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THE WARNER CENTER WAR II IS ON, AND THE PARAMEDICS ARE READY
By Steve Kim
Maxboxing
Sep 19, 2008
On the night of November 2, 2007, Art of Boxing Promotions held
their initial show at the Warner Center Marriott in Woodland Hills,
California, featuring the return of Juan 'El Pollo' Valenzuela. As a
sizable crowd arrived, they grew restless as the show failed to start
anywhere near on time, which is not that unusual for local club shows;
after all, without television and the need to fill as many seats as
possible, most promotions get started late.
But there was a good reason why this show didn't get kicked off until
a good hour or so after it was supposed to - there was no licensed
paramedic at ringside. And no matter what the size or magnitude of a
card, and no matter who's promoting it, a fight card can not proceed
in the state of California without the proper personnel being present.
As Kahren Harutyunyan holds his second edition of the 'Warner Center
War' at the same venue tonight (which is scheduled to begin at 8 pm)
he promises that the proper medical personnel will be in attendance.
"Yes," he says with a laugh, when asked about perhaps the biggest
lesson he learned thus far as a promoter. "It was the biggest one. That
was the only mistake I made and of course, if I can't learn from the
only mistake I made then why am I in here?
"Here's the deal, I don't know the particulars. As far as I'm
concerned, a van that has lights on it, it's an ambulance, it's
a paramedic, whatever. I don't know the difference between the
names. That's my ignorance. So I checked on it many times. I checked
with Dean Lohius (of the California State Athletic Commission), I
checked with the paramedics. I thought I either needed EMT or paramedic
- I thought it was the same thing. I requested it a month-and-a-half
before that my EMT was going to be there. So it turns out that it's
different. I also need paramedics too. I can't blame anybody else
but me."
And that's basically because Art of Boxing Promotions is a one-man
operation. Printing out posters and fliers and getting them circulated,
procuring sponsors, doing most of the matchmaking and handling all
media requests, all falls on Harutyunyan. But his first outing was
a critical, if not commercial, success.
"The quality of the show and the response that I got from the people
there, it was very good," he says of the card, which was attended
by the likes of James Toney and Brian Viloria. "For a small show,
for a first time promotional endeavor, it was a success. Financially,
it wasn't. But everybody says that it's expected. I tried to push it
as hard as possible to at least break even. I was down a little bit,
but this time the promotion is going way better. I'm promoting in a
lot of places, a lot of websites, television, radio stations. I have
more fights, better fighters, it's going better."
This show will feature a bevy of his fellow Armenians in Vito 'Casper'
Gasparyan and Art 'Lion Heart' Hovhannesyan, along with the likes of
Dean Byrne. Musical performances from Lucy Hart and Chronic are also
scheduled. His flier lists jr. middleweight prospect Vanes Martirosyan
as a special guest, but he has his own fight in Primm, Nevada tonight.
This tough little jr. bantamweight boxer-turned-promoter knows that
he won't be getting rich off this event. He hopes that if he ends up
in the red again, it's a loss-leader to a bigger picture.
"I believe in this series, and it even comes to the name of the show,
too," he explains. "I started with 'Warner Center War', now we're
going to 'Warner Center War II' because we're in the same venue and
hopefully it'll have a continuation. Again, everybody told me not to
expect money the first time around. I tried really hard to break even,
didn't happen, but hopefully this time it will. I made some changes
to my approach and hopefully it'll work a little better."
The graduate of UCLA says his eyes were not necessarily opened by
the business aspect of the sport; what was unsettling to him was
the unprofessional behavior of some of the managers and fighters he
dealt with.
"It's not so much about the business because by nature I'm a person
that's very organized. I like to take a very organized approach to
things. So that aspect of the business is not hard for me, to be on
top of my paperwork, to talk to the commission and the managers," he
says. "But I didn't realize that fighters can just back out of fights
real easily, not thinking about integrity, their name, anything."
Harutyunyan, who was a tough out in his days in the ring, is
non-plussed by fighters who so blithely turn away opportunities to
perform and further their careers. Part of the reason he got into
promoting is so that fighters like himself could find a place to
fight regularly in the local area.
"I couldn't imagine that; I took fights any time I could, especially
not having a big promotional or managerial contract behind me. If
you're in a situation where you're ready to take fights to move your
career, you have to take fights. I'm amazed at how many fighters,
they commit to a fight and then they just call me, a week before the
fight, and say they're not going to do it."
Welcome to the business of boxing.
So when will we know if there's going to be a 'Warner Center War III'?
Harutyunyan says with a laugh, "Around 9 pm on Friday."
INFO
You can buy your tickets online at ArtofBoxingPromotions.com and you
can call either 818-749-1571 or 310-691-3823.
The Warner Center Marriott is located at 21850 Oxnard St. Woodland
Hills, CA.
