Philadelphia boxer Joey Dawejko owns a roofing company and loves being ‘king of the neighborhood’

Joey Dawejko climbed a ladder Tuesday afternoon and stepped onto the roof of a rowhouse in Morrell Park. The clouds that covered Northeast Philadelphia earlier in the day were no more. It was hot. And there was no escape up there. But Dawejko — a few days before his next professional boxing fight — had a job to finish.

“By the time I was done, I was drenched,” said Dawejko, who silver-coated a roof he installed last spring.

Dawejko started boxing when he was 10 at the Harrowgate Boxing Club and was taught to roof by his uncles as a teenager in Tacony. The 34-year-old heavyweight has been a professional boxer since 2009 and balances his career with his own roofing company.

The owner of Tank’s Knockout Roofing finished the silver coating, went home to his family in Bridesburg, and soon was headed to train at the boxing gym. The boxing-roofer was working a double shift.

“Everybody says roofing is hard, and I 1,000 percent agree with them,” Dawejko said. “But it’s the fact of just getting out there every day, having something to do, and being good at what you do. It’s a job to me. But just like boxing, it’s fun to me.”

Dawejko (28-11-4, 16 knockouts) was “pretty much retired” after he was knocked out in January 2022 for the second time in five months. He fell in love with boxing when he was 9 after his grandfather took him to the Blue Horizon, traveled the country as a premier amateur boxer, and made good money as a professional. But his career seemed to be over after a second-round KO in Germany.

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For Dawejko, boxing had become a business as he simply was chasing money. The enjoyment was gone. And then his phone rang. It was Russell Peltz, the Hall of Fame promoter who oversaw Philadelphia’s boxing renaissance in the 1970s and promoted Dawejko earlier in his career.

“Joey likes to fight. It’s in him,” Peltz said. “I said, ‘I think you’re making a mistake.’”

Peltz told Dawejko to fight locally, compete in front of his family and friends, and have fun again. Dawejko returned to the ring, scored a knockout at Parx Casino in Bensalem, and felt rejuvenated.

“I never did that. I was always on the road,” Dawejko said. “I was like, ‘This is fun. This isn’t about the business side of boxing anymore.’ It’s awesome.”

He has fought eight times in the last two years and the farthest he has traveled is Atlantic City. The quintessential Philly fighter — a heavyweight nicknamed “Tank” who hunts for knockouts and also can repair your roof — learned to love the sport again by staying home.

“He’s enjoying being king of the neighborhood right now,” Peltz said.

Dawejko joined the Team Combat League in March and has fought eight times for the Philadelphia Smoke. In its second season, the league turns boxing into a team sport. Each fight night includes 24 matches that last just one round. The three-minute bouts are worth points, and the team with the most points at the end of the night is deemed the winner.

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Dawejko won six of his eight rounds this season for the Smoke, who will compete Saturday night at the 2300 Arena in the semifinals against Boston. The Smoke also includes former world-title contender Jesse Hart and longtime Philly fighter Ray Robinson. For Dawejko, boxing is fun again.

“Someone said in the beginning that this was amateur boxing just amped up,” Dawejko said. “It felt just like the amateurs. All these different fighters fighting, and you know this guy and you know that guy. It’s just awesome.”

Dawejko started the roofing business when he thought his time in the ring was over. His career was fizzling, his manager left the sport, and the fighter needed to think about what came next. So he fell back on the trade his uncles taught him years earlier.

“I realized there’s life past boxing,” Dawejko said.

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Dawejko owns the company but refuses to call himself the boss and he does not refer to his employees as employees. It was the way he was taught by his uncle, Timmy Castle, who died in February. Castle was one of Tank’s first employees

“He worked with me every day,” Dawejko said. “He was my main worker. I’m not going to call him my employee. He taught me everything I know. He taught me how to be a working man and when to know when the day is not and when it’s not done. The day’s not done until you’re back in the shop unloading the truck for the day. Then it comes again the next morning. For me, my day isn’t done until I’m done at the gym.”

It was a challenge, Dawejko said, to keep roofing after his uncle died. But he found a way to keep climbing the ladders. Just like he found a way to keep fighting again.

He has won seven of his eight fights since Peltz urged him to have fun. The excitement Dawejko once felt in the ring is back again.

“I’m having fun with it still, and I don’t have to worry about the business side of things,” Dawejko said. “Now I’m not worried about the money.”

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The promoter and fighter have no contract, as Peltz is advising Dawejko’s career on a handshake.

“I’ve found out over the years that once you sign a contract with a fighter, that’s when the trouble starts,” Peltz said. “I have six guys, and I don’t have a contract with any of them. I love them all, and they love me. We haven’t had any problems yet. Even though my wife thinks I’m crazy, I want to keep it that way. If I can’t trust them, what am I going to do with a contract?”

After Saturday, Dawejko will fight on Aug. 16 at the Valley Forge Casino. The Tank has put himself back into contention for a significant fight and could be a few wins from a big-money bout. Dawejko said he wants just one more payday. First, he has some roofs to finish.

“I’m working every day,” Dawejko said. “It keeps me busy.”