'Flattop', Fightnews.com Managing Editor, Passes!

Sometimes, the people you never meet are the ones who help you the most.

I never actually met "Flattop" Scott Pope.  However, without him, my Beltway Boxing journey would have never had the success it has enjoyed for the past 20 years.

Twenty years is how long I have contributed stories as a feature writer for Fightnews.com.  Flattop was the site's managing editor until his passing from a heart attack this week at the age of 60.  Many of the writers on Fightnews.com have never really met one another, although I have been privileged to meet a few of them.  But, because they lived on the west coast, I never met Flattop, or the site's founder and publisher, Karl Freitag.

Because I had already established myself as someone covering the Beltway Boxing scene, Flattop, to his credit, gave me the autonomy in getting press credentials for the club shows in the area.  Flattop would only get involved when the major promoters would host shows in the area.  Fightnews was my way of expanding my coverage of the Beltway scene to the entire world.  Flattop was my point of contact and with him handling the press credentials for the big shows and truly fighting for the reporters and the photographers to get the best seats at ringside, he was truly invaluable.  Because of my work with Fightnews, my personal reputation expanded tenfold, at least.

Over the 20 years, I learned that, for some people, liking Flattop was a taste that many people did not acquire.  Honestly, he was not that well-loved in some boxing circles.  Even our personal conversations could get a little heated at times.  But, I would always think about the passion he had to make Fightnews the number one boxing website in the world and I understood where he was coming from because I wanted that same goal.

Outside of boxing, Flattop's life seemed to be an open book and he didn't mind sharing chapters of the book with you.  We would have long conversations about his life, my life, and life in general.  He always asked how my family was doing.  He would celebrate my other interests and would comfort me in times of trouble.  I will truly miss those conversations.

Fightnews.com, and Flattop, in particular, are a huge reason why I am where I am in the world of boxing.  I don't know who will take over his role but no one, and I mean NO ONE will do his job with the passion, enthusiasm, and talent that Flattop did.  Rest in peace, buddy.