Magic Is Back: Ve Shawn Owens Returns to the Ring June 27 After Eye Injury Nearly Ended His Career
Contributing writer Prescott Jones profiles Minneapolis boxer Ve Shawn "Magic" Owens, who is making his comeback on June 27 at Battle on the Waterfront in St. Paul after an eye injury forced him away from boxing at the peak of his momentum, sustained by faith, family, a cybersecurity degree in progress and a hunger for a world title that never went away.
For most fighters, the fear isn’t losing a fight.
It’s losing the opportunity to fight at all.
For Ve Shawn “Magic” Owens, that fear became reality.
Just as the Minneapolis boxer was building momentum and climbing the ranks, an eye injury forced him to step away from the sport he loved. A fighter who once saw himself on the doorstep of bigger opportunities suddenly found himself facing questions that had nothing to do with boxing.
“What if this surgery doesn’t work? What if I never see the same again? What if I never step back into the ring?”
Those questions haunted him.
“I felt like my life was over,” Owens said. “I had just started making my mark in the boxing world, and it felt like everything I’d worked for ended before it really had the chance to begin.”
Before boxing was taken away, Owens believed he was closing in on the next stage of his career. Ranked among the top fighters in the country and coming off a win over a fighter who was in line to face one of boxing’s biggest stars, he felt momentum building.
“I felt like I was one fight away from putting myself in position for a title eliminator,” he said.
Then everything stopped.
For a moment, Owens wondered if his career was finished. But as recovery began, so did something else: preparation for a comeback.
Instead of allowing the setback to define him, Owens focused on rebuilding.
His faith became his foundation.
“Every run. Every workout. Every sparring session. Every time I stepped into the gym, I leaned on God,” Owens said. “Without my faith, I honestly don’t know if I’d be sitting here preparing for another fight today.”
His family became his support system.
Rather than dwelling on what he had lost, Owens and his family continued living life. They traveled, spent time together and focused on creating memories.
His wife played a particularly important role.
“There were mornings she’d wake me up and tell me, ‘Go run,'” Owens said. “She wouldn’t let me get comfortable.”
The time away from boxing also forced him to think differently about life.
Knowing that an athletic career can change in an instant, Owens returned to school and began studying cybersecurity, preparing himself for life beyond the ropes.
“Boxing won’t last forever,” he said. “I wanted to make sure I had another chapter waiting for me when this one ends.”
But even while planning for the future, boxing never left his heart.
Owens missed the atmosphere. The crowd. The cameras. The walk to the ring.
Most of all, he missed winning.
“I missed having my hand raised,” he said. “That feeling is hard to explain. It’s better than money. Better than any high. That’s when I felt most alive.”
Now, after years of recovery, training and patience, Owens is preparing to make his return June 27 at Battle on the Waterfront in St. Paul.
At 34 years old, he understands the clock works differently than it did when he was younger.
“Time waits for no one,” he said. “I still feel young. My hunger is stronger than ever. But opportunities don’t wait forever. If I’m going to chase a world title, the time is now.”
The fighter returning to the ring isn’t the same fighter who left it.
He’s older.
Wiser.
More intentional.
“I’m more protective of my time because I know how valuable it is,” Owens said. “Every fight has to move me toward my ultimate goal.”
That goal hasn’t changed.
Not through surgery.
Not through recovery.
Not through years away from the sport.
Ve Shawn Owens still believes he can become a world champion.
And on June 27, he’ll take the next step toward proving it.
For Owens, this comeback isn’t simply about boxing.
It’s about purpose.
It’s about perseverance.
And it’s about returning to the place he has always felt most at home.
Back in the ring.
Ve Shawn “Magic” Owens fights Saturday, June 27, at the Intercontinental Saint Paul Riverfront (11 Kellogg Blvd E, St. Paul). 15th Round Promotions presents a night of professional boxing.
For tickets and more information, visit 15thround.ticketspice.com/battle-on-the-waterfront. ‘’
Prescott Jones is a contributing writer for the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.