Brothers fight to put spotlight on mental wellness

On a cold recent morning, inside an office building at an industrial park in Broomall, two brothers sat across from each other, exchanging verbal jabs, testing each other the way they did when they were kids.

“We didn’t see eye to eye for a long time,” said David Feldman Sr., president of Philadelphia-based Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC). “But once we understood that we can’t be in business together, we became brothers again, and we got our family back.”

Older brother Damon Feldman, founder of Official Celebrity Boxing, headquartered in Philadelphia, added that they will always be there for one another. “We learned about life the hard way. A lot of people don’t understand that we gave blood, sweat, and tears to get here today.”

» READ MORE: David Feldman’s rise with the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship came from learning to roll with life’s punches

The infamous fight promoters, sons of Hall of Fame middleweight boxer and trainer Marty Feldman, are supposed to be preparing for BKFC’s Knucklemania 5, hosted at the Wells Fargo Center on Jan. 25. But instead they horseplay in David Feldman’s office while pausing to discuss their upbringing and their motivation.

Born just one year apart, the Feldmans have deep roots in Philadelphia and Delaware County; the brothers grew up in Broomall in an unstable household with Marty and their mother Dawn, who loved to paint.

The couple got divorced when the brothers were in grade school, and, not long after, Dawn was brutally attacked by her new boyfriend and thrown out of a moving car, leaving her paralyzed from the neck down.

“We lived with five different families after our mom was paralyzed,” David Feldman said, grabbing a small pastel painting from a shelf in his office. “She defied the odds. The doctors said mom would never do anything but sit there, but she finished college and tried out for the Paralympics. She made art by holding a paintbrush in her mouth.”

When the brothers were 9 and 10 they moved back in with their father, nicknamed “Hammer of Thor” in the ring, who turned their house into a training camp for boxers. Frank “The Animal” Fletcher and other champions slept there and helped raise the boys.

» READ MORE: Once on the ropes, boxing promoter Damon Feldman keeps jabbing

“Living with those boxers made us who we are today,” Damon Feldman said. “They made sure me and Dave ate every day, and they loved us. They were African American, and we were their family, and that’s why we strongly support Black culture and communities today.”

From an early age, the brothers trained hard and eventually became talented pro boxers like their dad. However, while the older Feldman brother was forced to retire undefeated due to a neck injury, David didn’t have the same passion and left boxing to go to college and become a lawyer.

Damon Feldman couldn’t entirely leave the sport he loved since he was 5, so he created Official Celebrity Boxing in 2003. The sports entertainment company promotes exhibition fights between low-level actors, aging musicians, and former pro athletes, with proceeds going to local charities.

David Feldman spent years as an MMA promoter before founding BKFC in 2018. Now valued at $400 million, BKFC presides over what is reported to be the world’s fastest-growing combat sport, according to Men’s Health.

But despite their success, both brothers have struggled to find mental wellness and heal from years of trauma. They regularly use their platforms to bring awareness to mental health, among other causes.

“Ten years ago I was 30 seconds from jumping off the Commodore Barry Bridge,” said David Feldman, who is also a cancer survivor. “I was having a really bad day and came close to doing something I couldn’t take back, but then I thought about how my mom never gave up. To this day I look at that painting and see she never quit when things got hard, so neither can I.”

On the advice of his wife, Feldman began weekly therapy and found it helped him cope. Now he’s an advocate for counseling, encouraging his fighters and staff to talk about something if it bothers them.

“I didn’t know I carried baggage with me until I saw myself from the outside,” he said. “We need to kill this stereotype that men can’t share their feelings without being called weak, because so many fighters tell me that they want to end it some days.”

The National Institute of Mental Health found that combat-sport athletes are more vulnerable to depression and anxiety than other athletes due to the high physical demands, risk of injury, and the intense focus on competition.

Angela Cottone, a single mother and personal trainer from New Jersey, is a boxer and ambassador for Official Celebrity Boxing, encouraging anyone struggling with their mental health to seek help. She said she regrets that her son Vincent, who died by suicide, did not have any professional guidance before he passed a few years ago.

“Damon and some other celeb boxers helped me get my Vincent into a halfway house toward the end of his life,” Cottone said. “I finally heard a new voice when he called. He told me he wanted to be a counselor and help homeless people, but his hope couldn’t beat his sickness.”

In the United States, approximately 48,000 people die by suicide each year, based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This makes suicide one of the leading causes of death in the nation, and the second leading cause of death for people between 11 and 34.

Cottone said that Damon Feldman has cultivated a family of boxers and staff who support each other through challenges. “When Vincent lost his battle, so many people reached out to me on social media and at events,” she said. “We started a text thread to keep in touch.”

Public figures like former heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe volunteer as referees and judges at Official Celebrity Boxing events, where a portion of proceeds goes to organizations like the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and Kids in Distress.

“I like that Celebrity Boxing mixes social issues in with their fights,” Bowe said. “There’s a fundraiser at every match, and they have great showmanship.”

This “doing good while doing well” approach embodies the brothers’ personal belief system of compassionate service, which has become part of the fabric of their fight clubs.

“We want to help where we can. We’re on a journey to show people that we made it even with all of our mental health issues, and so can they,” Damon Feldman said.

The brothers said they still fight depression and trauma, but it’s easier now after learning ways to cope. One way is to make it about helping other people — both of their companies put a spotlight on mental health resources, suicide awareness, and opportunities to support initiatives like Toys for Tots and the Wounded Warrior Project.

Last year, Damon Feldman saw a man with ALS working out at his gym. Feldman organized an Official Celebrity Boxing fundraiser called ALS Fight Night to raise money for a cure.

“I was into boxing and working out hard before this disease stripped that from me, and it affected my head space,” said Josh Hunter, the man from Feldman’s gym. “Damon walked up to me at the bench press and said ‘I see you fighting, and I respect that.’ He was so sincere and from the heart.”

Feldman gave Hunter a front-row seat and VIP treatment at ALS Fight Night, including an honorary championship ring.

“Josh is a perfect example of hitting a brick wall in life and going over it,” Feldman said. “We just wanted him to know that no one fights alone.”