know with some of my fighters, I know with some of my managers, I had to sit down and explain to them the networks aren?t paying what they used to pay. Initially there was a skepticism. There was a belief that the promoter was trying to pocket another couple of hundred-thousand dollars or something along those lines.
There are also no secrets any longer. Some years ago you didn't have an obligation to tell the fighter what you were receiving. Now you have a legal obligation to do that. For those of us that are not trying to screw the fighter, we don't mind showing them.
In actual fact, in a perverse way, it's OK. I don't mind. I want the fighters to know because the problem we have in the business, or one of the problems we have in the business, is your price of entry can be anything. And as we know, and we've heard these stories all to often, there can be some fellow that's carrying your bag or lives in your neighborhood that tells the unsophisticated fighter ?you're not earning enough money, your promoter's screwing you, your manager's screwing you, your trainer?s getting too much,? and the next thing you know the fighter wants to know from the promoter why he's getting screwed.
There's no basis for it other than what some unsophisticated person is telling him. You know we refer to them as gym rats, and they are all creeds all colors. I'm not suggesting just one denomination, but you have these kinds of difficulties. So today in a strange way, I'm delighted that I can say, 'Listen, you thought I was earning X, you think that I'm making money on this show. I'm not making money. you're the only one that is making money on this show. So have a look here. Here are my figures. Here's what I'm getting from the hotel. Here's what I'm getting from the television networks and here's what I'm paying you. You can see what's going on here.? So it's actually an advantage that we have to disclose. It helps the education process, as I see it.
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Its sad, but over the last 20 years promoters have stolen over a trillon dollars from prize fighters and they have no clue.
Some have sued and got their money back but few and far between.
