never received the medal he was promised for taking part in an unregulated bout at an area Harley-Davidson dealership, he received a letter of support and medals from John Hewitt, a Florida contractor. Mike De Sisti Video Loading... Death in the Ring Dennis Munson Jr. died hours after his amateur debut as a kickboxer at Milwaukee's Eagles Club in March 2014. An investigation by the Journal Sentinel uncovered a series of errors by the officials responsible for safety during the unregulated fight – part of the fast-growing world of combat sports. Go to section

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Jessie Roach finally got his medal — and a whole lot of encouragement.

The 31-year-old Milwaukee man, who has intellectual disabilities, was promised $50 and a medal to fight in an unregulated kickboxing bout last month at a Harley-Davidson dealership.

A seasoned fighter and trainer, Jesse Rowell, set up the match between himself and Roach, a novice fighter who had never been in a kickboxing bout.

Rowell knocked out Roach in the first round with a kick to the head. Rowell left the event without paying Roach or giving him the medal.

Questions raised by the fight were part of an ongoing Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigation into unregulated combat sports in Wisconsin.

Following the article, people across the combat sports world weighed in, many inquiring about how they could help Roach. John Hewitt of Orlando, Fla., sent Roach two of his medals and a letter, telling him he had a lot of guts to fight.

"I wanted you to have my most prized medal I won for first place in a grappling tournament," Hewitt wrote. "You deserve it more than I do, my friend."

The letter goes on to say Roach doesn't need to fight anymore to prove he has courage.

"Being a good and kind person who looks out for himself and others is way more important than any medal you could earn fighting. I hope you continue to train so you can stay in shape and meet friends, but please leave the fighting to guys who still think they need to prove they have courage, because everybody already knows how brave you are."

Hewitt, a 49-year-old contractor, said Thursday he was moved to send the medals after reading the Journal Sentinel article on Roach, which he found linked on a mixed martial arts comment board.

"It's hard to step in the ring and put it all on the line," Hewitt said. "He really deserves that medal."

Roach received another letter of support, this one from Michigan, which included $50. He also has gotten several messages of encouragement on Facebook.

"It made me feel pretty good about myself," Roach said of the responses.

Earl Minley, Roach's cousin, said it was a beautiful moment when Roach opened the package containing the medals.

"You should have seen the look on his face," Minley said. "He had a smile ear to ear. To see him smile like that, it made me smile."

Roach, who also suffers from mental illness, receives federal disability payments and functions at the level of a young grade-schooler, according to his family.

Kickboxing unregulated

Roach had fought three other times before the November match, always in unregulated events. Roach thought he was going to be participating in a wrestling bout. But just hours before the event, Rowell asked him to kickbox against him instead. Rowell said both of their opponents had canceled.

At the same event, a man with a history of 17 concussions fought over the objections of his doctor.

State officials were at the event but only to regulate the boxing portion of it, which came between the kickboxing. They left the room during the kickboxing. State law doesn't allow for oversight of kickboxing, but it does regulate boxing and mixed martial arts, an amalgamation of disciplines that includes kickboxing.

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

Hansen said a fight involving someone with disabilities like Roach adds to the sense of urgency to take action.

"We have an unregulated sport and some promoters have decided to put the safety of the fighter last," Hansen said. "We need to change that."

Kleefisch said he doesn't see a need for a new set of regulations but wants to extend existing rules for MMA and boxing to cover kickboxing. He said it is important to protect those who are most vulnerable from those who would victimize them.

"There is a special place in hell for those people who take advantage of people with disabilities and there is special place in heaven for people who help those with disabilities participate in the world as they are able," he said.

Rowell, who called Roach before the fight and gave him a ride to the event that night, said last week that he didn't know Roach has intellectual disabilities. He said he thought Roach was punch-drunk.

Rowell had fought Roach before. Rowell set up an MMA fight with him in 2010, held just days before Wisconsin's law regulating MMA went into effect. Rowell knocked Roach out in the first round in that fight, too.

For the event last month, Roach said he was promised a tattoo if he beat Rowell, by an artist who was working at the Harley dealership. But he didn't get one because he didn't win.

Chaz Hastings, owner of the Harley dealership, and Salomon Becerra, who set up the boxing bouts, both said Rowell was in charge of setting up the kickboxing matches.

Hastings said he has worked with Rowell on fights at his dealership before but would never again, in part, because of the Roach fight.

"I can't imagine him wanting to fight someone with that kind of condition," Hastings said. "If Jesse really knew that, it is sickening and disgusting and that is why he will not be back here."