Interviews
The Art of Being an Effective Boxing Manager
“I love it when a guy says, ‘I just put a down payment on my first house and it’s being built,’ or ‘My kids are going to college, but I never thought I’d have the money for them to go to college,’ no matter what their age. The thing is, I’m content for them.
Peter Kahn’s role as a boxing manager is arguably as critical as it has ever been. With the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic across the world and most shows taking place behind closed doors, getting the best deal for a client when the promoter has no live broadcast revenue is a challenge.
Kahn who runs Fighting Game Advisorshas a growing roster of talent, with the highly regarded manager in the midst of negotiations for George Kambosos Jr’s biggest fight of his career, looking to secure a showdown with WBA “Super,” WBO, IBF and WBC Franchise Lightweight world champion Teofimo Lopez this spring.
His stable also includes WBO No. 4-ranked contender Emmanuel Tagoe, highly rated top welterweight Xander Zayas and former world title challenger Dennis Hogan, while he also has a group of talents under his watch that are set to compete at this summer’s rescheduled Tokyo Olympics.
None of this is news to Kahn, however, in a career that stretches back to 1994, surrounded by some of the best fighters of the 1990s and working on many of the most critical fights of that golden era.
It all started with a chance phone call with current Top Rank COO Brad Jacobs that led him to oversee the operations of one of the most distinguished Puerto Rican fighters of his generation, Hector Camacho, who was already three years elderly: then-world heavyweight champion.
“Brad was the head of USA Tuesday Night Fights, it was a really gigantic deal here,” Kahn said. proboxing-fans.com.
“It was the launching pad for all the rising stars of the future. There was no internet, there was no cell phones, there was no social media, there was no email. I literally picked up the landline and called Brad Jacobs and said, ‘Hey, I want to play boxing.’
“He talked to me for about an hour and a half, he had never met me, he didn’t know me. I was 21 years elderly, and he showed me around and introduced me to a gentleman called Mike Acri, a great promoter from Pennsylvania.
“He said, ‘OK, I’ve got something for you. I’ll put you in camp with someone and you’ll have to keep an eye on him.’ I don’t mind, I show up and it’s Hector Camacho. So now I basically run Hector’s camp and I’m Mike Acri’s eyes and ears and that’s how it all started.”
Peter got into the industry and his career was about to take off when world-famous promoter Don King came calling.
When Don King Productions moved its office from Novel York to Florida, Kahn was hired by a local promoter who worked for King.
Even though he didn’t make a cent from his transplant, he eventually joined the company on a lasting basis as part of Don King’s Boxing Operations group, and his first assignment was a miniature case involving Mike Tyson’s comeback fight with Peter McNeeley in Las Vegas in 1995.
“I ended up doing all the work that the local promoter was supposed to do,” Kahn recalls.
“Doing airport operations, licensing, medical treatment, even hosting events on-site. I mean, I literally worked around the clock and never got paid, but people were like, ‘Who is this guy?’”
“I kept calling Don King Productions for weeks, I was 22 years elderly and I just wanted to get paid. Instead, the vice president of boxing operations, Dana Jamison, said, ‘Come in and pick up your check.’
“I come in, I go to her office, she gives me a check, and she says, ‘OK, you’re hired, this is going to be a trial by fire,’ and I say, ‘What about the fire? Hired for what?’
“And the next thing you know I’m in boxing operations and two weeks later I’m on a plane to Las Vegas for the Tyson vs. McNeeley fight and from there it was a decade of working at the highest level in boxing with the biggest promoter in the world at the time with Mike Tyson, Julio Cesar Chavez, Felix Trinidad, Ricardo Lopez, Terry Norris and dozens of other fights and gigantic fighters that year.
Kahn’s role opposite Don King came at a pivotal time in Tyson’s career as he looked to regain the form of the latter part of a career that had seen him storm to undisputed heavyweight glory at the age of 21.
After his 1996 loss to Evander Holyfield, Tyson fueled the build-up to an inglorious rematch that ended like no other, with “Iron Mike” being dramatically disqualified for biting off part of his opponent’s ear as tensions mounted at the MGM Grand, with Peter in charge of Tyson’s camp.
“I was the camp coordinator for the Mike Tyson-Evander Holyfield rematch,” Kahn added.
“Which turned out to be a pretty infamous fight, but watching the camp, you felt like you were right next to a piece of history.
“I just remember the night of the fight being incredibly intense, especially afterward, there was a lot of chaos. I’ve never seen anything like it, and I don’t think anyone has.”
