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:
Janibek Alimkhanuly successfully defended his IBF middleweight crown in Sydney, systematically defeating the brave Andrei Mikhailovich, stopping him in the ninth round at The Star.
Janibek came close to stopping Mikhailovich in the second round, but had to wait before crushing him in the ninth round.
Originally, the two teams were supposed to meet in July in Las Vegas, but the undefeated Kazakh could not allow it make weight safelyand the fight had to be postponed one day until fight night.
After a delayed dispute over the WBO belt, only the IBF crown was at stake.
Janibek (16-0, 11 KO) quickly found his advantage, landing paws and body shots in the first minute, and Mikhailovich (21-1, 13 KO) tried to finish the champion.
‘Qazaq Style’ waited patiently for his debut which came in the second half when a perfectly timed shot put the challenger on unsteady feet and as the maestro applied surgical pressure he began to play with the Novel Zealander who was wobbly until another powerful left hand threw it backwards and finally onto the canvas.
It was just right and the minute’s rest came at the right time as Mikhailovich fought brilliantly in the third and fourth quarters, constantly coming forward.
Janibek largely toyed with his opponent and his rival had restricted success, but in round seven he stepped on the gas, landing sturdy combinations.
However, the 26-year-old showed courage, had miniature displays of joy after clubbing, but his race came to an end in the ninth, when Janibek uncorked his customary left uppercut and Mikhailovich moved backwards towards the ropes, the referee rightly stopped the ball contest.
The 31-year-old was frustrated in trying to secure a unification fight, but once again called up WBC champion Carlos Adames and WBA champion Erislandy Lara.
“Adames or Lara, I’m ready anytime,” he told Fox Sports after the fight.
“Send me the document and I will sign it anytime.”
Motu flows from O’Connell
Another undefeated Kiwi got into action as Mea Motu (20-0, 8 KO) warmed up for a shot at the IBF and WBO super bantamweight titles before forcing Shannon O’Connell to withdraw from a corner kick at the end three rounds of their catchweight fight.
The current IBO champion will face Ellie Scotney on October 26 in Manchester, who proved ruthless in several hefty attacks with two fists that broke the bloody O’Connell (24-8-1, 12 KO).
With the Australian having a huge cut and massive swelling on her head, her corner wisely threw in the towel.
Statement made by Mea Motu 😲#nolimitboxing #nolimitfox #janibekmichajłowicz pic.twitter.com/R5fvGVrlrE
— No Limit Boxing (@NoLimit_Boxing) October 4, 2024
Undercard remaining
Lightweight prospect Charlie Kazzi (7-0, 3 KO) won the WBC silver title in Australia, defeating Lui Magaiva (4-7, 1 KO) in the penultimate round of their eight-man bout.
Ahmed Reda (3-0, 3 KO) opened the card and scored his third straight early victory, defeating Joe Kara (5-7-1, 5 KO) in the second of a scheduled six-round lightweight bout.
Unified middleweight world champion Janibek Alimkhanuly goes to Australia next Friday, to The Star in Sydney, where he will risk winning the IBF title in a fight with undefeated Up-to-date Zealander Andrei Mikhailovich, although his WBO crown is not at stake.
ESPN+ TV Janibek vs Mikhajłowicz live in the USA, however Heavenly sports broadcast the fight in the UK.
This match was originally scheduled to take place in July in Las Vegas, but the champion was reportedly hospitalized after trying to gain weight and the fight had to be canceled after a delay.
Janibek (15-0, KO10) was promoted from WBO interim champion in 2022 and defeated Denzel Bentley in his first defense.
After knocking out Steven Butler in two rounds, the Kazakhstan added the IBF title to his collection by defeating Vincenzo Gualtieri in six rounds last October.
“Qazaq Style” will now face undefeated Aucklander Mikhailovich (21-0, 13 KO), his country’s top amateur who has won multiple free titles but has no professional victories.
The 26-year-old, who holds the IBF Pan Pacific title, has not faced anyone in the Kazakhstan class, and last April he fell before scoring to stop Edison Saltarin in the fifth round.
Mikhailovich was last seen stopping Less Sherrington in the round in April.
Prediction: This could be a miniature night for Janibek, and the guy seems to be out of his league. I think the champion can hold on through a stoppage in the first half of the fight.
Motu meets O’Connell
The undercard features another undefeated Kiwi in action, with Mea Motu taking on Shannon O’Connell in a scheduled top ten super bantamweight bout.
Motu (19-0, 7 KO) is scheduled to win the IBF and WBO titles in three weeks against defending champion Ellie Scotney and cannot afford to slip up in this fight.
“The Night” will bring her IBO title to England, which she won last April on points over Tania Walters.
The 34-year-old defended twice, and in her only fight in 2024 in April, she defeated Noppaket Srisawas in two rounds.
Former Commonwealth champion O’Connell (24-7-1, 12 KO) has fought for two world titles, most recently losing an eighth-round fight for the IBF bantamweight crown against Ebana Bridges in December 2022.
The 41-year-old was last sidelined in May, defeating Siriphon Chanbuala in the second round.
Prediction: Motu’s safety will likely be paramount with such a huge fight on the horizon, and she may score points in this one.
Undercard remaining
Prospective lightweight competitor Charlie Kazzi (6-0, 2 KO) fights for eight rounds for the second time in his career and should have already defeated Lui Magaiva (4-6, 1 KO), and the fighter from Papua Up-to-date Guinea was suspended five times in six defeats.
Wayne Telepe (1-0, 1 KO) can claim his second straight stoppage victory, this time in a scheduled four-round lightweight fight against Bashir Nassir (0-1-1).
Gervonta Davis appears ready for a December return against WBA super featherweight world champion Lamont Roach Jr
Roach Jr will move up in weight to challenge Davis for the WBA lightweight world title after Washington’s request to fight his compatriot was approved.
The WBA announced December 14 as the date for the Davis-Roach fight, although the location of the fight is unknown.
AND statement on the WBA website read: “The World Boxing Championships (WBA) Committee has granted special permission to super featherweight world champion Lamont Roach Jr. move up in class and face Gervonta Davis for the lightweight championship on December 14.
“NoXcuse Boxing Promotions submitted a formal request on September 13, which was accepted by the committee for consideration and consultation with Albert Batyrgaziev’s team, which has a mandatory 130 pounds. pretender.
“After appropriate consideration and based on the organization’s internal policies, it has been decided to grant Roach’s request, subject to certain conditions.”
If Roach dethrones Davis, he will have five days to decide which belt he will keep.
If “The Reaper” loses to the undefeated knockout fighter in Baltimore, he will have to drop down to 130 pounds to defend his belt against mandatory challenger Batyrgaziev.
The 29-year-old has won six straight fights since his lone professional loss to Jamel Herring for the WBO super featherweight world championship in 2019.
Roach once defended his WBA crown, stopping Feargal McCrory in eight rounds in June, and won the belt via split decision. Hector Luis Garciawhom “Tank” stopped in nine rounds.
Davis (29) defended his belt after a stunning knockout in the eighth round Frank Martin in Las Vegas in June and is heavily linked to a unification fight with WBC champion Shakur Stevenson.
The 27-year-old is sidelined with a hand injury and is expected to go straight into a fight with William Zepeda upon his return, ahead of a potential blockbuster against Davis.
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