When Regian Eersel defends his ONE Lightweight Muay Thai World Title against George Jarvis at ONE Fight Night 34 on 2 August, his coach at Sityodtong Amsterdam will witness the ultimate return on a life-changing investment made over a decade ago.
The 32-year-old Dutch-Surinamese's current status as a two-division titleholder seemed impossible during the darkest period of his early career, when financial desperation nearly forced him to abandon fighting despite a perfect 7-0 professional record.
"A long time ago, I think I was 19 or 20, I was undefeated in the pros. I cut ties with my manager because he wasn't booking me fights, or he'd book fights for me but the opponents canceled the fight or didn't want to fight me," Eersel explained.
What followed was eight months of professional purgatory that pushed the 6-foot-2 striker to his breaking point.
"For eight, nine months I didn't have a fight. It was the worst period of my life because I had no income, no fights. At some moment, I was thinking, 'Oh, man, I can't do this anymore. No fight, no income,'" he recalled.
Desperation finally drove Eersel to his coach with an ultimatum that could have ended everything.
"I told him [coach] I wanted to quit because there is no point for me [to train] anymore. I have no money, no fights, no income," Eersel said.
His coach's response became the pivotal moment that saved not just a career, but a future champion.
"He said, 'Listen, you have so much talent. The fights and the money will come. You just need to have patience.' He told me he'd pay my rent that month so I can train for the month," Eersel revealed.
That single moment of faith and financial support launched a journey that would culminate in Eersel's current 12-1 ONE Championship record and double world titles.
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