Aftermath of Saturday Night -- Where do we go from here?

As promised, there is more to say about what took place Saturday night at the Washington Convention Center.

Let me first address the anonymous naysayers that filled the blog this past week when talking about this card.  Once again, many of you believe you know what you are talking about when, in reality, those of us who understand the business are like the Duck's Breath Mystery Theatre character "Dr. Science" who, as his announcer says, "He knows more than you do..THAT'S RIGHT!"  

That's what the bulk of Saturday night came down to.  Obviously, matchmaker Brian Dillon was the "Dr. Science" in this situation because he evidently knew a LOT more than the folks criticizing the card did.  I can honestly and without reservation say that Dillon worked his behind off to make that card work and he brought together some very competitive matches that the fans in attendance (and there were more than the 20 or 30 people thought) enjoyed.

I've said this before and I will say it again:  We can't judge a card strictly on the won-loss records of the people involved.  More often than not, these opponents tend to deliver, which is why they seem to be able to find a bout on a moment's notice.

Also, I need to address some unwarranted comments towards Ty Barnett.  Someone needs to explain why there are these personal attacks toward him.  As far as the bout was concerned, and I believe the majority of you understand this, Barnett got caught with a good punched and he was knocked out.  IT HAPPENS!  We don't like to see it happen to our locals but it does.  The fool that ran into the ring, apparently, doesn't understand that and therefore, should not be allowed into another boxing venue in this area again.  This personal attack on Barnett is totally uncalled for and I don't understand how the two connect.

My biggest fear is the impact this incident will have on the Beltway Boxing scene. Fortunately, because we have had big events in the area recently without incident (because security is tighter) we may be okay. The club shows, however, may suffer because we may have lost a venue for the smaller shows in the Convention Center.

There are two security teams that work shows in the Baltimore area and if either teams were at the Convention Center, this never would have taken place. Those are the guys that did Scott Wagner's Ballroom Boxing security. One person from the Ballroom Boxing security group later formed his own security team and did Jake Smith's cards in Woodlawn, Pikesville and Baltimore. We never had an incident like Saturday night with those guys working security and even when the fans got riled up, those teams nipped those situations in the bud.

I mention this because there is one major lesson that Top Flight Promotions and other starting promotional companies need to learn: You can't promote boxing cards on the cheap. Thanks to Dillon, they got away with doing that in the ring Saturday because, despite not being able to spend a lot of money, the bouts, again, were solid and competitive.   This is why I have never promoted because I don't have deep pockets and I still have short arms.

This also means you can't promote cheaply outside the ring. I'm sure there are some great people working for Top Flight. They are probably, however, not heavily trained in the business of security. There were also little things, that I will discuss with them only (if asked), that will make their promotion better. 

I am hoping that this incident will not stop Top Flight from promoting cards. They are necessary to the growth of this boxing area and their cards have been quality ones in the past.  Do they hold some responsibility for what took place last night? Yes they do and I stand by the comments I made in the original Post-Fight Wrap-Up.  My hope and belief is that they will learn from some of the mistakes that were made Saturday night.