Lawyer and adviser John Hornewer explains how boxers should be looked after

Hornewer is a lawyer and adviser whose former clients include Roy Jones Jnr, Lennox Lewis, and Wladimir Klitschko. He became a boxing fan thanks to the sport showing for free on networks like ABC and NBC, letting him watch legendary fighters like George Foreman and Roberto Duran.

“There was a young man on my Little League team whose father trained boxers. We got news that his fighter was gonna have a match with the great Roberto Duran. Then we found out once he realized who Duran was, the guy left the country,” Hornewer said to laughter.

At a Larry Holmes training session, Hornewer ran into Don King and was asked about his career aspirations. Hornewer said he was going to be a lawyer.

“When you’re a lawyer, give me a call,” Hornewer recalled King saying. So he did.

Hornewer went to the 1986 Mike Tyson-Trevor Berbick fight, where he met the Canadian boxer  Matthew Hilton, who was signed with King. Hornewer worked with Hilton for a couple fights, then said he felt Hilton’s father was so close with King that he himself had little to offer.

Hornewer’s style of acknowledging the limits of his abilities and not pressuring fighters into signing anything led Steve Brunt to call him and ask if he would represent a fighter who had just come back from the 1988 Olympics: Lennox Lewis.

“Lennox once called me and said, ‘what do you do all day?’ I said, ‘I worry about you!’” Hornewer said.

In addition to worrying, Hornewer familiarized himself with every part of the sport. He viewed his role as flexible to people’s needs: “I have served in the capacity of lawyer, negotiator, co-manager, whatever is needed. I’ve worked corners.” Fitting in this chaotic sport.

The conversation focused loosely on the many ways fighters need protection. With their characteristic bravery, boxers are often reluctant to see or even blind to the idea that one of their fights should be stopped or that their careers should end. But they can also be taken advantage of via contract, or bloated entourage.

Hornewer told Mulvaney and Goodman that he has prioritized honesty, telling fighters what he feels they need to hear at risk of offending them at times. “I’d rather the fight be stopped two punches too soon than two punches too late,” he said, and he has inserted himself into the spotlight to try to ensure fights are stopped at the correct time.

The hosts discussed how boxing can be wearying – enthusiasm for the sport as a whole fades over time, but admiration for the fighters endures. Thus, the fighters should be prioritized.

“Bottom line, that’s my responsibility as I see it,” Hornewer said. “To help them achieve their goals.”

The Fighter Health Podcast is available on Substack.