Moving into a management role, Kahn began mentoring the career of former IBF super featherweight coach and 2011 Ring Magazine Trainer of the Year, Robert Garcia.
The Fight Game Advisors boss takes pride in his business of providing an true and crystal clear service that ensures his fighters can take home the most purses.
“The model that people know me for and there’s no secret to it. Whether you’re my top prospect, whether you’re a world champion, whether you’re just starting out, whatever it is, I only charge 10% of my fighters.
“One of the things I learned early on at Don King Productions was that managers were making over 33.3% and I found it unacceptable for someone to sign a player and basically take a third of his earnings for the remainder of his term and lock those guys up for potentially five years.
“I imagine these players going to bed at night and saying, ‘What did I just do?’
“They don’t think about it at first, but then all of a sudden you earn your first gigantic purse and you realize someone just took a third of your money and then the coach gets 10% and now you have over 40% of your money going out the door before you even get in the ring.
“For me, it helped me establish a model and I think that’s what created a really forceful bond and working relationship not only with the players but also with the coaches.”
Kahn, like any manager in the industry, is in a unique position of overseeing all the logistical processes of a fight to ensure the fighter has the smoothest experience possible.
In a sport full of extraordinary highs and crushing lows, Kahn values his role in both victory and defeat, and with the postponed Olympics just around the corner, he will lead another group of prospects with ambitions to follow in the footsteps of the greats Kahn has worked with over his nearly three-decade career.
Watch the full interview with Peter Kahn below:
Natasha Jonas unified the welterweight division by defeating Ivana Habazin by clear points on Saturday to add the WBC title to her IBF crown at the Exhibition Center in Liverpool.
Jonas (16-2-1, 9 KO) was last seen defending her title in January in a hard-fought split decision over Mikaela Mayer, while Habazin (23-6, 7 KO) won the vacant WBC welterweight title in her home country. time out, winning by wide points over Kinga Magyar.
After a technical opening round, Jonas settled into a steady rhythm before landing a powerful right hand in the fourth round that crushed Habazin.
There was a rivalry, but the home favorite was much better in the rallies and seemed to be losing round after round.
This situation lasted until the final bell, when Jonas became the winner by scores of 100-90, 99-91 and 99-92.
Price is closing in on Jonas’ match
Lauren Price definitely stayed on as a collision course with Jonas and easily defended her WBA and IBO welterweight titles after a third-round fight against Bexcy Mateus.
Mateus (7-1, 6 KO) was on board in the first round, after the Welshman landed a powerful left hand, and the Colombian struggled to match Price’s speed.
The same shot caused the 29-year-old to repeat the punch in the second round, and the round later ended when another stinging left hand stunned Meteus and she fell to the canvas, after which the fight was stopped.
Price (8-0, 2 KO) has agreed to face Jonas next, and promoter Ben Shalom revealed it could be announced next week.
Knife edge passes McKenna
Lee Cutler scored an upset victory to claim the silver WBC International welterweight title after winning a majority decision against Stephen McKenna.
McKenna (15-1, 14 KO) was eliminated in the first round, his knee touching the canvas after being tagged, and Cutler (15-1, 7 KO) took full advantage of his opponent’s weakness in the seventh round when his right hand plunged into his knee. The Irishman who ultimately fell once again.
McKenna was relentless in his attacks and landed a huge number of punches.
The balance of 94-94 was surpassed by the scores of 95-93 and 96-92, which ensured the victory for Cutler.
Jeffers stopped Quartey
Mark Jeffers is on track for large fights in 2025 after defeating Joshua Quartey to defend his silver Commonwealth super middleweight title.
A pair of right hands put Quartey (10-1, 9 KO) on the board, and although he broke the count, a well-placed body shot after the restart by Jeffers (19-0, 6 KO) blew the guy away again.
A crazy attack after the restart forced a stoppage.
Riley secures Chamberlain’s face-off with a stoppage
Viddal Riley finished the heavyweight fight and stopped Dan Garber in the second of the scheduled six rounds.
Riley (12-0, 7 KO) hit Garber (7-4, 2 KO) with his right hand, and then his next attack forced the referee’s intervention.
Riley’s next match will be against Isaac Chamberlain on February 1.
Undercard remaining
Mason Cartwright (21-4-1, 8 KO) won all six rounds at super welterweight against Dzmitry Atrokhau (16-25, 7 KO), and Hope lightweight Frankie Stringer (9-0, 1 KO) did the same in the fight against Tatenda Mangombe (3-9-1).
