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I sat to talk with Brad Wright, a chairman for the Atheletic Board of Control with the Department of Labor & economic Growth for the state of Michigan. These are the people that oversee and regulate the professional boxing that occurs in the state of Michigan. Of all the people having a chair on this board Wright is the only one with any inside experience with the game. I assumed that there was little that i was going to learn about brad that i did not already know. (Having known him for some 15 years, he used to judge my amatuer and professional fights back in the day.) I was mistaken with this assumption that there was little to learn about him.
When Wright first came to the position the first thing that came to his eye was the fact that these fighters had very little insurance when entering the ring. "Most of these laws and formats were first created in 1919 and then rehauled again in 1952. Under these guidelines a fighter was insured up to $1,000 for an injury and $5,000 for a loss of life. "I thought about guys like you Rob, and tony Rodriguez, guys that I've known since you guys were little kids. Well your not kids anymore, most of you now have wifes and families, that insurance just was not enough if something was to happen."
So Wright started pushing forward, pushing not only for an increase in the insurance to fighters but also pushing the Department of Labor & Economic Growth. "They really didnt like me at first.... I came at them like a bull" But that didnt stop Wright from getting the fighters what they deseverved. Wright was pushing what had originally been put forward but failed in the house 5 years before Wright had accepted the position. "It took us 2 1/2 years to do it but we got it done." The fighters now step into the ring covered much better by the state. Now it stands at $50,000 for injuries and $50,000 for loss of life.
Wright did not stop there. He then got involved with matters of bonding the promoters. Based on other states regulations now every promoter in the state must have a $20,000 bond to back his show. "This keeps the little guys protected... like when you fought at Cobo, you know what happened, you would have been paid that night if this was in place." I had taken a fight at Cobo arena that was to pay me an $800 purse. I had fought the fight and when I went to the promoter to collect my purse he said that he had nothing to offer me, that the sparce turnout left him broke. I left that night with no money in my pocket, and believe me, I could have used it. This bonding keeps the fighters, "the little guys" protected.
Brad Wrights next battle was to make it manatory that all officials in the state be required to attend a training seminar and pass a written test before being licensed in the state. The big blow up came for Wright when a nationaly televised bout between Emanuell Burton and Juan Augustus rendered a horrible decision. "You know, I had Teddy Atlas saying on E.S.P.N that he never wanted to come back to the state after that one. I had calls from as far away as England demanding that i reverse the decision." So Brad spoke with the Board about the decision. "of all the people on the board I am the only one with any real boxing experience, the rest are government appointed officials." The judge to come under the most fire was one Ed Mosley. Mosley served no time in the amatuers as a judge, he was licensed by the state as a judge with no experience. Many called for a suspension of mosley after the fight but Wright was against it. "It wasnt Mosleys fault overall, he was licensed by the state to do a job.... but he should not have been there in that situation in the first place."
Wright stepped forward in the mist of all the complaints and excepted all of the blame for the problem. "I wanted to get it out about the need to emphasize the training that is needed to be an official.... about the monitoring needed to make sure that these guys are doing a good job." Wright pushed a bill on the board that would make mandatory education a requirment to work in the state. "I kept on pushing it... but they out swung me."
That did not detour Wright however. On Feb 19th of this year Michigan will be holding a clinic for officials from around the country to get them the education that they need. "The government wanted nothing to do with it.." the money was a big problem for them. Wright found other avenues. "I know that people might hear this and want me hanged for believing that I was taking bribes or something, but I went to the promoters." I honestly see nothing wrong with the promoters helping out for the training of the officials, I see it as the game helping to better the game. Many different promoters donated money to the cause and now with the seminar less than a week away Wright is very happy with the results. "We are offering the cheapest course that I know of, we are charging only $30 for a course that around the country may go for $80 or $90." We have the promoters to thank for that. "This is all definately a step forward." Not to Wrights surprise, Ed Mosely was one of the first to respond to the date of the clinic. "Ed is honestly a very honorable man, it speaks alot about him that he was the first."
Instructing at this clinic will be Dwayne Ford from Nevada, with 100+ titlefights under his belt as well as one Armando Garcia from Florida, also with world title experience. There will be written materials as well as lecturing by the guests. The experiences that they can share could be invaluable for the viewers.
A local promoter came under fire after one of his cards had ended with every fight being a first round knockout. The department of Labor & Economic Growth wanted to suspend the promoter for putting on such a weak show. "How could they suspend the guy when it was the department that should have been regulating what was going on."
Wright says that the he is used only as an advisor for the Department of Labor & Economic Growth. "They are the ones who make all of the final decisions." Brad is seeing this trend change. "I used to call them when I would see a fight made that was just a dangerous fight to have or possibly a fraud to the public, they hated it whenever I would call them about it, but now things have changed. They now call me directly and ask me if this is good or if that is good." Some promoters have not been exactly happy with Wrights stance on promoting more even bouts. While some of the promoters may have had one or two of their fighters walking away with losses they are still pleased with the over all results. Since the matchmaking has had Wrights eye over it in the state he has noticed larger as well as happier crowds filling the seats.
Wright understands that the clinics and certification will not always mean that one is qualified to work the pros, but he knows that it is a stepo in the right direction. With these clinics Michigan will have 90% of its officials trained, Nevada has had a program in place for many years now. He hopes that with monitoring and evaluations he will have the best working the bigger shows, the good working the club shows and the worst of them, "Send 'em back to the amatuers to sharpen up."
