By Jake Donovan

It wasn’t long ago when regional promoters were comfortable with what the industry had to offer. A few club shows to keep the kids busy, perhaps a small handful of ESPN2 dates and – if they’re really lucky – the chance to partner up with a major promoter when HBO and Showtime broadcasts come to town.

Prize Fight Boxing, a promotional company based minutes from Memphis (Southaven, Miss., to be exact), followed this template to the very letter. For years they have put on club shows in front of sold-out crowds in various Tunica casinos, including their ongoing “Fight At The Fitz” series at Fitzgerald’s Casino, now in its fifth year and still growing strong.

It was par for the course to have their logo grace ESPN2, collecting several dates throughout the network’s boxing season. Their brand is also featured on HBO at least once per year, often partnering up with DiBella Entertainment whenever Lou brings his fighters to Beale Street.

But those were the good old days, before our nation’s economy took a massive hit.

The trickle down effect ran rampant through the boxing industry. First came the decision for ESPN2 to whack its Wednesday Night Fights series, which meant even less televised exposure than was already the case for mid-level companies like Prize Fight. Later in the year, Telefutura closed its doors to the sport, which meant 48 less telecasts per year to watch.

Tighter budgets and stricter demands from the networks electing to keep boxing in the fold has changed the game to quality over quantity. Survival of the fittest has become the name of the game, with adaptability key not only to the success, but the continuance of many regional promoters who were already forced to beg for table scraps.

As they approach their 10th anniversary as a promotional company, Prize Fight Boxing is ready to unveil their plans to remain ahead of the curve.

Though the majority of their shows take place in either Tunica or Memphis, the mid-South promotional group heads to Salisbury, Maryland for the third time in less than a year for a full night of boxing action on Friday evening. The previous two trips were aired on Showtime’s Shobox series and ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights, respectively.

Neither were made available for this card, prompting Prize Fight to take the next step – air the show live via webcast, which they will Friday night on prizefighttv.com (8PM ET, $4.95).

Topping the card at the Wicomico Civic Center is the town’s favorite son, murderous punching prospect Fernando Guerrero (13-0, 11KO), who takes on Brian Norman in an eight-round middleweight bout. Fittingly enough, it was shortly after Guerrero’s second huge homecoming in which Prize Fight came up with the idea to going the worldwide web route.

“The process of going interactive has taken me four months to complete but I have assembled a great team around me for this venture,” explains Russ Young, who along with his brother Brian head the top promotional outfit in the mid-South region. “I feel webcasting quality fights can be the wave of the future and a viable option for Prize Fight. 

“As long as we give the fight fans tremendous value for their dollar, I feel our buy rate will continue to grow with each fight.”

The idea to begin with Guerrero was a no-brainer. Many a boxing personality has commented on the insanely large fan base he carries.

It’s not uncommon for noted amateurs to build a strong regional following before breaking through to prime time. More often than not, they will have performed on the highest stage in the non-pay ranks and hail from – or are at least developed – in a prominent media market.

Guerrero certainly has respectable amateur credentials – Junior Golden Gloves at the age of 16, National Golden Gloves a year later and the 165 U.S. Amateur champion in 2007. The aforementioned titles are a part of a stellar non-pay career that ran 140 fights deep.

Missing was the national attention. It was to be expected for a fighter based out of Salisbury, Maryland, to where he and his family relocated from the Dominican Republic when he was eight years old.

The lack of mainstream notoriety wasn’t of concern to Prize Fight, who have always made a habit out of building stars rather than chasing after them. Such was the case with Guerrero, who was brought along in the Tunica casino circuit for much of his first year as a pro as well as receiving non-televised assignments beneath HBO shows in Memphis and Nashville.

But it was a month before his Nashville appearance when Prize Fight discovered they were sitting on a gold mine.

“Fernando is recognized as a hometown hero,” Young realized when first taking the show to Salisbury last October for a Shobox-televised card. “The fan support has been overwhelming since his homecoming last October, then followed up with another huge crowd on ESPN2 this February. We expect a similarly enthusiastic crowd for this fight on prizefighttv.com. 

