Fighters First Management CEO Adrian Clark joined retired champion Lamont Peterson (pictured) on the new episode of Peterson’s “Boxed Out” podcast for an all-encompassing conversation on the duo’s experience with the business of boxing, including Clark’s managerial philosophy and Peterson’s new role advising young fighters about to enter the sport. The episode premieres on the Lamont Peterson YouTube Channel starting on Tuesday, April 14th. It begins with Clark recounting how he first became interested in the business side of boxing after a knockout defeat during his amateur boxing career and how it eventually led him to write his popular book on boxing management, Protect Yourself at All Times

 

“I sat there after and was thinking, if it’s like this for an amateur fighter, I can only imagine how bad it is for a professional,” said Clark, who celebrates the 10-year anniversary of his book this summer. “Then I was able to see it for myself. Not only are the contracts bad, but you go in there and get your head rattled. You’re not necessarily doing it for peanuts, but it’s the hard percentages. 10% here, 33% there, another 5%, then after taxes, you’re really making no bread.

 

“I thought about it from a young manager’s perspective and I decided that I could just talk about how bad things are, or I could do something about it. That’s how Protect Yourself at All Times came into fruition.”

 

When discussing the current landscape of the boxing business, Clark implores to Peterson, and the audience, that boxers need to begin thinking about themselves beyond just what they do in the ring long before it’s time to realize their professional dreams. “A boxer should understand that he or she is a business in the amateurs,” said Clark. “The programming should start in the amateurs, so when you turn pro, you already understand that you’re a business owner, instead of realizing it the first day on the job…The worst mistake they make is giving up their business and letting someone else run it for them.”

 

A former 140-pound world champion who also held a secondary title at 147, Peterson built on Clark’s ideas with his own view from a former fighter’s perspective and share his belief that the time has come for collective action to protect fighters from some of the businesses predatory practices. “It’s time to reevaluate what’s going on with these contracts,” said Peterson. “I know that everyone is just doing what’s been being done. Everyone is comfortable with it. These young kids coming up, who might look up to me, they feel more comfortable signing that contract, because they know Lamont signed it. There needs to be a collective sit down. We need a new baseline. All the rights are in favor of the person who structured the contract.”

 

The episode continues with a deep dive into contract percentages and specifics that are atypical of most conversations about the sport. With the combined perspective of a fighter who’s seen it all, and a manager at the forefront of boxing, the episode lays out many of the behind the scenes dealings often shielded from fight fans.

 

In the end, Clark re-emphasizes the importance of young fighters finding education, and points out that his Protect Yourself at All Times book offers one of the rare blueprints in wide circulation that is specifically tailored for boxers. “I don’t believe morality has ever been in the sport of boxing, nor do I think it ever will,” said Clark. “We can’t expect the managers and promoters to turn over a new leaf and become this ethical individual when it comes to business and contracts. Your responsibility as a fighter is to tap into whatever educational piece you have available to you, including Protect Yourself at All Times, to prepare you for this business.

 

“The sport’s been around for a century, name me another educational system or entity besides Protect Yourself at All Times that’s strictly for professional boxing that can help fighters from being taken advantage of?”

 

Catch the full conversation this Tuesday on YouTube and subscribe for more episode of Boxed Out, plus stay tuned for more information on Clark and his stable of Fighters First Management stars in the near future.