Two Time World Kickboxing Champion Dan Magnus Fights for his Life

Published: Feb. 12, 2021, 12:10 a.m.

Two time World Kickboxing Champion under the Professional Karate Association (PKA), 8th Dan black belt in USA Goju Karate, Professional Wrestling trainer and former bounty hunter, Dan Magnus is not fighting for another championship, he is fighting for his life.

The 64-year-old Magnus, a native of New York and California resident, is waiting on a heart transplant. However, his situation is extremely rare in comparison to others in his hospital ward. Magnus, who previously had three surgeries is quite possibly the healthiest person in the hospital as he has a stationary bike and dumbbells in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

"It's pretty funny because I have no symptoms. I'm not breathing hard or anything, it's just the tests show my heart's weak. They save we have to wait and get you a good heart. There were two offers already but they weren't strong enough. It's really weird. Usually when you're having a heart transplant you take what ever you can get but they have to find me a heart that strong enough to do what I do," said Magnus from his hospital room.

Magnus spends a minimum of 30 minutes on his stationary bike in the ICU ward and uses 3 lb. weights during his shadow boxing sessions. Mangus would lift heavier weights, but the doctors will not allow it. When going for walks around the hospital floor, he practically laps his nursing staff and quips that the wheelchair they follow him around with, he will eventually have to push them once he's tired them out.

Magnus has a Swan-Ganz catheter attached through his neck leading to his heart that feeds the medication directly into his valves. Once they took it out of his neck, Magnus went about 20 laps around the ward, walking for an hour just to keep himself active.

"My biggest fear when I get out of the hospital is not that I am going to do too much, it is that Tracee is going to yell at me a lot. I'm actually scared! She's prepared. She's by my side. It's going to be a little different for me because with my other two heart surgeries I had nobody," said Magnus about his girlfriend Tracee Meltzer, professionally known as Roxy Astor in the original incarnation of the Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling (GLOW).

Magnus received an outcry of support from legends within the Karate World including Jeff Smith, Don "The Dragon Wilson and Billy Blanks.

Magnus continued to work, train, find love and now fights for his life and when listening to the interview, wants to fight one more 12-round fight for his old title, only this time with a healthy heart.

"Let me tell you, I'm a human being, I'm scared. I just don't let it effect me. I make it like a fight; you get nerves. Anybody that says go into a professional fight and they're not scared or they're not nervous; they're liars! That's what keeps you going, but you have to over come it. You have to accept it...this is going to be a long road, but I've been down this road a couple of time," said Magnus about his pending transplant.


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