The Ballroom Boxing 2009 schedule will mark a new direction for the 13-year-old promotion. The Scott Wagner-led promotion has entered into a full-fledged partnership with TKO Promotions of Houston, TX for six shows during the year. The first one will take place on Thursday April 2 at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie, MD.
The partnership between the two companies actually began last year with two shows -- the Jonathan Odgen Foundation benefit card at Martin's Valley Mansion in Cockeysville, MD in October and a card at Michael's Eighth Avenue last November.
Ballroom Boxing is now a part of TKO's series of concept cards entitled "Hometown Heroes to World Champions." TKO has promoted a number of these shows throughout the country over the last year.
“We have three exciting shows planned for this spring and if all goes according to plan Ballroom Boxing and TKO Boxing Promotions will really make its mark in this area at the same time as it establishes itself as one of the home bases for TKO,” said Wagner in a press release.
“We’re thrilled to work with the Ballroom Boxing team as we move into the Baltimore area with our Hometown Heroes to World Champions series," said Chet Koerner, president of TKO Boxing Promotions. "Boxing fans across the country are packing venues to see their favorite local fighters in world class action and that’s our commitment to Baltimore fight fans.”
The partnership may open up another avenue for Wagner and Ballroom Boxing -- the opportunity to actually sign boxers. This is something that Wagner has avoided over his promotional career because of the realization that after developing a world-class prospect, Wagner would have to eventually sign the boxer to a promotion with more national visability.
"With this strategic alliance with TKO," Wagner said, "I can now sign a fighter, develop him together with TKO, and if he really becomes a top pro, with TKO's cross country reach, we can promote him nationally."
Both promotions share the same matchmaker -- Chris Middendorf -- and that, Wagner says, has helped make this an easy partnership.
“Chris knows how the shows work here and what sort of quality that our fans demand. With him already working for both Ballroom and TKO, this will be a seamless transition,”said Wagner.
Wagner will have a busy year because along with the boxing cards, Wagner will begin his "Ballroom Battlefield" mixed martial arts series.
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22 comments:
good move.
Amazing!
The question is will they help out our local fighters or showcase TKO'S.
does this mean that the local fighters will get paid the way they should for fighting the big fights here. or does it mean the local fighters are going to get sold out to tko.
This promotion team doesn't owe area fighters anything.
TKO and ballroom will only help TKO fighters. Chris is not going to start looking out for local fighters. Ask Spencer Harsely and the many other fighters he has not helped out. At least Jake will get his guys wins!
Sometimes it amazes me how stupid some of the anonymous comments are. In regards to my 'helping" local fighters, I would advise going on boxrec and looking at the Ballroom Boxing shows that I have done over the last ten years. If you look at the local fighters that have been on the show more than once you will see an amazing statistic- if a fighter is on there more than once , it usually means he won his first time. Then almost without exception the fighter is put back on at least two more times. So if they win, they come back and if they lose they almost always got another shot. So over ten years of shows and usually seven shows a year, those numbers of "helping" local fighters is significant.. But then the more significant number is the fighters that have continued on the series and were considered regulars and fought five, six seven more times and kept winning.
But the issue here is that neither myself, Ballroom Boxing, nor TKO are in the business of "helping" fighters. We are all in the business of promoting boxing. That means chosing a date, chosing a slate of fighters, matching the fights, selling tickets, getting press and promoting the show and the fighters. We do that in the best of all worlds to promote fighters so that they go to the next level. If they are able to do that and we are the promoters we will benefit. The types of opportunities that come along like the one for Mike Paschall are few and very far between. But we all do it, and hard as it may seem, at Ballroom and TKO the attitude is that fighter is the first priority. And if you do not think that, then you have not been out in the real world and seen how fighters are treated on many other shows.
