PHOTO: Having worked the corner with legends like Floyd Patterson or Freddie Roach and for boxers as far apart like all-time great Matthew Saad Muhammad or actor-cum-would-be-boxer Mickey Rourke, Olaf is here pictured with Denmark's Anita Christensen, whom he guided as a matchmaker to the European Bantamweight title

By Teddy Stenmark

29.01 - I have heard that you started out very young as a manager. How old were you and who got you into the world of boxing?

Boxing fascinated me from the day I learned about Muhammad Ali as a teenager. When I had my driving licence, I attended every show I knew off, reporting for our local newspaper and quickly became friends with some boxers. Shortly afterwards, a guy who was German champion got fired by his promoter and we sat down thinking about what to do now. The solution was easy and natural: We decided to find some sponsors and just promote ourselves. We got some unattached or new boxers and went ahead, doing everything from building the ring, putting posters up in the middle of the night, to making the matches. It was a struggle and very hard work, but we did it. So I was about 18 or 19 when I began to manage and matchmake.

Are you a former boxer yourself?

No, I did some training and sparring, but that's not the real thing, of course. Actually, I was all set to make an amateur fight, but when I signed the best fighter from our local club to a pro contract in 1986 they kicked me out like I stole the crown juwels. But I guess that saved me from some embarrassing moments in the ring…

Which fighters do you represent right now?

There are so many, I don't even count them. You know that I am working in many European countries and thusly represent a wide range of fighters. But the actual management is a bit different and there I like to concentrate on boxers that really "fit in" and have the potential to achieve something big, like Mihaly Kotai or Richel Hersisia.

Up here in Scandinavia we are very familiar with you through your recent work as a matchmaker for Danish promoter Anders Vester. How did you get in contact with him?

As you know, Teddy, there were - in fact still are - many problems for Anders caused mainly by a Federation that, bluntly said, kisses his main competitors ass. For that reason, Anders started in 1998 with a set-up called Danish Boxing Association, but was boycotted in many European countries which did not allow their boxers to fight under the banner of the DBA - illegally under European law, by the way, but boxing Federations think they are above the law. So, he needed a specialist, somebody who could make his fights and find boxers that were given permission or stood up to their licencing body for their right to work for a living. Somebody recommanded me to him and ever since we are like pieces of a puzzle that found together. Working with Anders is great and our relationship real cool, totally unlike most promoter/matchmaker relationships in boxing.

How old are you Olaf?

As Mike Tyson might say: Old too soon, wise too late…

I can imagine that it was tough work getting established as a young manager. What was your profession prior to this one?

For eight years, I was a banker in the biggest bank here in Bielefeld. During that time I had already somewhat established myself in boxing, collecting the first German championships with my fighters when in 1990 the bank came to the conclusion that boxing and banking don't fit together - remember, that was the time boxing was "on the floor" in Germany, before Henry Maske came. So when they asked me to pack in boxing in favour of the secure bank job, I just told the director "fuck you", packed my bags and left the premises.

The last three, four years, have they been your best years as a manager?

Probably you can say so, but success in boxing can have many faces. What is the bigger success, taking the financial aspect out for a moment: To make a WBC International champion from a very, very good amateur like Mihaly Kotai or to win three national titles with a journeyman like Horace Fleary or a very late starter like Milan Konecny? I do not count success in Euros or Dollars, but rather the odds that we have to beat.

You know that my heart is with the Scandinavian fighters. Name a few boxers in Scandinavia that you believe are potential future stars!

I only get to see our boxers from Team Vester mostly, so let me just give you one name: Fawaz Nasir. I was very happy with his last two performances. Not that I didn't expect him to win, but it was the ruthless manner in which he won. When he keeps developing and if his mind is strong, if he's dedicated and keeps his feet on the ground, you are looking at a future star, no doubt whatsoever. He has the natural ability, inner drive, the instincts plus the looks and smarts. He can be everything he wants to be! Watch out!

Where is your base, were could we find you most of the times?

I'm living with my family in the outskirts of Bielefeld, the city I was born. It's a little bit country-like and very quite.

I know through some of the work we have been doing together that you are a good writer. Ever thought of pursuing a career in that?

Journalism is one thing that comes naturally to me. I never studied it, but am writing articles since being a teenager. I'd love a career in writing - but boxing writing just doesn't pay. But if anybody likes to make me an offer, I would seriously consider it, because I love writing.

As a manager in Germany, have you worked with the two big promoters Kohl and Sauerland and what is your opinion of them?

Sure, I know them inside-out. When I started, Peter Kohl was president of the German Federation and Universum not yet in existence. Sauerland started a few years earlier with his first promotions in Africa. To deal with Sauerland is a lot easier, because he treats and pays fighters very fairly. He's not overpaying, but neither intends to take advantage of people. With Universum - who have made millions in boxing - you have to fight with the boss for a laughable 100 Euros. And they present horrible mismatches on their undercards with regularity…but as long as you can progress to WBO mandatory contender on fighting bums, who cares?

What pushes you on, what's your ambition in this game?

You see, how many people can say that their hobby is their job? My ambition is to enjoy what I'm doing and have success with the boxers I'm involved with.

Tell me a little bit what you got planned for the very near future!