Wright is a man who has gotten things done for the state of michigan when it comes to boxing. And he is continually pushing the depatment to organize a commitee to oversee the game. Brad has been a judge in the game and now sits on the board. What surprised me about Brad is that he actually is a fighter, not in the ring but for the ring. Not fighting for the money but fighting for the improvement of the sport in our state. "I love boxing and will do everything possible to ensure that professional boxing thrives in the state of Michigan." In a short time he has accomplished more than many before him and believe me, he's only just begun to fight......Rockin'
When Wright first came to the position the first thing that came to his eye was the fact that these fighters had very little insurance when entering the ring. "Most of these laws and formats were first created in 1919 and then rehauled again in 1952. Under these guidelines a fighter was insured up to $1,000 for an injury and $5,000 for a loss of life. "I thought about guys like you Rob, and tony Rodriguez, guys that I've known since you guys were little kids. Well your not kids anymore, most of you now have wifes and families, that insurance just was not enough if something was to happen."
So Wright started pushing forward, pushing not only for an increase in the insurance to fighters but also pushing the Department of Labor & Economic Growth. "They really didnt like me at first.... I came at them like a bull" But that didnt stop Wright from getting the fighters what they deseverved. Wright was pushing what had originally been put forward but failed in the house 5 years before Wright had accepted the position. "It took us 2 1/2 years to do it but we got it done." The fighters now step into the ring covered much better by the state. Now it stands at $50,000 for injuries and $50,000 for loss of life.
Wright did not stop there. He then got involved with matters of bonding the promoters. Based on other states regulations now every promoter in the state must have a $20,000 bond to back his show. "This keeps the little guys protected... like when you fought at Cobo, you know what happened, you would have been paid that night if this was in place." I had taken a fight at Cobo arena that was to pay me an $800 purse. I had fought the fight and when I went to the promoter to collect my purse he said that he had nothing to offer me, that the sparce turnout left him broke. I left that night with no money in my pocket, and believe me, I could have used it. This bonding keeps the fighters, "the little guys" protected.
Brad Wrights next battle was to make it manatory that all officials in the state be required to attend a training seminar and pass a written test before being licensed in the state. The big blow up came for Wright when a nationaly televised bout between Emanuell Burton and Juan Augustus rendered a horrible decision. "You know, I had Teddy Atlas saying on E.S.P.N that he never wanted to come back to the state after that one. I had calls from as far away as England demanding that i reverse the decision." So Brad spoke with the Board about the decision. "of all the people on the board I am the only one with any real boxing experience, the rest are government appointed officials." The judge to come under the most fire was one Ed Mosley. Mosley served no time in the amatuers as a judge, he was licensed by the state as a judge with no experience. Many called for a suspension of mosley after the fight but Wright was against it. "It wasnt Mosleys fault overall, he was licensed by the state to do a job.... but he should not have been there in that situation in the first place."
Wright stepped forward in the mist of all the complaints and excepted all of the blame for the problem. "I wanted to get it out about the need to emphasize the training that is needed to be an official.... about the monitoring needed to make sure that these guys are doing a good job." Wright pushed a bill on the board that would make mandatory education a requirment to work in the state. "I kept on pushing it... but they out swung me."
That did not detour Wright however. On Feb 19th of this year Michigan will be holding a clinic for officials from around the country to get them the education that they need. "The government wanted nothing to do with it.." the money was a big problem for them. Wright found other avenues. "I know that people might hear this and want me hanged for believing that I was taking bribes or something, but I went to the promoters." I honestly see nothing wrong with the promoters helping out for the training of the officials, I see it as the game helping to better the game. Many different promoters donated money to the cause and now with the seminar less than a week away Wright is very happy with the results. "We are offering the cheapest course that I know of, we are charging only $30 for a course that around the country may go for $80 or $90." We have the promoters to thank for that. "This is all definately a step forward." Not to Wrights surprise, Ed Mosely was one of the first to respond to the date of the clinic. "Ed is honestly a very honorable man, it speaks alot about him that he was the first."
Instructing at this clinic will be Dwayne Ford from Nevada, with 100+ titlefights under his belt as well as one Armando Garcia from Florida, also with world title experience. There will be written materials as well as lecturing by the guests. The experiences that they can share could be invaluable for the viewers.
A local promoter came under fire after one of his cards had ended with every fight being a first round knockout. The department of Labor & Economic Growth wanted to suspend the promoter for putting on such a weak show. "How could they suspend the guy when it was the department that should have been regulating what was going on."
Wright says that the he is used only as an advisor for the Department of Labor & Economic Growth. "They are the ones who make all of the final decisions." Brad is seeing this trend change. "I used to call them when I would see a fight made that was just a dangerous fight to have or possibly a fraud to the public, they hated it whenever I would call them about it, but now things have changed. They now call me directly and ask me if this is good or if that is good." Some promoters have not been exactly happy with Wrights stance on promoting more even bouts. While some of the promoters may have had one or two of their fighters walking away with losses they are still pleased with the over all results. Since the matchmaking has had Wrights eye over it in the state he has noticed larger as well as happier crowds filling the seats.
Wright understands that the clinics and certification will not always mean that one is qualified to work the pros, but he knows that it is a stepo in the right direction. With these clinics Michigan will have 90% of its officials trained, Nevada has had a program in place for many years now. He hopes that with monitoring and evaluations he will have the best working the bigger shows, the good working the club shows and the worst of them, "Send 'em back to the amatuers to sharpen up."
Wright is a man who has gotten things done for the state of michigan when it comes to boxing. And he is continually pushing the depatment to organize a commitee to oversee the game. Brad has been a judge in the game and now sits on the board. What surprised me about Brad is that he actually is a fighter, not in the ring but for the ring. Not fighting for the money but fighting for the improvement of the sport in our state. "I love boxing and will do everything possible to ensure that professional boxing thrives in the state of Michigan." In a short time he has accomplished more than many before him and believe me, he's only just begun to fight......Rockin'