The Fort Dodge native believes that being able to get back up after a big hit is as important in life as it is in the boxing ring.

“My message is please don’t give up,” said Roby, who was the International Boxing Organization’s super featherweight champion in 1993 — 1994.

“Don’t give up,” he added. “Keep moving. Have positive thoughts.”

He cites his boxing career and life after boxing as an example of this attitude.

“I had the heart to get knocked down and keep on getting up no matter what anybody says,” Roby said.

He has been spreading that message to Iowa youths for years. Next week, he is taking it to young people in Michigan.

On Sept. 19 and 20, he will make a quick trip to the Grand Rapids, Michigan, area. There he plans to work with the community, and speak to groups like the Boys Club. He will also be signing copies of his book, “The Belt of Wisdom,” at two events.

He said he first made connections with people in Michigan about eight years ago, and has made five previous trips there.

On each trip, his message has been the same: Keep getting up, keep trying. That alone will make a person a champion, he said.

He credits his mother, Juanita Mosley Roby, for being his source of inspiration.

“She made me a world champion,” he said. “She never stopped believing in me.”