STEVE’S SOAPBOX NEW BEGINNINGS By Steve Kim
O n the night of July 26 last year, Xander Zayas defeated Jorge Garcia over 12 rounds to capture the vacant WBO junior middleweight title. That card, which took place at The Theater at Madison Square Garden, was the last for Top Rank on ESPN. A union that began in 2017 came to an end, meaning that the promotional company would need a new broadcast partner. But it also meant that Top Rank’s vast stable of boxers would need fights going into the fall and winter. Regardless of the TV situation, the rest of the business had to move on. “We knew when the end was coming,” said Carl Moretti, the vice president of boxing operations for Top Rank. “Going into that, we mapped out where we could put guys and how we could move guys till something was formally put together.” Despite the recent losses of Terence
Top Rank’s finest: (left to right) Keyshawn Davis, Shu Shu Carrington, Emiliano Vargas, Abdullah Mason.
Crawford and then Shakur Stevenson, Top Rank still has among the deepest and most talented rosters in the sport. But it was imperative to keep that roster busy until the company found a new platform. There were prospects who needed activity, more advanced boxers who were in line for title shots and champions who were looking to unify titles. The bulk of the negotiation with prospective networks was handled by Top Rank President Todd duBoef and attorney Jeremy Koegel. Brad Jacobs, the COO, was kept in the loop at all times, while matchmakers Brad Goodman and Bruce Trampler were in charge of placing the younger boxers on various shows. The bigger bouts were consummated under the direction of Moretti and Koegel. “It was a typical team effort,” said Moretti. “We shared the information all around, and got to the point of just executing it.” During this period of time, everyone
operated with the understanding that there was no firm deadline in terms of reaching an agreement with a new platform. Moretti explained: “I’d say there were more time frames where we would plan and say, ‘Look, we should have this in place by this date, or we have to pivot to something else.’ It was a daily conversation, a progression, and we just followed it along till we got closer to something. Then we adjusted things from there.” From mid-November to late February, Top Rank boxers would box on foreign soil on shows promoted by other companies. And it was almost a clean sweep for them throughout the fall and
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