“We are fortunate, as a promotional company, to have a prospect like Fernando that draws such huge crowds so early in his career. To my knowledge, there is no other prospect in the world that draws like him.”

As they are able to host more and more of their own shows online, the plan is to turn their rest of their young prodigies into tomorrow’s stars. Several will get their head start on Friday, as the entire card will be featured on the webcast, all for your $4.95.

“For a nominal fee fans can watch a first-class production featuring tomorrow’s champions today,” proudly proclaims Brian Young. “We have six unbeaten fighters, including two former International amateur champions, and two pairs of brothers on this card.”

Of the six unbeaten fighters, four square off in two separate bouts in which someone’s “0” must go.

In the evening’s co-feature, 2008 US Olympic alternate Shawn Porter (8-0, 6KO) takes on Dion Savage (5-0, 3KO) in a scheduled six-round middleweight clash. Porter’s pro debut came on the undercard of Guerrero’s homecoming last October and has already twice appeared on ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights.

Not quite as familiar to nationally syndicated audiences is Philly standout Farah Ennis (10-0, 5KO), who battles Bobby Jordan (6-0, 2KO) in an eight-round super middleweight tilt.

While Farah’s name has yet to ring out, boxing audiences are perhaps more familiar with his older brother, Derek “Pooh” Ennis, if not for all of the wrong reasons.

Derek (17-2, 12KO) was once a promising undefeated prospect before running into a bit of bad luck in 2007. His first loss came in nationally televised Shobox bout, when a strong opening round against Allen Conyers was followed up by disaster, getting knocked in the second round of their televised co-feature.

After losing again later in the year, the elder Ennis has now won five straight heading into Friday’s curtain raiser against Joshua Onyango.

The two remaining bouts on the show feature: promising newcomer Dominic Wade (2-0, 2KO), who signed with Prize Fight earlier this year; and pro debuting Alex Guerrero, Fernando’s older brother.

“The stable of fighters we have assembled at Prize Fight are what fight fans want to watch,” believes Russ Young. “They are true punchers with significant amateur backgrounds. The fighters we are featuring have already been featured on ShoBox and ESPN.

“Consequently, Prize Fight is blessed to launch our first webcast in Salisbury with Fernando Guerrero as his hometown crowd will make the environment feel like a world title fight.”

For now, Guerrero offers the simulated feel, though you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn’t believe actual title fights await in the not-so-distant future. Though his two televised bouts happen to also be the only time the Dominican southpaw has been extended the distance, both showed that there is a lot more to his game than just punching power.

In going the distance against Tyrone Watson for the first time as a pro last October, Guerrero never stopped gunning for the knockout. He was winning every round on every card and could’ve easily coasted to a victory, but instead danced as hard as he could to give his hometown fans an everlasting memory.

Three fights later, Guerrero would taste the canvas for a first time as a professional, when he was floored in the third round of his ESPN2-televised bout with Gabriel Rosado. Guerrero rose from the deck and came on strong in the second half of an all-action fight to prevail by way of unanimous decision.

Thirteen fights in, the crowd-pleasing Dominican has already shown adaptability and the ability to overcome adversity, which his handlers believe will only make him that much better in the long run.

”Fernando's future is extremely bright as he has the skill set and personality that will make him a fan favorite in the sport of boxing. The fact that he is bilingual and has a radiant personality helps him attract fans of all ages and races.

“We expect the fan support to reach out on a regional level next followed by national and international support as his career develops.”

Should Friday night’s webcast prove to be a success, Russ and Brian Young will be saying the same of several other young members of their growing stable. And boxing fans will be echoing such sentiments of their promotional company, thankful for their efforts of bringing the fights to the people in this ever-shrinking televised market.

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of Boxingscene.com and an award-winning member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Contact Jake at JakeNDaBox@gmail.com.