In the flyweight division, Mikie Tallon (6-0) defeated Benn Norman (7-7) with a body shot in the first round of the match, and then settled for a 59-54 victory.
The only fighter to fight four rounds in the super featherweight division was Mason Devine (6-0, 1 KO), who won every session against Jayo Fernando Duran (15-34-1, 14 KO).
Dillian Whyte has revealed his predictions for the hotly anticipated rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury on December 21.
Fury, who knocked out Whyte at Wembley Stadium in 2022, will seek revenge for the only defeat of his career in just 11 days, after losing to Usyk by split decision earlier this year.
Despite losing the night, “The Gypsy King” was a major success and many are struggling to pick a winner in his second battle against the imperious Ukrainian.
Some experts believe Fury needs to be more aggressive and take the lead if he is to win.
I’m talking to Social boxingWhyte revealed he shared that view, asking the Morecambe man to return to the game plan that saw him destroy Deontay Wilder in the return leg.
“It’s a great fight, man, I’m still trying to think – how will this fight go?
“Okay, Fury can make changes, but Usyk can make changes too. It’s a tough fight, a very, very tough fight for both fighters.
“If I were Fury’s coach, I would tell him he has to play aggressively.
“Fight him like you fought Wilder the second time.
“Bring back the aggression, bring back the tyrant!
“This is heavyweight boxing – you never know.”
It is unclear whether Fury will heed the advice of Whyte and others in the boxing world who have advised him to take the fight to Usyk, but looks noticeably heavier than before the first fight.
What are the changes? ❌@Tyson_Fury says he will exploit exactly the same game plan as the first time when he faces Oleksandr Usyk at the end of the month.
Thinks? 🧐 pic.twitter.com/VtpEwLJkWx
— Professional boxing fans (@ProBoxingFans) December 6, 2024
Win or lose, the 36-year-old could face a long-awaited home fight against Anthony Joshua, even though “A.J.” interrupted defeat against Daniel Dubois in September.
While it may not have been as great a spectacle as it once was, a clash between Joshua and Fury would still be by far the biggest all-British fight in recent memory.
As for Whyte, he returns to the ring next Sunday night and will face Ghanaian heavyweight Ebenezer Tetteh live on DAZN in Gibraltar.
The All-American fight between lightweight world champions Gervonta Davis and Shakur Stevenson is one of the most anticipated fights in all of boxing.
Both Davis and Stevenson are undefeated multi-weight champions and are staples on any respected pound-for-pound list.
With this in mind, you could be forgiven for assuming that the pair locking corners in their prime years is a given, but that doesn’t seem likely to happen in the near future.
“Tank” spoke to the media at the press conference inaugurating his performance March 1 fight with Lamont Roach, and when the prospect of fighting Stevenson arose, he didn’t seem particularly interested.
The Baltimore hitter even went so far as to question what his compatriot did to deserve him.
“What for? Who has Shakur [beat]? What did Shakur do?
“What has he achieved in sports? He didn’t do anything! Juvenile people look better than him!”
“Keyshawn [Davis] you look so much better than that nigga! Shout it out nigga, he ain’t done nothing!
I asked Gervonta about a possible fight with Shakur… #Box #TankRoach pic.twitter.com/T1eNFJ9iIO
— Dwa O Dwa Z.. (@Noo_Barzz) December 3, 2024
“Why the hell are you saying his name?”
Like Davis, Stevenson will also return to action in the first quarter of next year, fighting against up-and-comer Floyd Schofield on the February 22 Riyad season card.
The Newark southpaw has been sidelined since his July decision victory over Artem Harutyunyan after he had to withdraw from a proposed October fight with Joe Cordina due to injury.
Saudi boxing boss Turki Alalshikh has expressed his willingness to have a fight between the two virtuosos, provided both are successful in their upcoming fights.
‼️ His Excellency Turki Alalshikh stated that he wants the Gervonta Davis vs Shakur Stevenson fight: “My plan for Shakur is this fight [vs Floyd Schofield]then William Zepeda, and then let’s see if Tank wants to come on our show.” [@DAZNBoxing] pic.twitter.com/Mmi6hO7Fjo
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBenson) December 3, 2024
While he undoubtedly has the talent to rival Davis, Stevenson is not as commercial a star as his rival, and some critics believe he needs to start giving more entertaining performances if he wants to get substantial names.
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