Plum resident steps into boxing ring at age 46 to fulfill lifelong dream
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When Plum resident Dan Borowski stepped into the ring at the 2025 Las Vegas Masters Championships, he was living out a lifelong dream.
Borowski never thought he’d be a 46-year-old boxer, but there he was, taking on Maurice F. Comstock Jr. in the Sin City.
Borowski, a full-time contractor who owns Danny B Contracting, trained long and hard for this moment.
He made the trip and stepped through the ropes. The bell rang and the fight went the distance. At the end, the referee raised his hand, and Borowski took home the victory in front of his family.
“It was just absolutely great,” Borowski said. “My dad was there, my wife was there, one of my friends drove down from Salt Lake City, and my cousin Rick and his wife flew out. My father and mother-in-law drove out from California.
“Just being in that ring when your family and friends are there, and just the tension of going into combat and the adrenaline and just being so present in that moment, there’s just nothing like it that I’ve experienced that takes me to that place. I’m so grateful that I got to experience it one more time, especially at this age.”
He joked that his niece was there as well and that he had to win or else she’d mess with him and bring it up at every family party.
Borowski first tried boxing in his 20s. For years, he wanted to compete in the ring but always found an alternative outlet, such as rock climbing or mountain biking.
Although he enjoyed those sports, he always had the urge to return to the ring. Nonetheless, he was convinced it was too late.
One day Borowski was on YouTube and came across the USA Masters and saw boxers his age competing. It sparked his dream of having one more match.
It took a lot of commitment.
“I knew I just had to make this a priority,” Borowoski said. “I knew that this would be once in a lifetime. If I didn’t do it, I would just regret it. I just made it a priority and just committed to it and put everything I had into it.”
“I talked to my wife before. When I mentioned this to her, I told her, ‘This is going to be a huge commitment, and I’m going to miss out on a lot of things and sacrifice a lot of things.’ She totally supported me and got behind me doing it, so I just gave it my all.”
Borowski also needed a trainer. His cousin Rick Borowski, a former MMA fighter and professional boxer, was happy to train him. Dan Borowski was overwhelmed with support.
“I saw my cousin at Thanksgiving, and he was a former pro boxer,” Borowski said. “He had a couple pro matches, and I just wanted to see if he could point me in the direction where to go. He was more excited about it than I was. … He set up my workout regimens, and I worked out with him for probably four or five days a week for 10 weeks straight to get in shape. He decided to get me down to 156 pounds. I was walking around like at 170, so I did all the dieting and tons of cardio.”
Borowski put in 10-20 minutes of mobility exercises every day to get himself warmed up. He trained relentlessly to achieve his goal of stepping back into the ring.
With his cousin’s connections, Borowski boxed and sparred with the young guns at Boyce Amateur Boxing Gym and the Southside Boxing Gym.
One thing he’s most proud of is his consistency of staying on a dieting plan.
“I ate one pound of ground beef, two tablespoons of honey and three or four eggs, and that was it for two months,” he said. “I was pretty much on a carnivore diet. I cut out tons of carbs. I cut out all my sugars, no processed foods. I never thought I’d be 46 years old with a six pack, but I got shredded. I haven’t been in this good of shape since probably my late 20s.”
Borowski is grateful to his cousin for training him.
“I can’t thank him enough,” Borowski said. “I would not have done as well as I did without him. There’s no doubt in my mind. It was just great. I have been living in Seattle for the last 10 years. I just moved back here last year. It was just great spending all that time together, having not seen him for years and years. I owe him one.”
Borowski’s opponent, like him, stepped out of his comfort zone and donned the mitts.
“I’m grateful for my opponent,” Borowski said. “You can’t do this without a dance partner. The whole thing was just great. It was nothing but respect and love from him, and it was a close fight. It was a split decision. We really had a good dance.”
It was quite the matchup, and both fighters left the ring with their heads held high. They faced every challenge and obstacle and boxed at a national stage.
“One motto that I’ve had in life is that growth comes through challenge,” Borowski said. “It’s tough doing the uncomfortable things. As much as I looked forward to this event, it scared me. It put me in a position where I had to grow.”
Borowski faced his fears and knocked them out. He believes everyone should do the same.
“I’ve taken life up a notch through this whole experience,” he said. “I’m just so grateful that there’s other guys that feel the same way, and there’s a ton of women that were there too. … It was just a great experience. I’m super grateful for the whole thing and for all the support.”