BIG BUCKS
K2 Promotions won the purse bid for the IBF heavyweight title clash
between Wladimir Klitschko and mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin
with a bid of $13 million (yes, you read that correctly.)
Two thoughts go through my mind with this.
First, once again, that old adage about there being boxing, and then
heavyweight boxing. Just think of how many good fights could be made
for that amount below the heavyweight division. In fact, you can make
classic trilogies, hell, even a best-of-seven series with that type
of coin.
Second, the business of boxing might be struggling in the United
States, but markets like Europe are doing quite well.
$13 million. Wow.
Klitschko-Povetkin will most likely take place on December 13th
somewhere in Germany as part of a HBO telecast that will pair it with
the replay of Pacquiao-De La Hoya.
FIGHTS
I had a chance to view some fights that took place overseas recently.
On September 15th in Japan, 21-year old Roman Gonzalez would
capture the WBA minimumweight title by stopping Yutaka Niida in four
rounds. The Nicaraguan has unnatural power and he would bloody the
nose of Niida and cause severe swelling over his right eye. This could
best be described as a mercy stoppage, because this wasn't going to
get any better for the defending champion.
I think Gonzalez can have a long and glorious run at 105-pounds. They
say punchers are born, not made. Well, this guy was certainly
a born puncher, but he also seems to be a pretty well-rounded
fighter. Gonzalez is now 21-0 with 19 stoppages.
In one of the worst decisions of the year, Australian Billy 'the Kid'
Dib would get the nod over South African Zolani Marali in front of
his homefolks. The Australian announcing crew even said that if Dib -
who is an excruciatingly reluctant fighter - was to get the decision
that it would be a 'travesty.' Which is exactly what this was. This
was 'Down Under' homecooking - and it tasted terrible.
Dib, whose style would fit in fine in the Olympics, simply isn't a
world-class fighter, and it would be an upset of epic proportions if
he can upset WBO featherweight titlist Steven Luevano on October 18th
on the Pavlik-Hopkins undercard.
Then there was the much disputed bout between heavyweights Nicolai
Valuev and John Ruiz, which has been debated back and forth between
the two camps. Personally, I thought it was a fight that was won
by Valuev on the basis of his steady jab. But what's interesting is
that while two judges had the behemoth ahead at the end of 12 rather
comfortably at 116-111 and 116-113, a Japanese judge by the name of
Tak Shimakawa had him up by just one point at 114-113.
I mention this because two of the judges in the Dib-Zolani fight were
Thai. This, on the heels of Glen Hamada being the dissenting vote in
the bout between Juan Diaz and Michael Katsidis, one that most every
other observer saw as a comfortable win for Diaz.
Geez, I know Asians have a reputation as being terrible drivers
(hey, the truth hurts, what can I say?), but I think their judging
of prizefights also leaves something to be desired.
Finally, in what should be at least be mentioned in 'Fight of the Year'
discussions, Jorge Arce overcame some rough moments in rounds three
and four to halt the game Rafael Concepcion in nine innings in front
of a lively crowd in Monterrey, Mexico. Say what you will about Arce
and whatever shortcomings he has, the guy is never in a bad contest.
GOOD NEWS
It's now being reported that Oscar Diaz, who fell into a coma after
his bout against Delvin Rodriguez two months ago, has awakened and
is now in stable condition and off a ventilator.
He's still not out of the woods in his recovery, but this is certainly
a step in the right direction.
I WANT MY YOUTUBE!!!
With MTV and VH-1 basically no longer airing music videos, it's pretty
clear to me that the place to go to see them is youtube. And what's
great is that all the classic songs from the past can be punched up
within seconds.
Yesterday I spent more than a few minutes watching some of my old
favorites - and stuff I didn't even know existed in video form -
from the likes of Lisa Lisa, Stevie B, Sweet Sensation, Expose,
the Cover Girls, the Jets, Seduction and Jermaine Stewart (yeah,
Jermaine Stewart, what of it? C'mon admit it, 'We Don't Have to Take
Our Clothes Off' is a great song. Rest in peace, to him.)
I've now gotten into the habit of opening up two tabs on my
browser. One to go on various websites, the other to listen to my
music. It's like having a lap-top version of an Ipod.
FRIDAY FLURRIES
Anyone see the interview with ChiSox manager Ozzie Guillen in the
latest edition of the Sporting News? I love that guy, he's a real
renegade and the world needs more like him....Congrats to T.O. for
becoming the second all-time touchdown maker in NFL history at
his position. He's a great receiver and a finer sportsman. Get your
popcorn ready!!!....Say what you will about the O'Neal's, but isn't it
great to see fathers and sons doing stuff together?....Mark my words,
Darrell Scott and Speedy Stewart of Colorado will be the next great
running back duo in college football....My college football lock of
the week, gimme Wake Forest and the four points against FSU at Doak
Campbell. This might be Jim Grobe's best squad....
