He started the presser to hype a March 16 card by paying respect to the people in California devastated by the rapacious fire, which makes sense because the promoter, Tom Loeffler, calls Cali home.
Ah, but NYC is near and dear to his heart, being that he climbed ranks in the business helping steer Kevin Kelly, aka the Flushing (Queens) Flash, who was part of a surge in prominence for lighter weight US fighters. Those were the glory days, looking back now, more or less depending on where you are situated in the pack or the sphere as it looks now. Loeffler seems well placed; it felt to me as I saw him plug his St Patrick’s Day card at the Madison Square Garden Theatre on March 16. That is a Sunday, he told hardcore fight media at Legends on 33rd St. in NYC.
I told Loeffler I appreciate events like this.
So you know, the biz is more impersonal than it used to be. Streaming makes us (me) lazy and helps me to stay disconnected. A press conference with a nice lunch spread (A-grade wings, stuffed potatoes, sliders), most of which I missed because I was making the rounds doing interviews; it is a rarity. Tom Hauser also lent an air of majesty to the proceedings.
Promoter Loeffler Has Boxing on UFC FIGHT PASS
“This is how I got into the business, Michael, you know,” he said, acknowledging his memory of me calling him in the early 2000s as Kelly got booked into featherweight main events. “I am happy back here in New York City. This is actually my favorite arena to promote at; Madison Square Garden. It’s got the most history of any boxing arena. You see a lot of fights going overseas and things of that nature. I love promoting overseas as well, but this is my favorite arena by far. This is where I started with Kevin Kelly, the Flushing Flash and just continuing with the Klitschko Brothers, Triple G fights, and now bringing the new generation.”
Callum Walsh, he is referring to. A 23-year-old Irishman, 154 pounder with a 12-0 (10 KOs) record. He will stand across from Scot Dean Sutherland (19-1, 7 KOs,) who made it from the UK to make the press event.
“For Callum, this is his third time now already at Madison Square Garden,” Loeffler continued. “This is how you build this; it’s how you build a career. Like you said, it’s old school, but you gotta do these types of events. Callum was at the Knicks game last night and sat next to Patrick Ewing and next to Steph Marbury. I was explaining those were some of the greatest Knick players in history. Callum appreciates that.”
We touched on changes in the big picture beyond the March 16 daytime card, which also features Cletus Seldin, the Long Island-based 140-pounder who is 38 and looking to build this year to a big-bout gig. The 28-1 power hitter, a promotional free agent, meets 20-3 Issouf Kinda.
Is 360 Pairing With Dana White Boxing in 2025?
This event runs on UFC Fight Pass. Loeffler is tight with UFC boss Dana White, an ex (and future?) boxing guy. I asked Loeffler, being that there is space to be filled in the US market, with PBC running at a diminished level compared to two years ago, the absence of beyond reclusive founder Al Haymon as a day-to-day element of that “league,” will White, and UFC, and Loeffler’s’ 360 Promotions, fill the space?
“I have a tremendous relationship with Dana White,” Loeffler said. “He appreciates what we’re doing on UFC Fight Pass; the matches and the promotion that we’re doing, giving the value to the fans, building boxing the organic way, the authentic way. I’ve always been a big believer in cross-promotion. If we can get Mexican fans to come support GGG from Kazakhstan, which was a huge cross-promotion, we can do the same thing now with Callum and cross-promote with the UFC fan base. Dana, the more time I spend with him, the more genius that I see with what he’s done with the UFC. I think he’s by far the greatest combat sports promoter that we’ve seen.”
Whoah, I could tell Bob Arum and Don King you said that? “Yeah, absolutely,” Loeffler said.
“I have a great relationship with Bob, and a lot of a lot of respect for him and Don King. I have a relationship with both of those guys, but what Dana has accomplished in the short amount of time with the UFC, I mean, talk about a worldwide network and events that he’s doing. He’s selling out every show, every arena that he goes to. The people know if they go to a UFC show, they know they’re gonna have great fights, just like when I’m doing a 360 show, it’s a good value for fans and viewers. Dana, now that he’s announced he’s coming into boxing, in Dublin, he said he’s in. The September show in Dublin; yeah, he’s in. He didn’t elaborate on that, but you can know he’ll come in, whatever his vision is, and I’m 100% supportive of that,” Loeffler said.
