Smarter than the average bear

By James Blears

When someone as bright, intelligent, attuned, astute and engaging as Mark Taffet tells you that Women`s Boxing has a fantastic future, you`d be well advised to prick up your ears, use your loaf and take notice…who knows it could earn you a crust?

From the very start, the fates conspired against this interview ever taking place. Our fourteen years old Labrador Champ taking sick, needing immediate attention from the Vet and then constant nursing, in order to beat the count of ten. Then, the tape recorder which I`d prior tested, cleaned and fitted with brand new batteries especially for the occasion, playing up not once… but twice, via the microphone cable. Yet, come hell or high water and together, Mark and I persevered, he calmly, unflappably and graciously took it all in his strike, having just come back from a walk himself. So, we got too it and we got there. Worse things have happened at sea, and dare I say it, even during one or two HBO transmissions over the years?

The word purview means the scope of influence or concern about something. For thirty- two years Mark`s career was at HBO encompassing twenty- five years as a senior executive of HBO and as the founder of HBO Pay Per View.

As Jellystone, Yogi would modestly flaunt: ‘’I`m smarter than the average bear.’’ The difference between being smart and being a genius, is the ability to adapt and to move on, when the time is right and ripe, to look ahead to a new horizon rather than gaze back, glazed on an orange/amber sunset, which of course would hamper you, with your scope, and crimson your range, obscuring the pursuing park ranger. No time to pause/paws, clawing at a past clause.

But rather than out with the old and in with the new, the smarter approach, is to blend both. Mark brought his knowledge, skills and vision to bear upon and beam in on to women`s boxing, and that spotlight was limelight dazzling. For nine years, Mark managed the career of Claressa Shields. During that golden era, he was the glass and she was the sparkling effervescent water. Now both have moved on via separate roads, having made iconic history.

To achieve all of this, you need to be in the driver`s seat and how to complete the mosaic by staying on track. As Mark who has been Women`s Boxing Manager of the year twice explains: ‘’You need a great car and a great driver to make history. In horse racing, it takes a great horse and a great jockey. It`s no different in boxing. Claressa is the greatest woman boxer of all time. She has the greatest talent I`ve ever seen in any boxing, even considering Roy Jones Jr and Floyd Mayweather. What I brought, was the experience to navigate a very difficult landscape, which has a lot of pieces to it, moving at different times in different directions.

‘’We knew every fighter who was on the list that we needed to fight and defeat to accomplish our goals. I knew where all the titles were, when they were coming up, I knew every organization`s time table and we were able to coordinate every fight in the time frame we needed, almost to the day, for nine years. To achieve the mathematically impossible, to win nineteen world titles in seventeen fights, including five weight divisions and undisputed in three weight divisions. It requires impeccable planning, rigorous negotiating, a lot of relationships and experience. When you combine that with the skills Claressa has, I knew we would be able to make history, which will last forever.’’

Claressa is going to be fighting Franchon Crews Dezurn for the second time, defending her Undisputed Heavyweight Championship on February 22nd at Little Cesar`s Arena, Motor City-Detroit. It`s chapter two, as they fought their pro debuts against each other on November 19th 2016, at the T Mobile Arena, Las Vegas and ‘’T Rex’’ won by UD.

Mark hit the nail on the head by stressing: ‘’I very specifically chose Franchon Crews as the opponent for Claressa`s first fight. They both had a lot of history in the amateurs. Franchon was Claressa, before Claressa came along. It was a changing of the guard, that symbolized the coming of Claressa and about history about to be made. No one thought I was sane, having them make their pro debuts against each other. But I knew that in the case of Claressa, that it would immediately show the world that we were serious about making history and she was about to become the Greatest.

‘’And in the best fight, there are no losers. I told Franchon that it would only help her career to take such a great fight and perform at her best and that would give her the exposure and notoriety, which has been proven as well, as she`s become a multi division champion. And it was, the most exciting fight of Claressa`s career.

‘’This time, Claressa and Franchon are the two best in the sport. Claressa beat Savannah Marshall, Franchon beat Sadasia Green. There are not any better, more skilled and qualified big women in the sport and this determines the priority in the higher weight divisions, which historically were very under populated and under- appreciated. So, it`s a big moment, as it will solidify that the heavier weight divisions in women`s boxing are not only viable, but critical. My mentor at HBO used to tell me that there`s boxing and there`s heavyweight boxing and the same thing holds true with the women.’’

Claressa has recently signed a lucrative eight million dollars plus deal with Salita Promotions and Wyn Records. Mark is in no doubt of the quantum boost to Claressa, but also the spin off, ripple effect benefits for the entirety of women boxing, saying: ‘’Claressa is getting paid, not only what she deserves, but also what she`s earned. Her fights are selling a million and a half and two million dollars at the gate. Her TV revenues are as strong as her gate revenues. She has earned it the hard way, working very hard.

‘’But it also bodes well for women`s boxing because every time another woman earns over a million dollars a fight, it lends credibility to the sport, and it lets television networks, managers, promoters and everybody in the sport know, that women can generate viewership and revenue, just like the men can.

‘’Women`s Boxing is basically in its infancy. It`s only been less than ten years since I started to get involved with Claressa that we saw more and more talented women in big fights, coming to the landscape. It`s time for women`s boxing to take its rightful place in the sport. I think there are scores of women capable of putting on a great show and Claressa getting as well paid, is another great indicator that women`s boxing has arrived.’’

