How far could a boxer go without a promoter?

[grayfist]

A number did succeed in kicking off their careers without promoters. Ray Leonard, after the Olympics, got together his own group of trusted people and went around selling himself at the start of his career. He closed his own TV deal and signed individual contracts with venue owners on revenue-sharing arrangements (tickets and residuals sales). Don King,though he indeed gave Ali his biggest paydays, came late into Ali's life. Ali was already a made celebrity when King joined his camp. As Cassius Clay, Ali was set off to a good start after winning Olympic gold by a syndicate of businessmen from his hometown of Louisville who signed up Angelo Dundee to train the young Clay. But it was Ali who made himself a star, the biggest ever. Nobody but Ali could have invented Ali. Thomas Hearns relied less on promoters than he did on his trainers at the Kronk gym, primarily, Steward, who, though sometimes engaged in promotions, was basically a trainer of champions. But are King, Arum and the other promoters really the powers? Aren't Viacom (Showtime), Turner (HBO) and Fox the triumvirate that, at bottom, really controls global boxing? The networks shell out the big bucks without which neither King nor Arum, much less their lesser ilks, can put together any card worth mention! NBC, CBS and ABC ceased to be big players in boxing decades ago! And boxing people in Europe, the rest of the Americas, Asia and Africa need to make their pilgrimage to good ole USA to be near the boxing gods. Have you noticed that while the WBA and WBC are basically dominated by latinos in their official hierarchies, they too make the pilgrimage to the US? Without US TV, there could be no global boxing of the type and scale (camp and glitz, included)we witnessed last Saturday and in all of the recent years. Ali and Leonard were media powers spawned by the then nascent worldwide TV as much as they were boxing greats. Their celebrity went way beyond what any single boxing venue, or any collection of boxing venues, can handle. What we have are descendants of what they started. The bigger--HUGE!-- money is in TV not in the sites, be they in Vegas, LA, NY or wherever; it cannot therefore be in the hands of promoters or site owners. And, the bigger the money, the louder it talks. The louder it talks, the closer ********* characters pay attention!

[Boxerdog]

Wasn't he also promoted by some Nation of Islam guy?

The "honorable" Herbert Muhammed.
I nearly choked on "honorable" BTW.

[{BrownBomber}]

Honestly i dont care how good a fighter is,if he doesnt have the right promoter he is not getting anywhere!

[Vasyl’s dad]

Maybe you dudes are starting to get the idea.

[MiraculousM4]

Yes a fighter can get the fights he/she needs and wants without being signed to a promoter.

[BangEM]

If the boxer can secure a TV deal - there’s no need for a promoter. Promoters are just needed as the middleman between networks and boxers and for matchmaking. They don’t really do much.

[Bain01D]

George Groves didn’t really have a promoter throughout his career, bounced around a few. Most are absolute dodge pots! Higgins springs to mind! Also know a boxer who is owed fortunes by Kelly Maloney and Warren has trouble putting on big shows as he owes a fortune to the Met Police which he keeps trying to avoid paying! They’ve refused to police his events!

[blowblow]

pacman no need to market and promote himself.. everyone calls him out. (promoter left the room.)