In his Letter from America Tony Jeffries discusses dealing with professional promoters, the pro game and more...
"I turned pro and it was time to look for a trainer. I found one in Manchester, but I had to pay for my travel and accommodation and on top of that, the trainer’s 10% fee.
"If you had an injury? That’d be £50 for a physio out of your own pocket. Oh, you’re feeling stiff? No problem – £40 for a massage.
"If your eardrum popped? (Which mine did) Let’s get that checked out – a private doctor would cost £300.
"If you wanted to eat healthily? Go for it, but on your own expenses. Decided to have high-quality sparring sessions? Ok, that’ll be £25 per round plus their travel expense.
"This wasn’t the only thing, though. Because you could say I was the “A” side, I picked the gloves for me and my opponent. I had my gloves weeks before the fight which meant I could train with them, wear them in, if I wanted.
"I couldn’t believe this. Then, after the fight, I could take the same gloves home and train in them some more and then fight again in them for all of my fights if I wanted. This was so unfair to my opponents...
"You’d then arrive at the venue with no idea what time I was fighting so you had to stay warm for a couple of hours...
"Also in the amateurs, you could trust just about everyone. The club trainers were... in it purely for the love, while the world-class amateur program trainers were on a set salary, but had all been volunteer coaches for most of their life so we knew that they were honest and genuine people.
"As a professional, the promoters were the nicest people you’d meet to your face and promised you the world, but they always had a motive as this is now a business and the number one thing they care about is money, then themselves...
"I remember before I signed pro, I was being pressured by one high-profile promoter to sign and they said the deal was only there for 24 hours before it was gone. This was after being treated to a fancy meal and drove around London in a £250,000 Rolls Royce. He was using scare tactics on a 23-year-old inexperienced businessman. I never ended up signing with that guy."
Jeffries’ description of the cold harsh reality of the pro ranks is pretty bleak! Thoughts?