By Steve Kim
Maxboxing
Sep 19, 2008
On the night of November 2, 2007, Art of Boxing Promotions held
their initial show at the Warner Center Marriott in Woodland Hills,
California, featuring the return of Juan 'El Pollo' Valenzuela. As a
sizable crowd arrived, they grew restless as the show failed to start
anywhere near on time, which is not that unusual for local club shows;
after all, without television and the need to fill as many seats as
possible, most promotions get started late.
But there was a good reason why this show didn't get kicked off until
a good hour or so after it was supposed to - there was no licensed
paramedic at ringside. And no matter what the size or magnitude of a
card, and no matter who's promoting it, a fight card can not proceed
in the state of California without the proper personnel being present.
As Kahren Harutyunyan holds his second edition of the 'Warner Center
War' at the same venue tonight (which is scheduled to begin at 8 pm)
he promises that the proper medical personnel will be in attendance.
"Yes," he says with a laugh, when asked about perhaps the biggest
lesson he learned thus far as a promoter. "It was the biggest one. That
was the only mistake I made and of course, if I can't learn from the
only mistake I made then why am I in here?
"Here's the deal, I don't know the particulars. As far as I'm
concerned, a van that has lights on it, it's an ambulance, it's
a paramedic, whatever. I don't know the difference between the
names. That's my ignorance. So I checked on it many times. I checked
with Dean Lohius (of the California State Athletic Commission), I
checked with the paramedics. I thought I either needed EMT or paramedic
- I thought it was the same thing. I requested it a month-and-a-half
before that my EMT was going to be there. So it turns out that it's
different. I also need paramedics too. I can't blame anybody else
but me."
And that's basically because Art of Boxing Promotions is a one-man
operation. Printing out posters and fliers and getting them circulated,
procuring sponsors, doing most of the matchmaking and handling all
media requests, all falls on Harutyunyan. But his first outing was
a critical, if not commercial, success.
"The quality of the show and the response that I got from the people
there, it was very good," he says of the card, which was attended
by the likes of James Toney and Brian Viloria. "For a small show,
for a first time promotional endeavor, it was a success. Financially,
it wasn't. But everybody says that it's expected. I tried to push it
as hard as possible to at least break even. I was down a little bit,
but this time the promotion is going way better. I'm promoting in a
lot of places, a lot of websites, television, radio stations. I have
more fights, better fighters, it's going better."
This show will feature a bevy of his fellow Armenians in Vito 'Casper'
Gasparyan and Art 'Lion Heart' Hovhannesyan, along with the likes of
Dean Byrne. Musical performances from Lucy Hart and Chronic are also
scheduled. His flier lists jr. middleweight prospect Vanes Martirosyan
as a special guest, but he has his own fight in Primm, Nevada tonight.
This tough little jr. bantamweight boxer-turned-promoter knows that
he won't be getting rich off this event. He hopes that if he ends up
in the red again, it's a loss-leader to a bigger picture.
"I believe in this series, and it even comes to the name of the show,
too," he explains. "I started with 'Warner Center War', now we're
going to 'Warner Center War II' because we're in the same venue and
hopefully it'll have a continuation. Again, everybody told me not to
expect money the first time around. I tried really hard to break even,
didn't happen, but hopefully this time it will. I made some changes
to my approach and hopefully it'll work a little better."
The graduate of UCLA says his eyes were not necessarily opened by
the business aspect of the sport; what was unsettling to him was
the unprofessional behavior of some of the managers and fighters he
dealt with.
"It's not so much about the business because by nature I'm a person
that's very organized. I like to take a very organized approach to
things. So that aspect of the business is not hard for me, to be on
top of my paperwork, to talk to the commission and the managers," he
says. "But I didn't realize that fighters can just back out of fights
real easily, not thinking about integrity, their name, anything."
Harutyunyan, who was a tough out in his days in the ring, is
non-plussed by fighters who so blithely turn away opportunities to
perform and further their careers. Part of the reason he got into
promoting is so that fighters like himself could find a place to
fight regularly in the local area.
"I couldn't imagine that; I took fights any time I could, especially
not having a big promotional or managerial contract behind me. If
you're in a situation where you're ready to take fights to move your
career, you have to take fights. I'm amazed at how many fighters,
they commit to a fight and then they just call me, a week before the
fight, and say they're not going to do it."
Welcome to the business of boxing.
So when will we know if there's going to be a 'Warner Center War III'?
Harutyunyan says with a laugh, "Around 9 pm on Friday."
INFO
You can buy your tickets online at ArtofBoxingPromotions.com and you
can call either 818-749-1571 or 310-691-3823.
The Warner Center Marriott is located at 21850 Oxnard St. Woodland
Hills, CA.
