JIMMY VELDWIJK, DIE OLD AS YOUNG AS YOU CAN
A Conversation with Fighter, DJ & Soul Teacher – Jimmy Veldwijk (Jimmy Jazz)
Join founder of fewgoodmen.co, Jiri Rakosnik, siting down with his boxing coach Jimmy Veldwijk, better known as Jimmy Jazz, to explore the journey through fists and vinyl, from the streets of Amsterdam to the depths of the Tibetan Book of the Dead. This interview is about fighting, music, loss, and what it really means to stay young at heart while growing old in years.
From Surinam to the Streets of Amsterdam
Jimmy’s story begins with movement – not in the ring yet, but across continents. As a young boy, he immigrated from Surinam to the Netherlands. Instead of a soft landing, he found himself in a schoolyard where bullying was part of daily life.
Rather than collapse under it, Jimmy stepped into a dojo. He started with karate, then moved into savat box, kickboxing and boxing. What began as self-defense slowly transformed into a path of mastery.
He became a seasoned professional fighter:
Over 60 official matches in the ring
Hundreds of unofficial fights on the streets of Amsterdam
But if you ask him what stayed with him most, it’s not just the victories. It’s the presence of his coach.
What Jimmy loved about his trainer was not only the technical mastery and the confidence he gained. It was that his coach was patient. That he treated Jimmy as a friend, not just a fighter. That subtle human connection would later shape how Jimmy coaches his own students.
ART Boxing: Passing On the Fire, Not the Ashes
Today, Jimmy trains a new generation through ART Boxing – his way of weaving experience, intuition and creativity into the discipline of combat.
His goal is not to create clones of himself, but to help each student:
Discover their own unique style
Understand what works best for their body
Build not just punching power, but inner confidence and self-respect
Jimmy’s life motto shines through everything he does:
“Die old as young as you can.”
And right beside it stands another favorite:
“You do not stop training because you get old,
you get old because you stop training.”
For Jimmy, training is not just about fitness or skills. It is a way of staying awake to life, remaining flexible in body and spirit, and refusing to become rigid – physically, mentally, or emotionally.
Jimmy Jazz: When the Beat Meets the Punch
As if a full-on fighting career wasn’t enough, Jimmy carries another powerful thread in his life: music.
At school age, he became a DJ, and over time, the name “Jimmy Jazz” became well known in Amsterdam and beyond. He wasn’t just a guy behind the decks. He evolved into:
A DJ and producer
The owner of a huge record store in Amsterdam
A connector of world-class jazz talents with the city
He helped bring major artists to Amsterdam and even played a role in the careers of giants like Diana Ross and Marcus Miller. Music wasn’t just sound for him; it was a way of life, a landscape of feeling, rhythm and soul.
And just like his life blends unlikely combinations, his fighting style also carries the signature of music. His famous five-hit combination in boxing is inspired by the legendary jazz piece “Take Five.”
Five beats.
Five punches.
Perfect rhythm.
In Jimmy, the fighter and the musician are not separate people. They’re two expressions of the same spirit.
Bankruptcy, Trust & Letting Life Hold You
The world of music wasn’t always glamorous. At one point, Jimmy went through a big bankruptcy – a collapse that could have easily broken his spirit. But instead of becoming bitter or fearful, he walked through it. He calls his way out of it almost miraculous, and from that experience, a deeper trust was born. His message from that time is simple and powerful:
Do not be afraid.
Trust life.
Life will always have your back.
This isn’t naive positivity. It comes from a man who has stood in real storms – in the ring, in business, in grief. And yet, he still chooses trust.
Walking with Death: Bardo, Spirit & the Preciousness of Time
Jimmy has also known loss – serious, painful losses in his personal and family life. He has been close enough to death to feel the spirit leaving the body, an experience he speaks about with quiet, grounded honesty.
To meet death more consciously, he studied Bardo, the teachings from the Tibetan Book of the Dead. These teachings helped him:
Overcome the fear of death
See life as more precious, not less
Accept that endings are also passages, transitions
Paradoxically, by getting closer to the reality of death, Jimmy seems to have become even more alive – more present, more grateful, more awake.
Jiri’s Reflection: Learning in Real Time
For Jiri, this conversation isn’t just about capturing Jimmy’s story for a podcast. It’s deeply personal. Jimmy is his boxing coach, his mentor in movement and mindset.
Jiri shares:
“With Jimmy and the losses he has experienced recently I became strangely aware that our time together is also limited. For the first time I find myself fully present during the training, taking in all the wisdom he so patiently shares.”
In those words, you can feel what this episode is really about.
Not just fighting. Not just music. Not just philosophy.
It’s about time.
About showing up fully while we still can.
About receiving the gifts of those who walk beside us, while they’re still here to share them.
Listen In: A One-of-a-Kind Journey
This conversation between Jiri Rakosník and Jimmy “Jimmy Jazz” Veldwijk is more than an interview. It’s a living tapestry of:
A boy from Surinam finding his power through martial arts
A fighter who moves like music
A DJ who knows rhythm in both sound and the human spirit
A man who has faced bankruptcy, grief and death – and chosen trust, movement and love for life
If you’re drawn to courage, resilience, playfulness, and a deep respect for life’s mystery, this episode will touch you.
👉 You’re warmly invited to listen to the full podcast and indulge in this one-of-a-kind journey Jimmy went through — from the ring to the record store, from loss to wisdom, and from fear to trust in life itself.