The Caribbean business, in which Fight Production is financially involved, got off the ground great last year with Hersisia's win on Curacao. That market offers a lot of fantastic possibilities and we will be back in March for Barbados and after that return to Curacao. If anybody wants to see paradise and at the same time make a little money, tell the boxers and managers to call me! I also plan on taking our Team Vester fighters down there so they see something else than Danish villages.

Then of course, there's Mihaly Kotai, who will return to Las Vegas to fight on February 1. He will have a new trainer soon and his career is developing just fine. After the retirement of Istvan Kovacs, he's The Man in Hungarian boxing and we have a long-term contract with RTL Klub, the largest private television in Hungary. My hope is, because Kotai is being ranked in the EBU and WBC hot on his heals, that Mihaly can somehow clash with Michael Rask this year. I have a lot of respect for Michael's achievements and it will be a real barnburner for the fans - but when all is said and done, Kotai will stop him.

Is the boxing-business like everyone says, a cutthroat-racket that leaves people - fighters in particular - flat-broke? Do you believe that or what is your own opinion of it?

For boxers, that certainly depends on the team you have around and how much you trust them. And, like in everything in life, your own brains. How many people won the lottery, couldn't handle that and end up broke? And they have never been fighters. Let me give you an example: I handled Polish supermiddle Albert Rybacki. In his last fight, he scored one of the Upsets of the Year in England, knocking out Tony Dodson for a good purse for the WBF Intercontinental title. Then we set up a rematch with Dodson and, if again successful, an IBO world title challenge to Brian Magee. The money was great, but Albert now wants to hang up his gloves, retire undefeated at 32 and he is able to do so, because he invested his money wisely. He has my full support, even though I'm also loosing out on my commissions, because that will set a great example that boxing can do a lot of positive things for you.

Who is the best boxer you have managed, and how close have you been of landing a fighter a big money-fight?

The best from a sporting point of view definitely was Raymond Joval, whom I guided to WBU and IBO world titles. He had a great work ethic and lived like a true professional. However, he couldn't understand that he's not the center of the boxing world and then I just gave him his contract back - future paydays be damned. You see, for me "the best" also means to have a good relationship based on trust with my boxers, which can be more important than what happens in the ring. To that end, Richel Hersisia is my main man. Honest to god, he never reads a contract unless I force him to and - though we do have arguments - at the end he accepts that my decision is final. He understands that I know what I'm doing. This kind of trust is the biggest motivator a manager can find and you do much more for a guy like that because you want to pay him back on the credit he gives me.

Could we expect Olaf Schröder to stay in the boxing-business? Is it as fun now as when you started out?

When things go right, it's fun, when not, it's not. That's like in any other job you care to name. But since there are so many people in boxing that dislike you just because you build up something and are successful, I can't do them the favour to go away, can I?

Who is your closest friends in boxing? Do you have any people behind you? Or do you conduct all business your self?

No, I'm basically on my own, partly because it is so difficult to find true friends in boxing. Mostly, everyone wants to fuck everyone. As a real friend I have to name Horst Nalbach, a former manager, promoter and trainer. He travelled the world over with boxing and when I started I looked up to him. Horst taught me a lot, always encouraged me and to this day I can call him any time for just about anything, knowing he would never lie to me. And we have unbelievable fun when being together.

What achievement are you most proud of?

I don't want to name a single event, like having done this or that. I am most proud of the fact that I learned the boxing business from the bottom and to this day can survive and produce champions based more on my knowledge and experience than on cash. You see, it's easy to do what the big promoters do: Basically, they just buy their way into the ratings, buy themselves titles. Just look at the ratings of the WBO, to name one example. No matter who you fought, if you are with one of their favourite promoters you can't help but at the very least fighting for the title.

Tell me something about yourself that the average fight-fan perhaps didn't know about!

Honestly, does the average fight fan really care about me? I don't think so… But did you know, Teddy, that I have a huge collection of Elvis Presley stuff? He's the greatest recording artist that ever lived, period. Elvis meant as much to the music business than Ali meant to boxing. I like larger-than-life people.

Finally, I have worked for the Swedish boxing magazine for approximately 10 years. If I remember correctly when I started out as a young reporter my editor, Olof Johansson, talked frequently about you. Johansson was a manager himself, handling the careers of Finn Tarmo Uusivirta and heavyweight Anders Eklund among others. Do you know him?

Yes, of course - and ask him why he's not working with me for such a long time! Actually, I know a lot of Swedish boxing guys, starting from my relationship with Roland Ericsson. He was handled by two real gentleman, whose company I always enjoyed, Benny Rosenberg and the late Kurt Sjölin. Ericsson fought on my shows in Germany and he was involved in a tragic fight when his opponent Marian Rudy collapsed in the ring more than 10 years ago. Rudy survived and when he was finally back home in Poland, Roland jumped on the plane to visit him and later fought for free on a benefit show I staged for Marian. Roland was a very nice kid, but cuts were his biggest enemies. Then of course I worked a lot with Gary Trevett and his Scandinavian fighters and Paolo Roberto also once fought on a show of mine in Germany. So I guess you can say that I have a warm spot in my heart for Swedish boxing people. I just hope that those idiot politicians can clean up their act and do the right thing: Allow boxing. It doesn't hurt people as a much as smoking or drinking…