Adrian Clark launched his career as a boxer in 2007. When he first laced up a pair of gloves little did he know that 18 years later he’d be looking to redefine the public perception of a boxing manager.
Clark is the CEO and co-owner of Fighters First Management, which was created by David Basha with one mission statement: to protect fighters and educate them on the business of boxing.
Clark’s vision was to be fully transparent every step of the way. A good example of this can be found on his personal website, where he outlines what a contract for a boxing manager should look like. It seems simple, but to many voyaging the boxing waters – it isn’t. Clark has been a manager for 15 years. He led Jerry Belmontes to a title shot against Omar Figueroa Jnr. His company only started recently.
“In February 2022 I was invited to meet with David Basha to discuss an opportunity,” Clark said. “David only had a company name, which was Putting Fighters First Management. I was asked to build the company up, hire more personnel, sign fighters and develop a brand.”
Clark’s first suggestion was to simplify the name.
“I did jokingly ask David to drop Putting from the company name,” Clark said. “We ended up doing that.”
The idea also comes from a book Clark wrote, titled “Protect Yourself at All Times.” It is a self-help boxing book that explains the harsh realities of being an independent contractor in the boxing world. He had to acquire talent and the right people. Clark’s mission was to find someone who could share his vision – enter Jolene Mizzone, the matchmaker at Main Events at the time. The two had worked together in the past and Clark left with a favorable impression.
“When Adrian came to me about working with Fighters First, I thought it was a good fit for me,” Mizzone said. “I love working directly with fighters and I can use my matchmaking skills and promoter skills to help them.”
That still didn’t mean the transition was easy. Mizzone was a master of making a great six-round fight, but some of the nuances of management presented a learning curve.
“I am not going to lie, it was a pretty hard transition – but not in a bad way,” Mizzone said. “I had to get that promoter mindset out of my mind. It didn’t take very long to make that change.”
The big thing for Mizzone was being around like-minded individuals.
“I would have to say between David, Adrian and myself, we truly are on the same page and listen to what each other has to say,” Mizzone said. “You don’t find that in many companies, let alone in boxing.”
Next, they needed blue-chip talent. Clark wanted to sign a formidable fighter – and he did, in the form of current WBO junior welterweight titleholder Brian Norman Jnr.
“I stopped at nothing to sign Brian Norman Jnr,” Clark said. “I believe the relationship that I built with Brian Norman Snr was key. There were a lot of trips between Atlanta and Dallas, but we are very grateful (and lucky) to have Brian.”
Despite signing Norman, he had up-and-down performances with his promoter, Top Rank. He fought for the WBO interim welterweight title against Giovani Santillan in Santillan’s hometown of San Diego. Norman would forever change his life as he brutally knocked out Santillan to claim the interim title. With the former belt holder Terence Crawford moving up in weight, Santillan was promoted to the outright titleholder.
“Words can’t even describe how lucky we are to have Brian Norman Jnr, and we know it,” Mizzone said. “I can’t wait for the world to see Brian both inside and outside the ring and really get to know him. You can’t not like him.”
For Mizzone, she loves the fact that the name of the company represents what they do.
“Having worked in this business for 28 years, I have seen a lot and worked with a lot of different people. I have some lifelong friends from this business. What you don’t see much in this business and what makes us different is that we actually do what is in our name,” Mizzone said. “We put fighters first!”
Though the road is long and many have come before them and will come after, one thing is certain: they are making an effort to stand for something. The name of the company serves as a compass for what they intend to do.
“The name speaks for itself,” Clark said. “We make sure that we work in the best interests of our clients. We educate them on the business and protect them from being taken advantage of contractually or financially.”
Currently the underdog to a certain degree, Fighters First is looking to build itself as a cornerstone in the boxing landscape. Clark even mentioned the idea of internships and seminars for up-and-coming managers. He wants to offer services he didn’t have back when he started out.
“I see this company developing the next generation of boxers and boxing managers,” Clark said.
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