Expert: Jack Rose - 8/23/2009

Question
QUESTION: My brother is a professional heavyweight (6 wins and 0 losses). His manager is thinking of getting a promoter.  How much should the promoter pay for 6 rounds? How much should the signing bonus be? How many years are the contracts ususally?  Are there any ways to tell if they are crooks?

ANSWER: Hi Michelle,

There are several things that factor in. If your brother has been a finalist at a national golden gloves, an Olympic team member or has an impressive amateur career with at least 150 fights, he could make in the neighborhood of $3000 to $5000 for a 6 round fight at this point.
If he does not have much amateur experience and has not qualified for any big amateur tournaments he could be paid roughly $800 to $1500.
If he is the experienced guy his earnings will jump up faster than boxer #2.

There are normally no signing bonus's. Although if your brother reaches celebrity status, this makes him marketable and therefore a signing bonus could be in order on the next contract.

Contracts or normally one year but that varies if you have superstar. A minimum amount of fights are usually guaranteed as well as a minimum payoff per fight (with stipulations).

Do some research on any promoter you consider. I can tell you right now that unless your brother has that world class status I mentioned earlier he is going to get the short end of the stick on his first contract. They consider you a risk until you prove yourself so you just have to swallow your pride until you impress people.
I personally don't recommend your first contract being more than a year. Because if your brother goes out and kicks ass in 12 months his stock will jump pretty quick especially if he looks good on a tv card, which means he needs to re-negotiate....but if he is stuck in some long contract with no options then he'll get screwed.
I highly recommend involving a contract lawyer before he signs anything.

good luck..... I hope he does well





---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks. Helpful.  Yes, great amateur career from another country.  Yes, several medals attained. Boxing out of a gym in LA, CA. Yes, well-known trainer.  Thus far, fights are non-televised.  The promotion contract that they want him to sign is 3 years long.  I agree with you, too long.  I understand boxing is ify and you cant give a matter of fact answer.  But, one guy on this same website said 100.00 per round, so that is only 600-1000 for a 6 round fight.....that's way wrong.  How did he get on this site for experts? You seem very knowledgeable.  If there is any other information you can offer me that would be great.  Any good promoters in LA? Any lawyers you recommend? I will give you a high rating. Thanks again.

Answer
Michelle,

You are welcome.

There is a lot I could share but I'll stick to what will be the most helpful for you.

Pro boxers will get 1 of 3 labels. They are Opponents, Journeyman and contenders. Contenders have a strong amateur background and are taken under the wing of a full team. Manager, promoter, head trainer, assistant trainer, a financial investor, designated doctor and lawyer on an "as needed" basis. They have the ability to win a world title. They have the best chance of making real money at boxing.
Journeyman are guys who may or may not have amateur experience. They have decent skills but lack the complete fight game which keeps them from making it to the top level. They are good enough to be a threat to a contender's record so as a contender you must choose these opponents wisely. They can make decent money but it's a long hard road. They fight often and are in some serious battles.

Opponents are guys with no experience. The are used to pad a contender's record. When they are booked for a fight, they know they are supposed to lose. They are fighting to put a couple of bucks on their pocket. They take a lot of punishment and don't have a long career....their fights rarely go the distance.

Your brother sounds like a contender. Here is what he needs:

a trainer and manager who are knowledgeable and that he can trust... it will help if one of the two has a connection in the sport but not always necessary....  they both need to care about your brother's well being, that means not just his success but his safety and health. That has to be left up to your brother's intuition or his ability to read people.

A promoter who sees your brother's potential. This means incentives. If I perform for you and put asses in seats, what can you do for me when this contract matures? Lay it on the table and let's work together.

Your brother needs KO power as a heavyweight. As an amateur it wouldn't matter, but pro fans are totally different people. They want to see leather thrown and butts on canvases. I'm not saying he needs to go for a KO every fight, what I'm saying is that he needs to have at least one punch in his arsenal that can hurt people, if he doesn't he should start working on it.


Just a few things that came to mind... I won't ramble on, but these are some things to think about.

Best of luck... let me know if you have any you tube footage and I'll check him out.

later