It has been said that at top level women boxers don`t possess the explosive one punch power of their male counterparts. Mark is emphatic that this has NOT held them back. He adroitly and astutely points out: ‘’It`s about whether you put on a show and entertain the fans. Some of Floyd Mayweather`s best wins didn`t result in knockouts, but watching him throw a number of punches, flurries, the combinations reinforced by the speed, the impeccable defence. All of those attributes are what Claressa shields brings to the ring and a lot of personality. Then the audience goes home very satisfied, and I tell that to all the women I now work with, to follow that equation. It`s all about entertaining the crowd.’’

You don`t play boxing, but the toying and cloying disparity of women`s and men`s boxing remains. So, when might it become a more level playing field? Mark is plain via his practical refrain, insisting: ‘’It`s all about viewership and ticket sales. When promoters and television networks spend money, I don`t believe it comes with an evaluation about gender, it`s about economics. As viewership increases with women`s boxing, as big fights continue to be made and the best fight the best, as more people come and experience fights in the arenas, like with Katie and Amanda and Claressa and what`s happening in the UK on a regular basis, that all brings growth.

‘’Every fan who comes to see and event live, goes home and tells a hundred people about it. Everyone who sees an exciting fight on television tells all their friends, family and neighbours about it. Well…it takes time to build momentum and you also need the depth and breadth of talent in order for it to truly materialize, but that`s exactly what happened in the WNBA. Women`s boxing is right on that path. They are exactly where they should be and they are on their way to sure/great success. We just need to stick to it, stay on the path, continue to bring great young talent to the ring and the best fights with the best fighters.’’

The majority of viewers for women`s boxing are women, so how can we entice, persuade and convince men fans? Mark replies: ‘’There are some people in the sport who believe that putting on all women`s shows and events is the way to go. But in terms of audience growth, I absolutely think that having great women fighters and great women`s fights on the same cards as popular men`s fights will help the breadth of the audience grow faster, because more men are watching men`s fights, but if they see great women fighting on some of those cards, they are going to want to see the women fight again. Where the audience goes home saying…I`ve got to see more of that. That equation will yield great success.’’

Praise where praise is due and Mark is lavish, bestowing it as a mantle upon the shoulders of Jake Paul, enthusing: ‘’Jake has done a great job. He brings a lot of attention to the fights. He surely brings them to his own fights, but he is also a great ambassador for the women. He believes in it, he stands up for it, he speaks out loudly and uses his platforms, to reach consumers regularly. I applaud and admire what he does. It`s been great for women`s boxing and a great addition to the scene.’’

Mark isn`t that keen on making predictions without a firm command of all the data and looking ahead as far as a decade might be seen as a wild stab in the dark, but if his arm is twisted, he`s prepared to chance it a tad, envisioning: ‘’Oh, I think it`ll develop like the WNBA. There will be a few stars that come on and pop in the Olympics, amateurs. They`ll be seen by many people on big cards where men fight. They will be part of the brand women`s boxing and I think it will continue to grow and reach a mass potential. The talent is great. At the professional level, it`s much broader and deeper than it`s ever been.

‘’There are great females in the amateurs coming up, knowing now and more than ever, that there are opportunities professionally. So that will bring better talent to the table. As long as the focus of management, networks and promoters is there, I think that the future is extremely bright for women`s boxing.’’

Mark and Claressa worked together and accomplished so much during their time together. But Mark also clarifies: ‘’That`s just the beginning. In the months since I haven`t been working with Claressa, I found eleven women boxers, over the next few months I have five women`s championship fights. Most I`m working with are either a champion, number one contender or number two. Every one of them is going to be part of roof of the sport.

‘’So, I`m now in a position where I can expand my purview, spread my wings and get an increased number of women to the top, increasing the growth of the sport. I`m really excited and look forward to helping all the great young women I`m working with, make history and realize their dreams.’’

That magnificent Star line up is:

Che Kennealy- WBA light heavyweight champion.

Kaye Scott- WBC/WBA middleweight champion.

Olivia Curry- Second ranked middleweight in the world.

Stephanie Pineiro- WBA Interim welterweight champion.

Samatha Worthington-WBA Interim super lightweight champion.

Caroline Veyre-Second ranked super featherweight in the world.

Shannel Butler-Second ranked featherweight in the world.

Ashleyann Lozada- tenth ranked super bantamweight in the world.

Johanna Wonyou- Second ranked bantamweight in the world.

Mark formed Mark Taffet Media on January 1st 2016. It`s capabilities extend to, encompass and reach out and even beyond: Sports overall, boxing, business, strategic planning, marketing and management, sports properties, sports television/media rights and… negotiating.

With negotiating, it`s crucial to come in with a strong, credible and tenable position, walk your talk, insure everyone benefits with a portion of the pie, build relationship plus trust, which isn’t always necessarily signified by a signature on a contract, keep confidences with a tight stiff upper and lower lip, always refraining from tittle tattle, while reminding those who threaten or bluster that YOU write the cheques. Smart to be heeding and adhering to the worldly-wise, world-weary words of the Great Sir Lew Grade, who when asked what one and one equals on any given day, laconically replied: ‘’It depends on whether you`re buying or selling.’’

And Finally…as the King of comedy and The Wizard of film making Mel Brooks once succinctly but brilliantly put it, and he`s still with us at ninety-nine and counting: ‘’It`s talent. Either you got it, or you don`t.’’