Boxing

Winky to form own promotion business

It's rare territory for someone still fighting who isn't made of millions, but he has a well-connected partner.

By JOHN C. COTEY
Published December 8, 2005

ST. PETERSBURG - Carlos DeLeon is gulping water and air in the corner between rounds of sparring, but he is ready now. He smiles, turns and looks to the other corner, where the other fighter is leaning over the ropes and still getting his breath back.

"Let's go, Boss," he yells.

The silence is broken at the St. Pete Boxing Club as laughter breaks out all around. Trainer Dan Birmingham slaps the other fighter, Winky Wright, on his shoulder.

"You hear that?" he asks. "He called you Boss!"

Wright smiles, turns to DeLeon and proceeds to stick a few jabs in the mouth of his employee.

For years, Wright has served as DeLeon's manager, just a small side venture compared to what he has planned. Starting with his next fight, Wright will assume even more power when his newly formed company, Winky Promotions, does its first show.

Boss indeed.

"We're pretty much ready to go," Wright said during a recent break in training for Saturday's fight on HBO against Sam Soliman. "We missed this show, but by the next one we'll be ready."

Wright is stepping into rare territory - fighter turned promoter while fighting - occupied only by boxing's two biggest stars in recent memory: Oscar De La Hoya, who formed Golden Boy Promotions, and Roy Jones Jr., who has Square Ring Inc.

Both fighters, though, are millionaires many times over, able to staff their companies with well-paid people and absorb any losses in the early going. Wright only received his first million-dollar payday in 2004.

But Wright is counting on partner and record mogul Chris Lighty to give Winky Promotions that extra boost. Wright says Lighty, who also manages rap star 50 Cent (Curtis Jackson) and is the CEO of hip-hop label Violator Management and Records, already has lined up deep-pocketed sponsors and Hollywood money to back the new business.

"I've got some of my people, he's got some of his people," said Wright. "We've got an office in New York and we're just doing our thing."

Wright said a Web site is soon to come, as are other enhancements.

"We just have to get by this fight," he said.

De La Hoya and Jones started their promotional firms to, in part, cut out promoters who receive 20 to 30 percent of a fighter's profits and, in many cases, much more.

Wright said that is only one piece of the reason for trying his hand at the promotional business. He said he is happy with his current promoter, Gary Shaw.

The bigger piece is planning for life after fighting.

Wright said he will retire as a fighter within two years, but wants to stay involved in the sport and maybe provide young fighters opportunities that were not there for him.

"I'm just moving on to the next phase," Wright said. "I'm trying to become an entrepreneur in boxing instead of just a fighter. I see that I can be more productive as a promoter because I can give fighters a chance that they don't have all the time. Maybe I can bring up the next great fighters."

Birmingham said Wright already has been contacted by a handful of interested fighters, and expects his friendly personality to produce an attractive clientele.

"Wink is real smart," Birmingham said. "He's not college degreed, but he's well-read and street smart and hard working. And he's very likeable. That's why this will work."

Winky Promotions has always been a thought in the back of Wright's mind, but only in the past year has it come into focus thanks to a Reebok commercial he filmed last summer in Canada with 50 Cent.

"We just started talking, and it went from there," Wright said. "They said they were into it, and I was too, so we got together."

Shaw, who also promotes Diego Corrales, Manny Pacquiao and Jeff Lacy among others, is cool to the idea, but said if that's what Wright wants to do he wishes him well.

"It's not as easy as they think it is," he said.

Shaw employs eight in his company, including a matchmaker to set up fights, lawyers to work on contracts and a publicist, Fred Sternburg, who has played a big role in saturating the boxing media with Wright's name.

Shaw has to attract boxers, often paying large sums to sign them, keep them all busy and work almost constantly to make fights happen. There are travel arrangements to make, meals to buy, egos to massage.

"All fighters think the money is there," Shaw said. "I'm not sure any of them understand what goes into making a promotional company."

Shaw and Lighty already have butted heads over the location of Saturday's promotion. While Shaw may remain involved with Wright as a co-promoter beyond Saturday, his role may be reduced.

"I like him, he's a great guy," Wright said, "but people move on. It's like any business, you aspire to be become the boss, not the worker. I have a chance to become the boss, that's all it is."

[Last modified December 8, 2005, 00:51:07]