Justin Hackman: Derrick, congratulations on joining the Cameron Management Team. Derrick Workman: Thank you, Justin I appreciate it. JH: I have spoken with Mike Cameron on a number of occasions and he has struck me as someone who puts his fighters first. DW: That’s exactly what I liked about Mike right away: his approach to managing fighters. While it’s a business and he needs to make money of course, he’s not gonna do it at the expense of a fighter’s well-being, and I can get behind an approach like that.
JH: What’s the latest with CMT?
DW: Wanzell Ellison (11-1-1, 5 KOs). We’re really excited about signing him. He’s had a bit of a layoff (due to previous management issues), but he’s now with us and we’ve got him fighting on November 2nd at the MGM National Harbor in Maryland against Dravontay Speed Rawls who is 12-1-1 with 8 KOs... so this opponent is no slouch. Vaughn Alexander’s win over Money Powell was amazing for him, amazing for our team. Lastly, we expect a big signing in the coming days, one that we’re real excited about. A lot of great things are happening at CMT right now.
JH: Tell me more about Wanzell Ellison. He’s been off for five years. That’s a mini-retirement.
DW: The thing is, he never stopped working during that time. He has continually sparred with big name fighters like Shakur Stevenson, Kendall Holt, Zab Judah, Jose Miguel Cotto, Gary Russell Jr, Jason Sosa, and Tevin Farmer.
JH: That’s quite a lineup of sparring partners.
DW: I’m telling you, you’re gonna see a reinvented Wanzell Ellison. He works hard, and he’s done so for these past five years. He stayed ready for this moment, and he’s finally got it. He’s excited.
JH: With your partnership, can we expect more signings for CMT in the near future?
DW: Yes. But at the same time, we’re not just going to be signing guys because we can. We don’t want to over saturate our stable. We got a tightly knit team and we care about our guys. We want to build careers for our guys. We want our guys to establish themselves outside the ring too; we focus on the whole being, and that includes life after boxing.
JH: Closing thoughts, Derrick?
DW: We’re gonna do great things as a company because we put our fighters first. If we can help them all be the best versions of themselves, then I’d call that a job well done. That’s what we’re about. Thank you, Justin for taking the time.
Closing thoughts from Mike Cameron: I couldn’t be happier to have signed a guy like Wanzell Ellison. His previous management team put him on the shelf for five years. That must have been maddening for the kid. Can you imagine the level of determination needed to stay in shape during all that time? That’s impressive. And he deserves to be rewarded for that hard work and focus. We’re thrilled to be giving this moment to him on November 2nd, a day he’s dreamed of for five years now. Finally, Derrick Workman has partnered up with us as CMT’s new Vice President, and I am thrilled about that; he’s going to play a pivotal role in bringing this company to the next level.