BIG BUCKS
K2 Promotions won the purse bid for the IBF heavyweight title clash
between Wladimir Klitschko and mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin
with a bid of $13 million (yes, you read that correctly.)
Two thoughts go through my mind with this.
First, once again, that old adage about there being boxing, and then
heavyweight boxing. Just think of how many good fights could be made
for that amount below the heavyweight division. In fact, you can make
classic trilogies, hell, even a best-of-seven series with that type
of coin.
Second, the business of boxing might be struggling in the United
States, but markets like Europe are doing quite well.
$13 million. Wow.
Klitschko-Povetkin will most likely take place on December 13th
somewhere in Germany as part of a HBO telecast that will pair it with
the replay of Pacquiao-De La Hoya.
FIGHTS
I had a chance to view some fights that took place overseas recently.
On September 15th in Japan, 21-year old Roman Gonzalez would
capture the WBA minimumweight title by stopping Yutaka Niida in four
rounds. The Nicaraguan has unnatural power and he would bloody the
nose of Niida and cause severe swelling over his right eye. This could
best be described as a mercy stoppage, because this wasn't going to
get any better for the defending champion.
I think Gonzalez can have a long and glorious run at 105-pounds. They
say punchers are born, not made. Well, this guy was certainly
a born puncher, but he also seems to be a pretty well-rounded
fighter. Gonzalez is now 21-0 with 19 stoppages.
In one of the worst decisions of the year, Australian Billy 'the Kid'
Dib would get the nod over South African Zolani Marali in front of
his homefolks. The Australian announcing crew even said that if Dib -
who is an excruciatingly reluctant fighter - was to get the decision
that it would be a 'travesty.' Which is exactly what this was. This
was 'Down Under' homecooking - and it tasted terrible.
Dib, whose style would fit in fine in the Olympics, simply isn't a
world-class fighter, and it would be an upset of epic proportions if
he can upset WBO featherweight titlist Steven Luevano on October 18th
on the Pavlik-Hopkins undercard.
Then there was the much disputed bout between heavyweights Nicolai
Valuev and John Ruiz, which has been debated back and forth between
the two camps. Personally, I thought it was a fight that was won
by Valuev on the basis of his steady jab. But what's interesting is
that while two judges had the behemoth ahead at the end of 12 rather
comfortably at 116-111 and 116-113, a Japanese judge by the name of
Tak Shimakawa had him up by just one point at 114-113.
I mention this because two of the judges in the Dib-Zolani fight were
Thai. This, on the heels of Glen Hamada being the dissenting vote in
the bout between Juan Diaz and Michael Katsidis, one that most every
other observer saw as a comfortable win for Diaz.
Geez, I know Asians have a reputation as being terrible drivers
(hey, the truth hurts, what can I say?), but I think their judging
of prizefights also leaves something to be desired.
Finally, in what should be at least be mentioned in 'Fight of the Year'
discussions, Jorge Arce overcame some rough moments in rounds three
and four to halt the game Rafael Concepcion in nine innings in front
of a lively crowd in Monterrey, Mexico. Say what you will about Arce
and whatever shortcomings he has, the guy is never in a bad contest.
GOOD NEWS
It's now being reported that Oscar Diaz, who fell into a coma after
his bout against Delvin Rodriguez two months ago, has awakened and
is now in stable condition and off a ventilator.
He's still not out of the woods in his recovery, but this is certainly
a step in the right direction.
I WANT MY YOUTUBE!!!
With MTV and VH-1 basically no longer airing music videos, it's pretty
clear to me that the place to go to see them is youtube. And what's
great is that all the classic songs from the past can be punched up
within seconds.
Yesterday I spent more than a few minutes watching some of my old
favorites - and stuff I didn't even know existed in video form -
from the likes of Lisa Lisa, Stevie B, Sweet Sensation, Expose,
the Cover Girls, the Jets, Seduction and Jermaine Stewart (yeah,
Jermaine Stewart, what of it? C'mon admit it, 'We Don't Have to Take
Our Clothes Off' is a great song. Rest in peace, to him.)
I've now gotten into the habit of opening up two tabs on my
browser. One to go on various websites, the other to listen to my
music. It's like having a lap-top version of an Ipod.
FRIDAY FLURRIES
Anyone see the interview with ChiSox manager Ozzie Guillen in the
latest edition of the Sporting News? I love that guy, he's a real
renegade and the world needs more like him....Congrats to T.O. for
becoming the second all-time touchdown maker in NFL history at
his position. He's a great receiver and a finer sportsman. Get your
popcorn ready!!!....Say what you will about the O'Neal's, but isn't it
great to see fathers and sons doing stuff together?....Mark my words,
Darrell Scott and Speedy Stewart of Colorado will be the next great
running back duo in college football....My college football lock of
the week, gimme Wake Forest and the four points against FSU at Doak
Campbell. This might be Jim Grobe's best squad....