Roy Englebrecht has been fighting boxing’s bad image,bloody ears, fixed fights and nasty scandals,for years.
The Newport Beach boxing promoter is behind the real estate industry’s annual fund-raiser, Night at the Fights, and the Battle in the Ballroom series at the Irvine Marriott.
Now Englebrecht wants to teach the business of boxing to aspiring promoters.
“I want to create as many competitors as I can,” he said. “If a guy does a bad job promoting in Anaheim, it affects me.”
Promoter School
Starting next month, Englebrecht plans to bring a slew of boxing names to Orange County for a three-day course he’s calling Fight Promoter University.
Some of the speakers confirmed are Marc Ratner, executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, Bruce Trampler, head matchmaker for Top Rank, one of the largest boxing promotion companies, and Jackie Kallen, founder of Galaxy Boxing, which manages boxers.
Students are set to get hands-on training by helping out at Battle in the Ballroom.
Boxing’s bad reputation is part perception, part earned, according to Englebrecht. Beyond all that, it can be a profitable business, he said.
A middle-tier promoter can make $15,000 gross profit on an event, he said. Or they could lose $35,000 or more.
Englebrecht does about 14 shows a year and could do as many as 18 this year, including one at Table Mountain Casino in Fresno and possibly a few in Las Vegas.
Minus the Don King hair, Englebrecht is plenty charismatic. He claims to never have lost money on the long-running Battle in the Ballroom series, known as “Yuppie Boxing” until he changed the name in 1991. The event combines chandeliers and sweaty boxers, selling out about 1,400 seats.
“It’s a who’s who of OC,” Englebrecht said.
Self-described as “anal,” Englebrecht is tough on his staff of about 20 people. He insists they pay attention to the smallest detail, such as putting programs squarely on the seats so they face the showgoers.
“I apologize at the end of the night,” he said.
Laker Girls
Prior to his boxing career, Englebrecht promoted events at the Great Western Forum and founded the Laker Girls.
He’s sold his boxing business twice. The last time, in 1991, was to Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions Inc., the second largest boxing promoter.
As part of the deal, Englebrecht spent three years at Golden Boy as chief operating officer, teaching the business side of boxing.
He started Roy Englebrecht Promotions in 2004.
De La Hoya was impressed with the business, but it was Englebrecht’s marriage of 35 years that awed him, he said.
“It doesn’t happen in this business,” Englebrecht said.
Boxing is a volatile business, he said. Promoters lose marriages and houses.
“I work out religiously because boxing is a very stressful business,” Englebrecht said.
Another Englebrecht staple: the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties’ annual Night at the Fights, a sellout fund-raiser.
Tickets go for $550 to $5,000.
“It’s the place to be seen,” Englebrecht said.
The black tie affair is the local real estate industry’s main schmoozing event.
“He does a good job for us,” said Cynthia Fusco, executive director of the Southern California chapter. Englebrecht handles everything that has to do with the fight, Fusco said. The association promotes it as an elegant evening, she said.
Englebrecht hasn’t done a big fight.
“I have no desire,” he said. “If people want to see championships, they’ll go to Vegas.”
Englebrecht said he’s made a comfortable living promoting in OC, setting up rings in the middle of fancy hotels.
“I have the only boxing show in OC,” he said.
An HBO show would be nice.
“But is it driving me? No, absolutely not,” he said.
There’s no secret desire to be a boxer, Englebrecht said.
“I pride myself on being more successful in the office,” he said.
Englebrecht said he considers himself an entrepreneur, which he defines as “someone who has the ability to see something before anyone else does and takes advantage of it.”
Early in Englebrecht’s career, as director of promotions at the Forum, he said he came up with the idea of having entertainment at Lakers games,”wholesome” and “bubbly” girls who danced, similar to the University of Southern California song leaders, he said.
“I didn’t tell anyone I was doing this,” he said.
The Laker Girls debuted in 1980 and were a hit.
Englebrecht said he did common sense marketing before it was identified as strategy.
Name Capturing
Early in his career, he said he decided it would be good to know who was coming to the events. So on each chair he left a form to indicate interest in future events.
“To this day, we still name capture,” he said.
Englebrecht said he has a 15,000-name database of people he informs of upcoming shows. That eliminates the need for advertising, he said.
A few years back, Staples Center did a boxing show and paid Englebrecht five-figures to use his database to help promote its show, he said.
Englebrecht also puts on Sportscaster Camps of America in Long Beach. President Ronald Reagan, who was a sportscaster, was a speaker.
The camps, which break even at best, are something Englebrecht said he likes to do.
“It’s been a labor of love,” he said.
Englebrecht also teaches sports management for the University of San Francisco and California State University, Long Beach.
Days after announcing the promoter training course, Englebrecht said he’s gotten thousands of visitors to his Web site and about 250 e-mails.
Two promoters from France said they plan to attend.
“I think it’s a brilliant idea,” said Kallen, boxing manager and founder of Los Angeles-based Galaxy Boxing.
Having more informed promoters is good, according to Kallen. Unlike most sports, there are no national rules governing the business of boxing, she said.
Benefit of Training
Sometimes the lack of uniformity leads to corrupt business practices, according to Kallen. She said some have attempted to bribe her: “If your kid does this we’ll sweeten the pot for you.”
Kallen, who got her start covering boxing for a Detroit newspaper, said she’s managed to stick to her own code of ethics. And she’s made money.
“There’s money in it if it’s done right,” said Kallen, who was played by Meg Ryan in “Against the Ropes.”
Kallen manages five fighters. One is set to fight at Battle in the Ballroom in February.
Local promoters are important to the sport, according to Kallen. Local shows are the bread and butter of boxing. But their numbers have dwindled.
“A lot of people come and go,” she said. “If there are no Roy Englebrechts, what good is it for me to develop fighters?”
Some of what Englebrecht said he wants to impart to students: Leave your ego at the door. Don’t pick a venue that’s too big. Have enough money to invest. Don’t promote part-time.
Often the ego is the biggest obstacle, he said. “They want to bring the stars in.”
Englebrecht said he’s hoping Fight Promoter University might turn out an assistant and possible successor. “I’m looking to find a young Roy who I can teach,” he said.
That young Roy would have to be Spanish-speaking, which limits the pool of prospects, he said. In California, most boxers are Hispanic, he said.
Ultimately, what Englebrecht said would be most gratifying is if a student-turned-promoter says in an interview, “Four years ago, I went to Fight Promotion University and it changed my life.”
