A query to promoters

[amwsnw]

I recently learnt some pro fighters are forced to sell event tickets before being paid for their fights. Can anyone confirm or deny this. I find it very odd that the athletes who are putting on the entertainment are not assured their pay days (I know some are getting paid very little) before they get in the ring.
I cannot understand how any promoter would force his cash cows to sell tickets (fighters themselves becoming promoters) whilst they are supposed to be preparing for their bouts.
Can anyone shed any light on this please?

[JediKnight]

Have you been under a rock. If you can't sell tickets your not going to last. Its simple business bum on seats = pay at the end of the day. Once you get a few good scalps or your a house hold name it gets easier but you still got to market yourself.

I was once training with a fighter in the UK who was promised 12k to fight a hot prospect and future world champ. He of course jumped at the chance and got paid 8-9k because the promoter had to pay for his hotel bill and a few of his camp went out on the beers after the fight and the promoter bought their drinks.

[Sweet P]

It dosnt happen everywere. There are promoters who just pay the fighters.
Then there are promoters who expect the fighters to sell tickets to pay for there opponent etc before they get a cent. I think its fornicating disgraceful.

[dberry]

There was a show on over here a few years ago (no, I won't tell who the promoter was) where all the fighters had to pay for their opponents, airfares, accommodation and expenses and got paid with tables. Mundine made Katsidis pay for his opponent plus both their airfares, accommodation and expenses for both of them as well as a fee for Micheal to get on the show for the Kessler fight, that was pretty well known as Kat went public with it a year or so ago.

It is quite ordinary as these fighters are professional athletes, professional entertainers, they are the show and mostly, they risk life and limb.

Again, I won't mention any names, but I train regularly with a 24 fight pro who was asked for $10k to fight on the undercard of the ill fated Mosley-Mundine fight.

[Sweet P]

I agree with you Dale. It is really ordinary. Especially when fighters cant sell enough. They can end up out of pocket to pay for the opponents travel. Purse etc.

[Adamj1987]

yeah its true its disgraceful. shouldnt it be the promoters job to promote the card so it generates enough money to pay the fighters?

i mostly buy tickets off the fighters themselves at least you know its helping

[JediKnight]

I train regularly with a 24 fight pro who was asked for $10k to fight on the undercard of the ill fated Mosley-Mundine fight.

Oh wow that is ordinary. In the UK young pro's (without a massive am background) are often booked on show's on the basis that they can sell X amount of tickets. I've never know any of the UK fighters I trained with to have to pay to be considered for a fight on the card.

Maybe Mosley was right when he said Aussie boxing is run by gangsters

[Uppercut1]

No wonder boxing is slowly fading in this country.

[amwsnw]

Have you been under a rock. If you can't sell tickets your not going to last. Its simple business bum on seats = pay at the end of the day. Once you get a few good scalps or your a house hold name it gets easier but you still got to market yourself.

I was once training with a fighter in the <span class="highlight" style="padding: 0px; display: inline;">UK</span> who was promised 12k to fight a hot prospect and future world champ. He of course jumped at the chance and got paid 8-9k because the promoter had to pay for his hotel bill and a few of his camp went out on the beers after the fight and the promoter bought their drinks.

No mate I haven't been under a rock and I knew it was going on to a certain extent, however a promoter should be promoting the fight. Fighters should be fighting. A promoter should be promoting his fighters, a fighter should be fighting...I am aware it has been going on but was hoping a few "Promoters" would get on and post a response but that probably wont happen. Tickets to fight nights are not cheap, so to expect a fighter to sell a shite load just come out of a fight ahead is bullshite. what you have said above is still a fighter getting paid. Guys are forced to sell seats or not get a cent !! Don't expect me to name promoters. And I can assure you the fighters who are being asked to do this are very well known and respected fighters.

[colin russell]

Oh boy simple the more tickets you sell the more $ you make, its called self promation.

[dberry]

Oh boy simple the more tickets you sell the more $ you make, its called self promation.

You're sort of right, in a respect, it is an entertainment industry and a fighter should be rewarded for being able to draw a crowd, on the other hand though, fighters are professional athletes and are entitled to a payment for services provided. The promoter is a business man taking a calculated risk to make money off the back of those employed by him. Promoters rarely give the fighters extra if the show is a booming success.

I will state here that from my dealings I have found Peter Maniatis to be a good payer and man of his word, paying fairly and at weigh in as well as paying extra for tickets sold, he has also given good bonuses to fighters for putting on a grest fighr, I know Brian Armatruda operates the same and I strongly advise fighters to avoid promoters who don't operate this way.

[convict]

When i was training out of Parramatta I was asked to take a fight for $100 a round and two (2) yes only two free tickets to the advent. The scab promoter does post on these forums now and then i believe. It would have been my first pro fight, however "The Scab" had a history of not paying up and talking crud as most do.

Self promoting is one thing - Getting fighters in at the last minutes with rubbish promises and $100 buck rounds lol. Not to mention a weight class you don't belong in.

