‘The whole place was shaking’: Australian pro boxer Jordan Roesler’s brush with Mount Everest earthquake

Australian pro boxer Jordan Roesler is used to dodging punches but on an abrupt fitness trip ahead of his title fight, he was forced to dodge something far worse.

Australian pro boxer Jordan Roesler with brother Nicholas at Mount Everest Base Camp.

An Australian professional boxer gearing up for the fight of his life has shared a chilling experience with a natural disaster atop the world’s tallest mountain.

Jordan Roesler says he and his brother Nicholas have “stories to tell forever” after their brush with a 7.1 magnitude earthquake while descending from Mount Everest’s Base Camp.

Roesler, 22 from Melbourne, decided to take an abrupt “fitness trip” to Everest in readiness for his March fight against Ali Elrich.

Despite his lack of hiking preparation, Roesler made it to Base Camp in the customary eight days and begun the four-day trek back down the mountain.

The group made it through the first day of decline before being awoken by the “massive” quake the following morning.

“We got to the next stop and at 6:45 the next morning the whole house felt like it was going to tip,” Roesler said.

“We thought it was an avalanche because it kept getting louder, and louder, and louder.

“The whole place was shaking, rocks were falling down – it was crazy.

“I felt the earthquake a couple of years ago (in Melbourne) but this was a 7.1 or 7.2, so it was massive, the roof we were staying under was coming down a bit.”

Jordan Roesler. Pictures: Archivist Media.

Roesler said the group was assured by the tour guide that it was in a safer position than others but it didn’t stop them from hastily slogging down the mountain.

“If we were at Base Camp at that time we would’ve been stuffed, luckily we weren’t one day behind,” he said.

“They (tour guides) said it was a good idea to move as fast as we could, so an hour later we just started walking down.

“We had three more days to go and I was shitting myself because you could see bridges had fallen down into the valleys and water.

“No one wanted to go first on the bridges, no one wanted to test them out so the tour guides went across first and then we went across.”

Roesler eventually made it down the mountain and safely back to Australia.

Roesler’s eventful ‘fitness trip’ has him ready for his next fight.

He said the trip had its perks: his appreciation for home grew, he came back the fittest he’s ever been and shed 12 of the 13 kilograms he needs to before fight night.

“Australia is the best country on earth, it was an amazing holiday but we’re done with hiking trips,” he laughed.

“I think that trip was probably the best thing that could have happened to me before my fight camp in Thailand.

“It was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I am glad we did it, at least we’ve got stories to tell forever.”

As for what’s next for the young pro, he plans to take the light heavyweight title in March on his climb to becoming a world champion.

“The end goal is to win a world title, a light heavyweight world title,” he said.

“By winning this fight, the WBC Australasian light heavyweight title, it would put me in seriously good ranks worldwide.

“Hopefully next couple of years we win a world title.”

Originally published as ‘The whole place was shaking’: Australian pro boxer Jordan Roesler’s brush with Mount Everest earthquake