Ex-UNLV boxer Rather retires from sport, to work at family business

The pain always seemed to be there.

Brett Rather was hurting when he worked out in the gym. He had the bruises from sparring to prove it. When he woke up in the morning, his body ached so much that he struggled to get out of bed. And though he is just 22 and his professional boxing career still was in its infancy, Rather decided to leave the sport.

But he left with a 3-0 record and on his own terms.

“The fire had kinda died out. I started looking down the road and asked myself, ‘Is this what I really want to do?’ ” said Rather, a Las Vegas heavyweight who had starred on UNLV’s boxing team and almost made the 2012 U.S. Summer Olympic team, losing a one-point decision to Dominic Breazeale in the box-offs, before turning professional in July.

“I saw how hard it is and the sacrifices you have to make just to get to the pro level, never mind being a world champion. I just didn’t want to do it anymore.”

Rather’s family owns six Firehouse Subs sandwich stores in Las Vegas, and he will get involved with the business, eventually helping manage the locations. He’ll start by carving up turkey and ham instead of heavyweights.

“I’m going to start from behind the counter,” Rather said. “I’m excited about working with my dad and doing something different.”

Rather last fought March 30 on the undercard of the Brandon Rios-Mike Alvarado bout at Mandalay Bay. He had gotten careless in the first round against Juan Guajardo and got knocked down.

But Rather got up and went on to win a four-round unanimous decision.

It would be the final time he climbed through the ropes. He thought about his future as a boxer. He had all of 20 amateur fights and had boxed just 12 rounds professionally. But he was without a promoter. He wasn’t knocking people out. He had a lot to learn, and he was in constant pain.

A couple of weeks ago, he met with Chris Ben-Tchavtchavadze, who had coached him at UNLV after Rather switched from football to boxing (he played a year of fullback for Rebels coach Bobby Hauck in 2010) and was his trainer of record during his brief time as a pro. Rather told him he was hanging it up.

“I wasn’t surprised when he told me he was quitting,” Ben-Tchavtchavadze said. “It was a question of how serious he was about boxing, and when he told me his heart wasn’t in it, there was no sense in trying to talk him out of it. I told him boxing’s not for everyone, and if he wasn’t 100 percent committed to training, then he shouldn’t do it.”

Daren Libonati, a longtime friend of the Rather family who considered signing Brett to a long-term promotional contract last year when he was an executive with Justice Entertainment Group, said Rather was doing the right thing.

“I said to him when he first turned pro, ‘Do you want to be a champion, or do you have to be a champion?’ ” said Libonati, who wound up co-promoting Rather in his debut on July 20 in Laughlin. “We told him that the commitment at the professional level is very tough, and I think after three fights, he saw how tough it really was.”

And because Rather wasn’t sure how committed he was to boxing, Libonati never got him to sign long term with Justice Entertainment Group.

“I also think he was a little frustrated because here was a big, strong guy who was aggressive and still wasn’t knocking anyone out,” Libonati said. “He was still learning and still had a lot to learn, but I think had he knocked those three guys out, maybe it’s a different story.

“But the hardest thing for any athlete is to look in the mirror and decide they don’t have it. And in boxing, if you hang around long enough and your heart’s not in it, you’re going to get seriously hurt. So I’m proud of Brett for his decision.”

His father also is pleased with his son’s decision.

“Honestly, I never saw this lasting,” Bob Rather said. “When he got into boxing, it wasn’t with the intent to be a boxer. It was more of an alternative way to work out for football and stay in shape. So when he decided to box in college, it was fine. I figured, ‘This won’t last.’

“It never occurred to me he could fight in the high amateurs. Then he went to the Olympic Trials, and I figured that would be it. Then he turned pro last summer, and, to be honest, it was hard to watch. My wife (Melinda) never saw him fight professionally. When he told us he was quitting, we were relieved. She’s thrilled, and I’m thrilled.”

Rather said he leaves boxing with no regrets.

“I’m sure there will be times where I’ll think ‘What if?’ ” he said. “But I’m getting out for the right reasons. I know I’m going to have arthritis in my hands, and my body’s taken a beating, and I was only doing boxing for a short time. I can’t imagine how guys like Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto have lasted so long. But I guess that’s what makes them special.

“It was a good ride. It was fun. When I got into the ring and heard the fans cheer and my name was introduced, I felt like a rock star.”

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.