Maybe the best boxing managers and advisers in professional boxers, and promoters too, are the ones that spot the next big thing before he is known at all.
This comes with experience for many being in boxing over the years for a long time where they watch both amateur and pro fights to scout out the next prospect with world championship in professional boxing winning ability.
The reality is, very, very few ever become champion of the world at the highest level of prize fighting.
Professional boxing.
It is such a difficult thing to do, and professional boxing is such a tough game, that in our view you almost have to want to be a world champion to get involved in it.
It’s too tough a game.
But in saying that, very few ever make it to becoming the undisputed champion of the world, or even a genuine world title holder (WBC, WBA, IBF or WBO).
How to Spot the Next Superstar Before Anyone Else Does
Things we think are important to watch for on these rare men that don’t come along very often in professional boxing:
- Can he punch? Punching power very important in professional boxing.
- Does he drink to excess (more than one or two beers/drinks), smoke or use drugs? These things are not needed, a pro boxing career is short. These things shorten it further.
- How does he handle adversity in a fight and in life? When the going gets tough, only a select few men really don’t mind getting after it and digging down deep like the badger in the fight game, or in life.
- Is he marketable? What’s different about his story that we can sell to the general consumer?
- People die in this thing, its one of the few games you can legally be killed in you willing to die? Professional boxing comes with risks.
- Where is he from? Some country’s offer quicker venue access, logistics and ticket sales (selling tickets is important for prospects) on the ground at the start of his career.
- What kind of people are around him? Is his family or friends good, if not, that won’t do, we’ll have to get rid of them and be selfish as the life or a professional fighter must put him first and be totally selfish to succeed. Brutal but it must be done. Winning is everything.
- What’s his girlfriend/missus like? Is she holding him back? Again, we’ll have to get rid of her if she is no good and getting in the way of work and get him another one instead. Again, brutal, but again, must be done. If he has an issue with this we need to ask him how serious he is about maximizing what is a very short career to become champion in the hardest game and sport of them all.
- Boxing has many traditions — is he passionate about boxing, the sport or its history?
- How does he train? Is he disciplined? Does he get deterred by setbacks? Does he relish challenges? Mentality if vital.
- What’s his diet like, what are his strengths and weaknesses and how can we mitigate and work on time effectively on the latter and maximize the former.
- If he uses PEDs early on he may win a title or two but won’t do it the right way (he’ll have only cheated himself and he’ll know it) and he won’t last long term, none of the best fighters ever did this. The door must be closed right away if he even thinks of using performance enhancing drugs.
- How does he handle living and training in isolation and living and training in remote places? We view this as essential for a world champion, all the greats have done this over the years (including Ali, Hagler and more).
- Does he use social media and what’s he like at marketing himself, get him into social media training and digital internet training early in general.
- Does he have the skill and ability to actually be good enough and deliver on fight night under the spot light in a world title fight? Sparring is not fighting at the end of the day. Spotting this early on by watching his sparring and fights is key.
- These are just a few things, maybe this might represent the start only of a plan for a budding world champion (there’s much more).
Alas, if he can do all of these things, then maybe, just maybe, he may have a chance of becoming the champion of the world at the highest level of prize fighting (professional boxing). Very few ever do.