[geoffburt07]

Here in the Uk, a young boxer starting out will have to sell 75 £30 tickets to cover his 4x3 fight. After a few of them he will then need to sell 100 tickets to cover 6x3s. It's very hard for young guys to sell tickets so a few of then start of wanting to be champions but because they don't have the following they end up journeymen. Guys that can sell tickets are a promoters dream.

[patron]

this rort has been going on for over 10 years, the same crowd involved then, trainers didn,t want to do anything about it then, promoters have nothing without boxers, and the trainers have done nothing, it,s not up to the fighters,they do their work in the ring, so thre is no use complaining, get a voice, get together all the best

[tsmithy50]

Completly agree with Jedi knight, you must be living under a rock. Wow.

[amwsnw]

And I take it you have taken the time to read my reply.

[tsmithy50]

small hall promotion.
main event, lightweight fight 8x3
support, middleweight 6x3
heavyweight 4x3
bantam 4x3
fly 4x3
cruiser 4x3
How can the promoter pay 12 fighters without there being a big ticket seller?

[dberry]

small hall promotion.
main event, lightweight fight 8x3
support, middleweight 6x3
heavyweight 4x3
bantam 4x3
fly 4x3
cruiser 4x3
How can the promoter pay 12 fighters without there being a big ticket seller?

By promoting the fornicating fight properly, you stupe.

[AntonS]

Boxers/Trainers flogging tix/tables for promoter to increase their purse ($350 per round is the current basic rate) has been around for yonks. So why bother making a song & dance now?

[dberry]

There's a difference between a fighter getting paid the going rate plus selling some tickets or tables to make some extra coin and a pro fighter only getting paid off the back of ticket sales though, even you would have to agree. And then there's the issue out in the open here of pro fighters having to pay to be on certain shows.

[JediKnight]

I don't agree with any fighter having to pay his/her way on to a show. But Promoters are always going to look after 1. Themselves 2. Their golden balloon. These looked after up and comers will need (good) live opponents to develop they have to come from somewhere. Australia will clearly have a smaller pool of fighters to pick from than say Europe (and USA) and with it being so vast there will be travel for many fighters. This will come out of the Promoters take and their going to want it back in some way. I guess in an ideal world ALL fighters would get paid to fight and train. Sadly some are never going to light up the world and some are the ones that are get an easy ride and the ones that arn't have to work for their money and their opportunity. If they can't handle that they picked the wrong game.

Somethings I think need to be done that may or may not be are
1. All fighters get a set amount which ensures they have enough to pay their Trainer etc and then receive a set amount of ticket sales.
2. Promoters do a little of the leg work as well. Slap up some posters Promote the event a little. I've been here 4 years I have never seen a poster for an event other than a MAINEVENT
3. Local Press get behind the fighters in their area from a Grass root level.
4. Fighters rope their friends into handling the selling of tickets.
5. Foxtel show a little more may be on a delay if it doesn't fit in with their NRL/AFL agenda.
6. we can have good role models like Damien Hooper and Jamie Pittman in the public eye (what are their promoters doing?)

[Mark pawsey]

I recently learnt some pro fighters are forced to sell event tickets before being paid for their fights. Can anyone confirm or deny this. I find it very odd that the athletes who are putting on the entertainment are not assured their pay days (I know some are getting paid very little) before they get in the ring.
I cannot understand how any promoter would force his cash cows to sell tickets (fighters themselves becoming promoters) whilst they are supposed to be preparing for their bouts.
Can anyone shed any light on this please?

Where have you been? It's common knowledge that all this goes on, you have sell enough tickets to pay for yourself & your opponent, or to get paid you have be the opponent, but some promotors want you to be the opponent & sell tickets.

[bollox]

I asked an ex fighter from the 80's about this and he said it was a regular thing in his day too (1980's). He received the princely sum of $1 per ticket that he sold

[AntonS]

In those days, casual worker's (no matter what the job) earned around $5 per hour. Thank gawd, that didn't get around at the time amongst my staff 'cos I'm more than sure they'd flog more than 5 tix per hour & told me to stick the job up my arse

[ra2006]

I train regularly with a 24 fight pro who was asked for $10k to fight on the undercard of the ill fated Mosley-Mundine fight.

Oh wow that is ordinary. In the UK young pro's (without a massive am background) are often booked on show's on the basis that they can sell X amount of tickets. I've never know any of the UK fighters I trained with to have to pay to be considered for a fight on the card.

Maybe Mosley was right when he said Aussie boxing is run by gangsters

With you Jedi. I am a fellow brit and I boxed in the Ams until I was 17 in the early 90's, stopped due to Uni commentments which consisted of various random women and an appreciation of beer.

However, one of my friends who boxed at my hometowns ABC decided to give it a shot at the pros. Basically the money was not great, he had 5 fights which he lost 4, but never did the promotors at the time ask him to shift tickets or place a down payment in order to guarantee his payment. Ok, his pay was not great but he did'nt jump through hoops in order to secure his paycheck.