FUTURE OF DOGBOXER & DOGBOXING

DogBoxer and DogBoxing is truely growing around the world, I have many people to thank for that, Grady 1st and foremost from K-OZ Entertainment in Perth, Australia.  I met Grady in Florida at the Kimbo Slice fiasco, he was a boxing guy like myself and not yet into mma.  He has done a great job and is a huge supporter of our brand and style.  All the great people in Perth who happen to be very talented - Soa, Xman, Rob Powdrill, Mike Rollin, Parmon from Champions, Phon Martdee original Muay Thai in Oz, Dave and Mike from Wand Fight Team, David Hulett from Phenom who is stepping up to take a very tuff title fight, my baby boy Roy Foreman making his mma debut.  Forever grateful to Ken Shamrock, who for 9 years taught us the secrets of old school mma.  His hands are broken from bare knuckle fighting, dont get more real than that, he has been a true friend and mentor, to Las Vegas for welcoming us with open arms in everyway, I could go on and on, there are many good people in mma, without them we would not exist. 
It has been a pleasure to meet with Anderson Silva and Wanderlei Silva, they in my opinion have the highest level of mma striking.  We hope to bring DogBoxing to these levels and beyond. We have trips planned for Thailand this year and Mexico. We combine Muay Thai and Mexican style boxing to be who we are and have gotten where we have gotten and it doesnt hurt that they both transition well into MMA.  I started out in this business flipping boxers into mma thru the famed Lions Den and have been lucky enuff to take our brand and style around the world, its been very taxing to say the least and its really the fans and people in MMA that make it fullfilling and bearable.  We are going on our 3rd trip to Oz next week and I really want to honor the people that have made that possible, we have tried to be an assest to the K-OZ promotion and hope we will continue and bring a little bit of DogBoxing and Las Vegas to the land down under-thank you everybody.

FINDING A MANAGER

Fighters looking for a manager seems like an everyday occurance.   I don't think a day goes by where a fighter or a friend of a fighter inquires if we would manage them or if we know of a good manager.   There are some guide lines that can help and save a lot of time and trouble.

So many guys turn pro - win a couple fights on a small promotion and realize the need for somebody out there working for them and moving them up the ladder of success.  There are 100's of guys striving for the top positions wanting to get to the big show and make their living as a pro fighter.  A good and honorable dream to have.  As we all know not everybody makes it.  Most do not, but if this is the dream - everything that can possibly be done should be done and taking it as far as one can and calling it good and going from there.

A decent manager will book fights, find sponsors and endorsements, help with training camps, find fight deals with promotions that market the fighters well.  So a manager needs to have strong ties in the fight world and be able to look after the fighters interest above his own as far as business is concerned.  With all that being said - how many fighters really need a manager at the early stages in their career?  The fighters job is to perform an market themselves in a way that you NEED a manager.  Managers need more than a warm body that shadow boxes - your manager needs to market and promote you.   As I have said many times we are in a very tuff business - if you as the fighter thinks because you have won a couple fights and all your homies think you the greatest fighter that has yet to be discovered - you don't need a manager - you need a promoter to market you to the masses.  When the masses think you are the greatest thing since sliced bread, then you need a manager.  A good manager will find you.  So if you are out there beating the streets looking for a good manager you probably don't need one yet - you are putting the cart before the horse.  At this stage of the game you are better off working with your gym and trainers who usually have people or are themselves qualified to manage your career.  The better you are as a fighter,as a pro athlete you can propel your own people into good management for you.  They are already invested in you, they probably care for you as a human being and you are part of their MMA family.  If you don't have this maybe find a gym or team that does or combine your people with their people and become stronger as a group.

 I have a news flash - fighters make managers in many cases not the other way around.  If you as the fighter are very loyal, strong character and good work ethic you can find people in the business with the same attributes and you will compliment each other.  Most good managers don't set out to be managers - they evolve with the business of MMA.  MMA is very new and we don't really have managers that have followed a legacy left by the people before them.  Now if you are a rising star and you seriously need good management because you have lots of offers coming in and want to take the best path possible then its good to find somebody with strong connections not only in MMA but the international community, somebody who has many friends.  The MMA world is still relatively small and it is very much who you know.  People like to work with people they know and like and trust, this will go farther than just a manager with talent that wants to make a buck off you.   I know I'm going to get hammered for this statement but many well known managers are managers because they want to be famous.  They put all their efforts into building up themselves.  Sure they will do a lot for you as a fighter but their motives are not to help you - the better they do for you the better it is for them.  They will get in the ring after your fight and make sure they are in every picture, they will do interviews on your behalf, they will promote themselves behind your accomplishments and when things get stressed and they will get stressed they will tell you that without them you are nothing and you owe them everything - which is doodliesquat.  You need each other and you are the one getting pummeled in the face.  The best manager/fighter relationship is exactly that a relationship - you need each other, you work together, your manager has the desire to see you successful and you have the desire to see your manager successful.   Now your doing something!!!!!

CROSS TRAINING

DogBoxer Management: Cross Training?: I have heard quite a few reports lately about camps questioning loyalty and frankly getting butt hurt when fighters want to go to other camp...