54-year-old Bobby Hitz, a proud native of Chicago, is a former heavyweight who turned promoter and today, aside from wanting to see one of the fighters he currently promotes become world heavyweight champion, his main goal is to “help keep boxing flourishing.”
Hitz, who went 21-4 as a pro (Bobby says BoxRec’s 15-5 numbers are wrong) had his biggest fight in 1988, when he met a comebacking George Foreman in Michigan. One round later, Hitz began thinking of a life after boxing. Still, Hitz has boxing in his blood and he wanted to remain active in the sport. A couple of fights later, after a meeting with Jackie Kallen in Detroit, Bobby found his calling: that of boxing promoter.
“I stayed in Detroit after the Foreman fight,” Hitz explains.
“And Jackie Kallen, Emanuel Steward and James Toney allowed me to have my Harvard education in boxing promotion (smiles). Jackie signed me up as one of her first fighters and then I became a promoter in 1991. Today, I’m a dinosaur, in that my handshake means something, my word means something – I respect someone’s word more than a contract. The bad side of the sport, the biggest problem, is the lack of respect. Some guys [other promoters] have no respect and will try and steal your fighters right from under you. I try to stay in my own lane, not f**K with anyone and not let anyone f**k with me, and just do my job the best I can.”
Hitz is often asked about his fight with Foreman, who stopped him inside a round in the 12th fight of his much ridiculed comeback.
“I took that fight on four days’ notice,” Hitz recalls.
“I was initially supposed to be his very first comeback opponent, we were supposed to fight in the south of France. I was in tremendous shape and they brought in Steve Zouski instead. I was actually supposed to fight Foreman on thee earlier occasions, and each time I was in great shape. It just seemed they didn’t want the fight when I was in top shape. I didn’t fully understand the situation I was in at the time, having very little experience, with just three amateur fights and only a handful of pro fights – this is how much the sport has changed, as today they wouldn’t let you turn pro after just three amateur fights. I had sparred a guy who was 154-pounds and I got on a plane to fight him [Foreman]. I was a fighter, I had balls. I wouldn’t have come out of a bar and backed down from a fight just because I hadn’t been given plenty of notice; I was a fighter, that’s what I did.
“We both threw right hands and that was it, but I did have George worried – he thought he’d killed me (laughs). But I got up, I was on my feet – I did something Michael Moorer couldn’t do and that’s get back up! And he had months to train for the fight; I had four days. After the fight, Archie Moore sat me down and told me I showed a lot of balls and that I shouldn’t give up. At the time, it wasn’t enough for me just to have fought a legend; I honestly thought I’d beat him. It was tough for me, when the fight finally came around all I had I my pocket was lint (laughs). But today, George is a great guy, we have a cordial relationship, me and his sons, too. He became an icon, and he was a super, super fighter. And even though I lost that fight and didn’t think it should have been stopped when it was, a lot of good came from that fight in that it led me to become a promoter.”
Hitz says his experiences as a fighter allow him to be the promoter he is today; with respect both given to and received from his fighters.
“Could I have become a boxing promoter without having been a fighter myself, sure. But my experience in the ring has helped me a whole lot. I mean, how could I sit a fighter down and tell him what he’s doing wrong if I hadn’t put the gloves on myself, like a lot of these guys, who I could mention but won’t? The fighters listen to me and they know I ‘get it,’ when it comes to ‘getting’ what they’re going through. They take me seriously. Emanuel Steward really helped me a lot. We we’re watching the Nigel Benn-Doug DeWitt fight, and Emanuel told me I had a real knack for the sport, that he would have me as a trainer if I wanted to study under him. That meant a whole lot. But I was always interested in the business side of the sport.”
Hitz’ first big card came in Chicago in 1994 when James Toney fought a non-title bout on his show. Today, Bobby is rightfully proud of the role he plays in being “the lifeblood of the sport,” along with other lower level promoters.
“As a promoter, you are only as good as the fighters you promote,” Bobby explains.
“I try to make every fight, every card, a great one. Matter of fact, Jackie and myself, we were watching the Roberto Duran-Iran Barkley fight, and we said that we wanted to make each fight we promoted as great as that one. Obviously not every fighter can become world champion, but I want people to be happy when they leave my shows. Everything about my shows, it reflects back on me. It can be tough – it’s a lot easier being a fighter, I tell you. I just try and work cordially with everyone else. The day I ended up in court because someone stole a fighter off me, that was the worst; like Santa Clause didn’t exist (laughs). We all have to get along to allow the sport to flourish. Over in England, Eddie Hearn seems to be doing a great job, and [Frank] Warren, who has been around forever. But Hearn, a young guy, he seems to be the future. I’m proud of the work I do, myself and the other club-level promoters, like Artie Pelullo and Jimmy Burchfield.”
Hitz has one major goal for 2017: that of seeing one of his fighters become heavyweight champion.
“That’s the big goal right now, to have one of my fighters win the heavyweight title. And I have two guys who can definitely do it, in Fres Oquendo and Andrey Fedesov, my Russian heavyweight. Fres has been supposed to fight everyone from Shannon Briggs to [Alexander] Ustinov; we’re just waiting on the WBA and their decision. I also have some young guys coming up, big and strong; one has a jab like Larry Holmes. Other than that, I just want to do my best to keep the sport alive – and have fun doing it. I want to keep doing what I’m doing for another 25 years, with the good and the bad. It’s my life, even though at times it can almost take the life out of you.”