It's almost not a fair fight when Rainey Rogers gets in the ring.
"He already had an advantage because he doesn't drink or smoke," said Barney Flores, who runs the Barney and Me gym where Rogers works out. "Part of the battle of being in sports is being in shape."
Rogers, 45, is bishop of the McKinney 2nd Ward in McKinney, Texas, a father of five and owner of three championship belts. In August, he'll compete in the Ringside World Championships, which includes about 1,500 fighters from more than a dozen countries.
Rogers is headed to Kansas for this year's competition — his first since being called as bishop. The following week, his oldest son returns from an LDS Church mission in Mozambique, Africa. Less than a week later, another son will enter the Missionary Training Center with a call to serve in Tonga.
Rogers competes in the masters division, which is for boxers age 35 to 45, and in the super heavyweight bracket, which is 201 pounds and up. His fight weight is between 215 and 220 pounds, and he's beaten fighters 300 pounds and heavier.
"I'm now at the top of my age bracket," Rogers said. "I have no illusions I will knock everyone out."
But there is one thing he is sure of.
"I come into the fight knowing I'm the best in shape," he said.
So far, he's won 53 matches and lost five in a boxing journey that began when he was 15. Rogers was a Golden Gloves champion at 16. He kept fighting through high school and prior to serving a mission.
"I knocked a guy out on a Saturday and then Monday left to serve a mission," he said.
After serving in the England Birmingham Mission, he fought for another few years. But at 23, he stopped.
"It just wasn't there for me," he said. Rogers married, and he and wife, Tammy, now have five children — four boys and a girl.
He hadn't done too much in the way of exercise during the intervening years. When he turned 40, Rogers stopped by his old boxing coach's gym and they set up a time in the mornings when he could work out.
"I love the boxing workout, but I can't work out in the evenings because that's family time," Rogers said.
After about a month of training, Flores suggested the Ringside World Championships.
"Being impulsive or stupid, I said 'sure,' and I started training for the world championships," Rogers said.
The single-elimination tournament format calls for two-minute fights. In his first year, Rogers beat the 270-pound defending champion for the title. He wasn't able to compete the following year due to some broken ribs suffered while sparring with a professional fighter three days before the championships.
In 2006, he took home the championship belt again, then repeated as champion the following year. The next month, he was called to be a bishop.
Because he figured boxing wasn't exactly model behavior for a bishop, Rogers didn't train or fight in 2008. But physical problems resulting from not exercising cropped up, and Rogers started training again earlier this year.
"Boxing is one of the most physically demanding sports," Rogers said, adding that for him it's not about beating up his opponents but being smart about accumulating points. He runs four miles in the mornings before working out at the gym with his sons, though they haven't shown an interest in boxing.
Rogers brings his belts to show the ward's youths after he wins.
"I've never had a problem with my youth," he added.
Tammy goes and watches him fight.
"There is a lot of support and fellowship," she said.
And they've had a few missionary experiences along the way as conversations with other boxers turned to workouts and diets.
"It always comes back around to the Word of Wisdom," she said. "It's a neat thing and gives you the opportunity to share."
e-mail: crappleye@desnews.com