“Any new energy, new financing that can come into boxing, I think is great for the sport because you see a lot of the networks pulling out, a lot of sponsors, things like that. So when you can get new energy into the sport, I think then we start seeing the fights that we like to see. Yes, we see a lot of fights going overseas, but I like and I appreciate that. I have a fighter, Serhii Bohachuk, who was on the December 21 Saudi show. But I really, really like doing these types of shows here in the US at Madison Square Garden. And we’re planning eight shows this year in LA, this show here, we did the show in Dublin. So, it’s really about building an international fan base for Callum (Walsh). There certainly is room for it in the United States because PBC has not been within whatever time frame you want to say last year, the same.”
I said aloud something I’ve said on Abe’s podcast (The Boxing Rush Hour Show): I still don’t know if PBC is a real promotion. I have not heard of people seeing or talking to Al Haymon in a long time. So, what sort of promotion is that? It’s a pertinent question. And, I continued to Loeffler, it is pertinent especially with His Excellency (Turki Alalshikh) becoming in one year the most powerful person in boxing…and with Loeffler himself being the out front face of his company, there is an opening for people, including Loeffler and maybe White, for stepping it up. Is there market share in the US for the taking?
Smaller PBC Leaves Room In The US Market
“PBC has put on some great events in the past, you know, they have slowed down a little bit recently,” Loeffler said. “It looks like they have the Benavidez fight coming up. I try to keep a good relationship with everyone, and if there is a market share that we can gain, we’re just trying to put on the best fights for the fans. And we got a lot, like 20 fighters now under contract. The most we’ve ever had was when I was running the Klitschkos, the K2 promotion and some GGG promotions.
“Now, we’re really building up the next generation of stars. And that’s what gives me the motivation, Michael, with over 30 years in boxing, you know, seeing young guys like Omar Trinidad fighting this Friday in LA. We signed him to a contract; he keeps winning. Now he’s number two in the world. Same thing with Bohachuk; he’s number two in the world. Give these guys opportunities that they normally wouldn’t have, and all of a sudden, you know, their star shines when they have the spotlight on them. Callum Walsh is another great example of that, so that’s what gives me the motivation, and if we can scale that up, you know, with Dana’s support on a bigger TV deal or whatever the case is gonna be, you know, we’ we’re all for it. We’re just waiting for Dana to make his announcement, whatever direction he wants to go into, and we’re 100% behind him.”
Back to the fighters… I got Callum for a one-on-one at the end of the session. In person, he is handsome, composed, and polite. Prediction please, for the March 16 fight, Callum Walsh versus Dean Sutherland. “I feel like with my style and his style, like he said, he’s coming to win, you know,” Callum Walsh said. A true collision, a rumble, basically he foresees. And yes, he sees his win streak intact the night of March 16 in the third defense of his WBC Continental Americas super welterweight Title.
“My belt is on the line. It’s extra motivation. We’re coming to New York, Madison Square Garden, the place where everybody wants to fight,” the lefty pugilist continued. “Also, to keep this knockout streak that I’ve been on. And with his style and mine, I feel like we’re gonna meet in the middle. I think we’re both gonna try to knock each other out and the best man will win.”
Callum Walsh is Now A Dry Guy
Walsh is proving his commitment to being his best self as he seeks the break from prospect to contender. Walsh says he won’t likely partake in tequila shots post-fight with Sutherland who had told me he would be game for it. “I’m “dry,” the man from Cork told me for 2025.
No response to a real worry, he said, just wanting his body to be functioning at best. “I wasn’t really a big drinker, you know, but this year, I feel like I wanna prove myself. I wanna just dedicate this year in my life to boxing. I wanna do everything possible, just focus and go from prospect to contender status. I wanna fight the top fights possible. I’m ready for the next level, I will go in there and I’ll show that.” What would be the next level after this guy would you think? “Someone ranked close to me; I’m ranked No. 7. I’ll be 24 next month. This fight, winning, makes me a contender? That is fair to say. We will see how it goes. But graduating, that’s the 2025 plan.”
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