The strategic alliance that I have made between the two promoters with whom I am working is a win win situation for everyone. Ballroom shows are going to continue showcasing a mix of the best area talent together with either up and coming or hot prospects from across the country (and with TKO from around the world). Although, as Ballroom has always done, there may not be as many local fighters per show as there are on other area shows, I happen to think that that is better - The best young area fighter is placed in the context of the best from elsewhere. That is great for the audience as well as great for the fighter and his camp as it can give him an idea of where he is at. And with the alliance between Ballroom and TKO, with 32 shows scheduled across the country, if we see a good local fighter we can move him out to any other show, be it a club show elsewhere to get a win, or hopefully a more meaningful fight on the national stage. I happen to think that offers a tremendous opportunity to any local fighter and his team who think that they are the real deal and want the opportunity. That is certainly not something that has been available to fighters on any of the purely local shows.
The first of the joint shows will be April 2nd. So far, there are two fighters on the card- Mike Paschall and Matt Remillard, WBC Youth Champion at Featherweight (16-0). I have made offers to several other area fighters and we are waiting for visa clearance on several foreign fighters including Bastie "The Beast" Samir, Olympican (4-0) from Ghana and several undefeated fighters from the Dominican Republic.
I will make a guarantee that there will be more world class talent on this first show then there has ever been on an area club show. And I would think, and maybe I am wrong here, that any young hot prospect fighter from this area would want to be showcased on that card amidst that sort of talent.
ps. as far as Spencer Harsley is concerned, I hold him and his team in the highest regard. As a matter of fact, when his manager called me and asked me for a rematch with Norman Allen, I agreed and that fight will be on the TKO show this Saturday night in York, Pa. If Spencer or his team has an issue with me, the way he has been treated by the various promotions that he has been on, or in the fights that he has been in, they have not said anything. But as anonymous here knows, its a free world, so Spencer can certainly let me know what he feels.
Who gives a fuck about any of this? Like TKO is some big time player. They've been around since last year. We'll see if they are around next year. Remember a promotional group named Silverhawk Boxing a few years back? They were supposed to be big, doing pay per views and all that. Now look at 'em. Where are they now? Why on God's Green Earth does Scott Wagner need to partner with anyone else in boxing? He owns the venue. He sells the liquor, beer, food, sponsorship, and tickets. He doesn't need ANYONE! And, he should have been signing fighters long ago. How in the heck are you going to put a boxer on show after show after show and not have a piece of that fighter? What kind of business sense does that make? I understand the philosophy "we don't care which corner wins". There is something very noble in that statement. But business is business and money is money and Scott Wagner, as successful as he has been for as long as he has been, should have been THE MAN as far as East Coast Boxing goes a long time ago. You build a fighter, you build a fighter's career, you deserve your piece, point blank, period, end of sentence.
Wow. Surprised (Not really) at the backlash over this.
I think it is GREAT! As far as Ballroom and Wagner being around a long time and not being further along...this fight game is just not like grade school, get the good grades and you can measure your progress. Where the hell were you when he was TELEVISING here? We all have our ups and downs and often that journey is TOO circuitous, but Ballroom has only added dimension and remains one of the best to consistently showcase our talent.
If they are not your cup of tea...lots of other promoters and matchmakers you can be talking to, or do you hate them too?
I have been to a lot of fights in our area, and am in a position where though my boxing knowledge is not yet the cat's meow...I have seen it all in a few short years, from family or state home cooked to ESPN/SHO. They all have their +/-'s.
I shot my first show at Ballroom.
At the time I didn't know it was one of the few venues in our area that usually brings the more objective (well matched?) and unexpected, i.e not your typical...yawn... matches, that often bring on guys this area SELDOM sees, except for the usual volunteers that go down from down south or where ever they are dredged from.
We have some of the finest in this area. Why would you hate on this opportunity to elevate and showcase it?
Ballroom Boxing, Scott Wagner and Chris Middendorf have long been a cornerstone in this area's boxing and should get much more respect and recognition for what they do for our boxing.
