Former fighter turned promoter Jake Smith is branching out his promotional company (Baltimore Pro Boxing) and merging with long time promoter and businessman Scott Wagner (Ballroom Boxing), to create a successful promotional company. And their journey together begins February 11th At Michael’s 8th Avenue in Baltimore, Maryland. In this exclusive interview conducted by Boxingtalk, Jake Smith speaks on his merger with Scott Wagner, their upcoming show, his pro career and more enjoy.
 
Benny Henderson Jr. : What was the reasoning behind you and Scott Wagner deciding to merge and promote shows with one another?
 
Jake Smith : Look at the economy, Scott and I working together will probably double our ticket sales. Scott and I have known each other since we were kids, I approached Scott and told Scott that we need to start all over, start from the ground up. I felt we could start putting together these real big amateur shows. He has the catering hall, he was out of the business and did not feel like doing boxing anymore, then he heard my proposal and said let’s do it. He said if it was anybody else he would say no to them. We are starting to get a good amateur team together, so when they do turn pro, they are not going to run around and be a bunch of whores. 90% of the pros out there turn in to whores real quick, they start thinking they can make more money on their on.
 
BH: You yourself was a professional fighter at one time, do you feel with your experience as a fighter helps you better communicate with your fighters?
 
JS: There I no question about it, I know exactly what they are thinking, most of my fighters I have been really close with, I know what they are doing, how they are thinking, I know when they are screwing up on the street. You can relate to them a lot better, there is no doubt with me being an ex-fighter I know what they are thinking and going through in life.
 
BH: This might be a cheesy question, but I have to ask, which is harder, getting in the ring taking the punches, or putting a fight together as a promoter?
 
JS: No question about it, it was so much easier when I was fighting. The only thing I had to worry about when I was fighting was the person I was fighting against, but putting the fights together is ten times harder. You have to worry about the medical team, you have to organize, who is getting paid what, the venue, order the tables and chairs, make sure it is all set up right, promoting is ten times harder than being a fighter.
 
BH: Can you give the readers a little insight on the first how you and Scott Wagner will be putting together February 11th?
 
JS: Well, Scott has his fan base and I have my fan base, I guess you can say it is a blue collar fan base and a white collar fan base, I train the fighters in my gym, and Scott has the catering hall, he is working his end of the sword and I am working my end. I am getting my fighters to go out and hustle selling tickets and he has the business clientele. With us two working together man, I think it is going to be a huge amateur show.
 
BH: So of course you are expecting a bright future working with Scott Wagner.
 
JS: I hope so, yes I think so, they way the show is coming along now, and as long as we can keep things going right after another and everything stays in check, I see a great future with the both of us. Scott has some pocket which can take this business a long way, and in this business you definitely need some financial backing behind you. So in the future, I am sure you are going to see us doing some pro shows together, but right now we are going to establish a nice little amateur clientele. We are going to get some amateur fighters that will be ours, to where we won’t have other promotional companies trying to come sweep them out from under us, trying to put bad thoughts in these fighters’ heads. That is where the fighters go wrong; listen to thirty different people telling them what to do and not to do, before you know it the fighter don’t want to fight anymore.
 
BH: With your experiences in the boxing ring, and out of the ring and all your years around the port of boxing, what advice could you give to people who want to fight and people who want to promote?
 
JS: In the sport of boxing it always seems like everybody hates each other on the outside because it is so competitive. But when everybody comes together and see each other, it is like one big happy family. We are all a family, we have our good shows, our bad shows, good fights bad fights, but I think we are pretty much a family. The promotional end, you really have to be organized, you better be established, you need to establish clientele before you even think about it. My advice would be; start promoting amateur shows before you jump in the pros.
 
BH: If the reader could get anything from this interview, what would it be?
 
JS: I want them to understand the ends and outs of boxing, it is a great sport people love it, you get a lot of discipline, a lot of knowledge, and it can be a humbling experience. It is more than just a sport, it is very educational.
 
For more info on this event, check out www.baltimoreboxing.com
 
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