I am a boxing manager: if you have questions about the boxing biz, ask!

T, I can't say anything about MMA, don't know enough. In boxing it seems more about the guy and what ethnic group he represents and MMA it seems to be about the fights.
In boxing it helps a lot what you are and where you are from. For instance, there are many different variations of Latino's, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Cubans and many other South American countries. Native born, Mexicans and Puerto Ricans are highly sought after. While Mexicans and Puerto Rican fighters who are born in the USA, are thought to be lesser. Eventhough the Latinos born in the US might be better. A great example is the GoldenBoy himself, he was born in LA, so he was never fully accepted by Mexican born fan's. Oscar did alright without Mexican support. Charisma and looks done it for the Golden one, imagine if Oscar looked like Jose Luis Castillo there would be no Oscar, another example, Jorge Maramero Paez, not the best looking guy but huge charisma potential, A PR born in NYC, is not considered fully PR. That's nationalistic pride. Boxing has become very good at exploiting ethnic and nationalistic pride and have done so successfully for many, many yrs.
Another example, if Mikey Garcia, a Mexican American, great fighter but lacks looks and charisma, had he been born in Mexico, he would have a fanbase. Canelo and Julio jr while not as good skill-wise draw the fans while Mikey can hardly fill his own couch.
Where you are from, charisma and looks count more then actual fighting ability. Promoters always like guys who can put asses in the seats, Mexicans and Puerto Ricans deliver the numbers, boxing is a biz a ness. Skills you can develop charisma like power you are born with. Here is another example of a young fighter with Charisma, youtube Alex Saucedo, see if you can spot what it is that people like about him. He is currently 15-0, and fighting just 6rdrs, but already he is developing a fanbase, in Oklahoma where he lives and in his own country people are dying to see him fight there. There has been two songs written about him already, one is on YouTube, "El Cholo", by Rafa Anchondo, it has since been recorded. Another song was about seeing Alex, in a street fight when he was 8 or 9yrs old. If you are on Facebook friend him you will see how charisma drives the car. Plus he has a fan friendly style which is icing on the cake. If you look at the Norman Allen fight parts 1-2, he gets hit with everything watch pt 2 and see him strutting around after scoring the ko. It took Floyd 17yrs as a pro to get to the point where he drew tremendous numbers fighting Canelo, it took Canelo 7 yrs and Canelo was the draw.

 

T, if that is the going rate, he has to settle for that
and believe me that is the going rate there. Its his choice accept it and fight, don't accept it and don't fight. That's the choice.

 

It depends on you and what ethnic group you belong to, Irish is the best, Italian is next, Russians, Ukrainians, polish and other groups, depends where they fight and if there is local support for that ethnic group. The Poles do well in Jersey and Chicago nowhere else, so it depends.
Find your niche and work it.

 

To answer your question the answer is yes, I had a guy with DK, I told my guy not to sign but he believed the sales job DK did on the trainer. Well come fight nite, a DK rep came into the dressing room as he was getting ready and told my guy, that his purse was cut from 10k to 7500. The trainer jumped up and said no, we signed a contract for 10k and that's what we want otherwise no fight. The DK rep "kindly" reminded them, of a clause in the contract that stated DK could do just that, also he told them that according to another clause that if he refused to fight, it fulfilled the DK's obligation of offering them a fight. Since the contract they had signed only required DK to offer them one fight per year minimum. So guess what they fought. The trainer thought by signing with DK, they had it made. I warned them but the trainer thought he knew what he was doing. When you want to play with the big boys, know the game, guys read the contract and don't be surprised.

 

J, I would say, Jesus "Matador", Chavez, but I have advised or had to do something with many fighters. Jesus, was my favorite cos of what he went through to reach the top. Go on YouTube and enter, Jesus Chavez Split Decision, there are 11 parts, our biggest moment came in part 9, in the Julio Alvarez, fight. We were basically alone in that fight. Jesus was #1 ranked '30pdr and the NABF champion. We were facing a very dangerous puncher in Alvarez especially his left hook to the liver. The fight was in Mexico City, Alvarez, was from Mexico City, "uh, oh!". Jesus and I knew it was a big gamble, but one we had to take. I knew that if Jesus won it would make him in Mexico. Jesus, at that time had been deported and was fighting to get back to the US. Alvarez had another advantage besides being the popular hometown star, who had just stopped via cut, a young Jose Luis Castillo. That advantage was the scariest of all, "The Madrina", as in "The Godfather", get the picture. The fight was postponed cos they slipped us drugged orange juice. "Uh, oh!", then for the biggest "uh, oh" of the night, every single seat from front to back, at least 30 rows, and it was in our corner, uh, oh turned to "oh sh*t!", in a big hurry. Seeing the whole section, wearing "Julio Alvarez" T-shirts. Right we thought we were going to get robbed or mobbed by people with bad intentions. Everybody was on alert, let me tell you, seeing all those T-shirts knowing they were all obligated to "The Madrina". Chavez had discussed the possibility of getting robbed, I told him, look if we get robbed
everybody will see it. Believe me The Madrina was a very powerful woman, with many good friends, that you wouldn't want to meet in the dark. The fight itself was vicious both took and gave, you will get that sense by watching the bit of the fight in part 9. Thats the way it went from rd1 to rd 12. Jesus knew what was at stake, his whole career and life. If he lost his biggest fear was he wouldn't be able to return to the states where his family was, and where he grew up. We never had a contract it was strictly a friendship more then a manager. To this day we greet each other warmly "Hey, MFr".

 

Not many decent HW's in South Texas, closest was a cruiserwt, BJ Flores.