Boxing brothers Niziolek, Buckley help each other to impressive victories

MONROE – John Buckley has been fighting all his life.

He finally figured out how to do it the right way.

The 32-year-old made his boxing debut last week as part of a card hosted by The Opportunity Center at the Arthur Lesow Community Center and Joe’s-ALCC Boxing Club.

The younger brother of Monroe professional boxer Matt Niziolek debuted with a win over Nico Vosques from Macomb.

“It was a great fight,” Joe’s-ALCC trainer Todd Riggs said. “John won the first round and the second was really close. He showed a lot of guts in the third.”

Buckley never saw boxing as something for him until recently.

“Honestly, when I was watching my brother, I always thought that it was someone else’s thing,” he said.

Then, Buckley sat down to evaluate his life.

“I’ve been fighting everyone else my whole life,” he said. “I’ve been fighting the courts, and I’ve been in prison. I was fighting all the wrong battles.

More: Wins by pros Miller, Niziolek highlight night of boxing in Monroe

“Then, it hit me. Why not fight for something righteous?”

Buckley started training at Joe’s-ALCC, often sparring with his brother.

“He’s my little brother, but everyone thinks he’s my big brother,” Niziolek said with a chuckle.

Buckley said that’s not so true anymore.

“He says that because he’s used to seeing me around 200 pounds,” Buckley said. “Since I’ve been training, I got down to 167.”

“He’s been training hard for the last eight months,” Niziolek said.

Niziolek, who will turn 37 next month, had to lay down the law with his little brother when they started sparring against each other.

“I told him, ‘You’re my brother, but when we are in the ring, we have to go after each other. You have to try to hurt me and I have to try to hurt you,’” Niziolek said. “Iron sharpens iron.”

The training got both of them ready for Saturday’s bouts.

“He was nervous at first, but he looked good,” Niziolek said of his brother’s boxing debut.

Buckley loved every moment of his bout.

“Honestly, I’ve tried everything else,” he said. “I’ve been a garbage man, worked with asphalt and built houses. This is the most honest work I’ve ever done.”

He credits his big brother with giving him motivation.

“Matt, obviously, was a large part of it,” he said. “He’s my brother. We’re from the same cloth, the same blood. It’s amazing to work with him. He encourages and inspires me.”

Buckley also drew inspiration from a much younger member of the family.

“I could hear my son’s voice out there over all of them,” he said.

Eight-year-old Nehemiah threw every ounce of his energy into the fight.

“He went to sleep right after the fight,” Buckley said. “He crashed in my arms as soon as I got to him.”

The first taste of boxing made Buckley want more.

“It feels amazing,” he said. “I see where I need work. I was back in the gym Monday.”

Boxers generally like to go into seclusion before a fight, withdrawing within themselves for meditation and self-motivation.

That wasn’t possible for Niziolek Saturday.

Buckley’s bout was the last amateur fight of the night. Niziolek was scheduled to take the ring next.

“There was a 20-minute intermission, then I had to fight,” he said. “That made it tough. Everything felt like it was being rushed at the last minute.”

But Niziolek would not have dreamed of missing his little brother’s first fight. He was right there at ringside, leading the cheers.

“I could see him on the other side of the ring, yelling for his brother,” Riggs said. “He was not going to miss his brother fighting for sure.”

Watching the fight might have been the best possible way for Niziolek to prepare.

“Seeing him fight got me amped up,” he said. “I could have gone in the ring right then.”

Niziolek avenged his only professional loss, taking a unanimous decision from James Westley of Toledo.

Westley beat Niziolek in a controversial decision in which Niziolek’s camp claimed there were numerous low blows that were not called last summer.

“Going into this fight, my mindset was to go back to that night and mentally prepare for war,” he said. “I was literally ready to die in that ring.”

It ended up as a great night for the two brothers.

“It was a roller coaster,” Buckley said. “I didn’t want to let anyone down. … It was a different dynamic for both of us. He’s my big brother. It was not his first rodeo. I could see him going out of his way to make sure it was good for me.”

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Brothers inspire each other to victories in the boxing ring