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K2 Promotions: Building
On A Solid Foundation!
Tom Loeffler Speaks On The Quick Rise To The Top!
Tom Loeffler Speaks On The Quick Rise To The Top!
By Will "The Thrill" Trillo
| They have only been in
existence since 2003, but already K2 Promotions has
shown they have what it takes to be one of the big
shakers and movers in the world of professional boxing!
Before they could celebrate their first anniversary,
they were already promoting The WBC version of the
Heavyweight Championship of the World! It's not a secret
that the biggest names to come out of the company are
brothers Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko, who are the
inspiration of the companies name, K2. Last Saturday K2 staged it's first pay per view card, and saw it's own, Vitali Klitschko retain his WBC Heavyweight Title! |
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The managing director of K2 promotions, and the person who tends to the day to day operations is Tom Loeffler. The multi-lingual director has put together a fine team at his Los Angeles based business and we at Boxing2004 were honored to be given the go ahead to chat with Tom, only days after one of the biggest weekends in the Promotion Companies short career. |
Just to recap the weekend inside the ring, Vitali was
overwhelming in the ring, showing some moves we have not seen
from the big man before, and the rest of the card had it's share
of exciting moments, so I guess it's safe to say that both
Vitali and K2 are looking for big things in 2005!
Yes, you know a lot of people thought that Danny under
performed in the ring, but Danny is very dangerous, and it was a
matter of Vitali raising his game to another level, and it mad
it look like a one sided fight! But I know that Danny trained
very hard for this fight, he came ready to fight!
You have taken your company to the top in just one year!
How did you become so fortunate to get to the place that you are
in today?
This is K2's second fight, the first one is when Vitali won the Championship at the Staple Center, and there was some unique challenges in both shows, and Los Angeles is a very difficult market to promote a fight in. It's so spread out, the people at The Staple Center are great to work with, but you have to keep the fighters in an outside hotel, and then all the different logistics with meals and transportation, it was a very challenging show. And then you have the show in Las Vegas, it was pay per view and you have more televised fights, but it was easier, everyone is staying at the Hotel, eating there, the press conference was there and the weigh in was there, it just made everything a whole lot easier!
This is K2's second fight, the first one is when Vitali won the Championship at the Staple Center, and there was some unique challenges in both shows, and Los Angeles is a very difficult market to promote a fight in. It's so spread out, the people at The Staple Center are great to work with, but you have to keep the fighters in an outside hotel, and then all the different logistics with meals and transportation, it was a very challenging show. And then you have the show in Las Vegas, it was pay per view and you have more televised fights, but it was easier, everyone is staying at the Hotel, eating there, the press conference was there and the weigh in was there, it just made everything a whole lot easier!
How did it feel for you as the promoter, to look out
into the crowd and see Don King and Bob Arum amongst those in
attendance?
Bob Arum was there as part of the show, we had worked out a deal with his company, we payed a licensing fee to put on Miguel Cotto and Carlos Hernandez, and a lot of people complimented us on the undercard we were able to assemble.
And Don King was there because he recognizes that Vitali is clearly the best heavyweight out there, and he came with Chris Byrd and Hasim Rahman, 2 of his fighters that he has under contract, and they want to challenge Vitali! Vitali has more value than all the fighters he had on that show in New York, put together! And that's why you see Don King there, it was good to see both Don and Bob there! And although they were there for different reasons, the fact is we were putting the show on and the two biggest promoters were there at the arena!
Bob Arum was there as part of the show, we had worked out a deal with his company, we payed a licensing fee to put on Miguel Cotto and Carlos Hernandez, and a lot of people complimented us on the undercard we were able to assemble.
And Don King was there because he recognizes that Vitali is clearly the best heavyweight out there, and he came with Chris Byrd and Hasim Rahman, 2 of his fighters that he has under contract, and they want to challenge Vitali! Vitali has more value than all the fighters he had on that show in New York, put together! And that's why you see Don King there, it was good to see both Don and Bob there! And although they were there for different reasons, the fact is we were putting the show on and the two biggest promoters were there at the arena!
Now I know it seems that K2 is sort of an overnight
sensation, but the fact of the matter is you have been involved
in boxing for some 15 years now, and I will go ahead ans assume
that those 14 years plus laid the groundwork and set a
foundation for where you are at now!
Definitely! I learned a lot over the last 15 years, I managed a lot of fighters, Kevin Kelley, Shane Mosely and James Toney!
Definitely! I learned a lot over the last 15 years, I managed a lot of fighters, Kevin Kelley, Shane Mosely and James Toney!
You and James seem to have a special relationship, I see
that at imes he is somewhat antagonistic, but then you can see
that he likes and respects you a lot!
James has got 2 sides, and one is his business side, which I understand. He wants to get a big fight with Vitali and fight for the Heavyweight Championship. But James and I have always had a close personal relationship, and I like him a lot! We go back almost 8 years with James, yes it is a special relationship with him! I have also worked with female fighter Lucia Rijker.
James has got 2 sides, and one is his business side, which I understand. He wants to get a big fight with Vitali and fight for the Heavyweight Championship. But James and I have always had a close personal relationship, and I like him a lot! We go back almost 8 years with James, yes it is a special relationship with him! I have also worked with female fighter Lucia Rijker.
A lot of the success we have now is built on that experience, but more importantly is the relationships I have developed. You can't really assemble a team with people you trust, and who in turn, trust you, unless you have a good relationship with them! Boxing is built on trust and fortunately, I have established a good reputation in the industry. When I call a fighter or his manager and tell them what I am going to do, they know they can trust me, and that is what I value the most, is my reputation in boxing and the fact that I have been able to differentiate myself from the other promoters in the boxing game!
So how did you first get involved in boxing?
I never really followed the sport outside of Muhammad Ali, and a close friend of mine from school was representing Ali as a client and he wanted to expand his sport business. So I came in as a partner and started signing active athletes like Kevin Kelley and Oba Carr. And no one knew much about boxing so I focused on that, the athletic commissions, contracts and other things involved with management. I got Oba his biggest payday against Oscar De La Hoya, and we got Kevin Kelley a title shot against Goya Vargas, so we were proud to make an impact in the sport!
I never really followed the sport outside of Muhammad Ali, and a close friend of mine from school was representing Ali as a client and he wanted to expand his sport business. So I came in as a partner and started signing active athletes like Kevin Kelley and Oba Carr. And no one knew much about boxing so I focused on that, the athletic commissions, contracts and other things involved with management. I got Oba his biggest payday against Oscar De La Hoya, and we got Kevin Kelley a title shot against Goya Vargas, so we were proud to make an impact in the sport!
As the New Year is upon us, what can we expect to see
from K2, the Klitschko brothers, and everything else with your
team?
You can expect Vitali to continue his dominance of the Heavyweight Division, and we look forward to his brother Wladimir getting back into a position to challenge for a World Title and become a Champion. And in addition to that we are looking to sign other fighters, but we are not going to go crazy and sign a bunch of fighters at once, but we are going to develop fighters and develop the company by signing quality fighters as they become available. We just want to make sure to build this business on a solid foundation!
You can expect Vitali to continue his dominance of the Heavyweight Division, and we look forward to his brother Wladimir getting back into a position to challenge for a World Title and become a Champion. And in addition to that we are looking to sign other fighters, but we are not going to go crazy and sign a bunch of fighters at once, but we are going to develop fighters and develop the company by signing quality fighters as they become available. We just want to make sure to build this business on a solid foundation!
Questions? Comments? Contact
Will "The Thrill" Trillo