AJC Article Fighting for a city
Boxing tries to break through to Atlanta fans
BYLINE: J.C. CLEMONS
DATE: June 27, 2002
PUBLICATION: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The (GA)
EDITION: Home; The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
SECTION: Sports
PAGE: E1
David Oblas was sweating bullets Tuesday. And no, it wasn't the Atlanta heat. Nor the humidity.
Oblas, a 26-year-old Auburn grad, is a sportswriter-turned-waiter-turned boxing promoter. Friday night at the Roxy, the Roswell native will put on his first card.
O'Neil Bell, ranked as the world's No. 3 cruiserweight, is the headliner. He also has a lot at stake, with a WBC title shot in view. But three days out, the heat was on Oblas.
Headed to a meeting under the Golden Dome, it was time for Oblas to put up the dough. Otherwise, Georgia Boxing Commission administrator Tom Mishou would shut the doors.
"I was nervous," Oblas said. "Who wouldn't be when you take out a loan for $12,000, then go to the Capitol with all that cash. Your knees are shaking. If this fight don't make money, I'll be waiting on tables for a long, long time."
Welcome to the world of boxing, Atlanta style.
Despite success in producing champions and attracting pay-per-view fans, the Atlanta boxing scene still can't consistently produce local live cards.
Bell, among a group of highly regarded Atlanta pros longing for a local following, has suffered from that dysfunction. Two weeks ago, he got pumped up for a Father's Day show at the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center.
It would not come to be. Mishou met with the promoter, Keith Branch on the Friday before. The numbers did not add up. "To cut to the chase, we ran out of money," Branch said.
No dough. No show.
"That was depressing," Bell said. "I tried to take it in stride, because I know that's the boxing game. But I was looking forward to back-to-back fights because I had trained and I felt sharp."
Bell can relax. Mishou said Friday's show will definitely go on.
"I want to let people know there are bona fide boxers here; up-and-coming world champions," Bell said. "I'd love to make it happen here in Atlanta."
Bell is not alone.
Despite an uneven track record, there is no shortage of promoters, and would-be promoters, lining up to make it big in Atlanta. And the line starts, and often ends, in Mishou's office. That's the way the state has planned it.
In 1998, the Legislature sought to bring order to Georgia's pro boxing chaos. The sport was sullied by fly-by-night promoters, who stiffed boxers and short-changed vendors. Often, the public was burned by low-quality, mismatched cards.
Seeking a fix, the oversight for professional boxing was placed under the authority of the same folks who license doctors, nurses and used car salesmen: the secretary of state's office. It put Georgia near the forefront of a trend to regulate boxing that has been taken up by about 12 other states.
Firm rules were put in place -- and adhered to. Upon being licensed, promoters must put up a security bond. Then, upon obtaining a match permit, another bond is required to cover a fighter's medical insurance, ring doctors and ambulances.
Then, three or four days in advance, the promoter must put up cash to assure purses and pay referees, judges and inspectors.
"I tell them all, I'm generally considered to be a promoter-friendly regulator," Mishou said, "up until three or four days before the show. At that point, I have responsibilities -- to the boxers and to the public -- and I do not negotiate those responsibilities."
Mishou said that while the process has caused headaches for some ill-prepared promoters, he is convinced a system is finally in place to assure the advent of quality boxing in the state.
"The pattern that will work is the one being used in Savannah and Augusta," he said. "Start small and work up to the bigger shows.
"Atlanta has never been recognized as a boxing city. But nobody has taken time to cultivate the fan interest. You have an awful lot of championship material. For boxing to work, you have to get the patrons in the door, then give them a quality show."
Last year, a group of fans formed the Atlanta Boxing Committee, which intends to improve the sport's local profile.
"Our aim is to try and get the community involved," member Wayman Harley said. "We're trying to get Atlanta known as a good fight town, and not just a place where there are good fighters. Everything is in place here. You have the fighters, and an excellent venue in Philips Arena."
Still, there's ground to be made up. While the gambling casinos will always be able to raise the multimillion-dollar site fees necessary to lure big-money title fights, it will likely take local corporate sponsorship to help Atlanta lure the next tier.
On July 20, Atlantan Vernon Forrest will defend his welterweight title in a rematch with Sugar Shane Mosely. The first fight was in New York. This one will take place in Indianapolis. Forrest's adopted hometown was never in the running.
"Indy is the perfect place for the event," Charles Watson, Forrest's co-manager said. "It's being promoted by the local Black Expo [committee], and that attracts 100,000 people.
"Atlanta is loaded with great fighters, but it will take the right team to put together and promote a big-time event correctly. That's something we hope to do. It has to be a quality fight, and a person who knows the fight game -- and how to entertain people."
For his part, Branch, whose business background is operating high-end men's clothing stores, is intent on bouncing back.
"I learned a lot, and actually enjoyed it," he said. "It's something I can see myself doing for a long time. In the past, people have come in here, done boxing, and then they were gone.
"There are a lot of people who can be kind of shady in the boxing game. My whole goal was to not be one of those people. I said to Tom, I would walk away from a deal before I do something that I wouldn't be proud of. No hard feelings. Tom has a lot on the line as well. I understand it, and I respect it."
Photo: Cruiserweight contender O'Neil Bell of Roswell, who had an Atlanta fight canceled this month, has few places to show local fans his skill via the fledgling Atlanta boxing scene. / RICH ADDICKS / Staff
> What: O'Neil Bell vs. Eric Davis
> When; where: 7:30 p.m. Friday; the Roxy.
> Undercard: Homer Gibbins vs. Willie McDonald; Sherri Thompson vs. Tamara Richardson; Calvin Shakir vs. Richard Barnes; others TBA.
> Tickets: $25-$50; Ticketmaster, Roxy box office.
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