Silverhawk failed because they had a stupid business plan: they paid more than top dollar for fighters who had decent names, but were washed up. They paid them large signing bonuses (75k to Stevie Johnston), paid for them to get three or four wins (all along paying high minimums), paid for them to win some titles (at considerable additional expenses) and then served them up as opponents (where they all lost). They were not interested in selling tickets and building audiences for their fighters, they thought, mistakenly, that they had an audience (which they did not). So they lost a ton of money and went out of business quickly. Tko has been working with the reknowned manager, Cameron Dunkin (19 world champions and arguably the best judge of talent in the world) to sign the best young talent there is and have signed 24 fighters, including three from Africa, four from Dominican Republic, and three from South America. The group includes two 2008 Olympians and all the fighters are undefeated and not that well known anywhere. But TKO is doing shows in places across the country where they are building fighters and their fan bases on shows. On the undercard of those shows, we are bringing along the prospects.
In terms of the Ballroom shows, Scott has the MMA series that he is developping as well as the four or five other businesses that he runs with his Dad, so this is an opportunity to have a strong team come in and run the shows, hopefully put asses in the seats and build some fighters and he benefits. Our fans will benefit as they will keep seeing the best local talent as well as the top prospects.
Scott,
Listen to me PLEASE! Take it from somebody that knows the game. You don't need TKO, you don't need any other promoter in the game today from the biggest of the big to those that think they are big. You got me? You own your own venue. You sell your own tickets. You sell your own sponsorship. You sell your own liquor, beer, and food. Scott - all you need to do is sign guys to exclusive contracts. It's simple really. You have them fight competition that will help them further their career. By that I mean you hope that they win but you want them to learn something while winning. Middendorf is a good matchmaker. He will know how to match your talent. You're going to be building your fighters, making money off the shows, and making money off your venue. You CAN'T LOSE! Now why on earth would you cut anybody in on that piece of the action?
Don't ask why...but why not...
Sounds like you are jealous of what could just be icing on the already delicious cake.
way to go Linda!!!!These shows are just going to get better and better.
linda please stick to photography
I do stick to photography and I stick to boxing. you just keep sticking to being an anon hater. Deal with it and leave me alone.
From Scott Wagner
I thought long and hard about this alliance. Originally, I didn't want to share something that my Dad and I and many others have built over 14 years. But after meeting Chet and the folks at TKO, and knowing that in this current climate and with many other businesses that we operate and more on the horizon - we felt this was a win for us, a win for TKO, a win for fighters, and mostly a win for area fans. As far as not signing fighters in the past... I still go both ways with that. Some say I was not smart... some may argue that I was...either way. We continue to and will - I believe better than ever now, provide quality boxing events to the fans that join us. In my humble opinion, along with TKO, Chris, and Ballroom, you will be pleased overall with the joining of our efforts. For those that have personnal issues with us, I don't expect anything other than negative comments. And thats fine, best to you. Thank you
Scott, Josh Hall want's his $25,000.00 you owe him for ten years of providing and setting the ring up and helping you get started in the business.You owe him that money and he wants it.
I've known Josh for a lot of years. And he has always told me tales of people that owe him money. He repeats the stories over and over again to the point where he believes them himself. My father and I have asked Josh over and over again to produce documents that would substantiat(sp?) his accustions that he is owed a penny. The prove has never been presented, but Josh's stories continue. And each time he talks, the number increases. Our family is involved in many businesses in AA Co. We have an excellent record of doing business fairly and paying our bills. I challenge you or Mr. Hall to find anyone that any of our companies that we owe money to. Furthermore, check with your boxing friends and inquire about the way boxers, managers, and fans our treated when they are our guests at Michael's Eighth Avenue. I'm sure their answers will speak for us as to how we treat people and our fairness.
The above is from Scott Wagner
I wish Scott,TKO, and Chris much success.
Asim
How about doing away with the Thursday night fights and more Fri and Sat fights, so the working people can enjoy the shows at Michael,s.
Scott Wagner said
I've have tried fights on Friday nights. What I found were guys telling me that was wife night. Sooooo... I stuck to Thursday's. The other reason is that we are primarily a banquet hall, and Weddings pay a whole lot more than boxing. Thursday seems to be a night when the ladies will let you have a night with the boys. Also, we try to get the fights over by 11:15 - 11:30. Sometime earlier, sometimes later... but all in all we are trying to get folks home in time to make work. Thanks for your comment.
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