05.06.07 – by Rob L Russen/RR Media Blitz: Bobby Bostick is the president/CEO of Bobby Bostick Promotions (BBP) a new face in the world of professional boxing promotions. Yet one that has made major in-roads as a company in a very short period of time. Bobby Bostick has determined that it is now time to set the record straight regarding reports that Kermit Cintron, IBF Welterweight Champion, currently under a four year promotional agreement with BBP, is skipping camp and rejoining Main Events. In just three fights with BBP, Kermit Cintron has won two titles including the IBF World Welterweight Championship..
During a recent interview Bobby Bostick had this to say:
BB: I want to clarify the reality to the entire boxing industry today. Kermit Cintron is currently under an exclusive promotional rights agreement with Bobby Bostick Promotions. Kathy Duva, or anyone else, who thinks they have a valid contract with Kermit Cintron has created a serious problem for themselves. I have been quiet up until this point, but now I’m putting my gloves on. I will do anything and everything under the law and in the courts to protect the rights of BBP and its investors.
There is nobody in the world that has a valid promotional contract with Kermit Cintron but BBP. The contract is for the next four years. If Kermit would like to be released from the contract, then he can buy it out with no problem. But he’d better have a big fat check. Without the check he is going nowhere! He is staying with BBP, and we’re going to unify the crown. His next fight will be with Bobby Bostick Promotions.
RR: You had been actively involved in reaching out to other promoters, including Kathy Duva, in order to put together the best possible fights for your champion, Kermit Cintron. Who do you feel is responsible for getting into your fighters head and for creating this problem?
BB: The people around him. His “former” manager and attorney, his trainer and “advisor”, attorney’s for other promoters, several other promoters, and the television network…they all have a lot of explaining to do. This is a very small industry in many ways. It is very easy to get information regarding what is going on. As soon as Cintron won the IBF championship, all of the “freak’s” came out, and Cintron let his big head get in the way of realizing that he made a business deal for more money than anyone else would pay him. At that point he decided that he did not have to honor his agreement. People he has around him as of today have already given me the truth about this scam. I guess they will get to explain it to a jury someday, the same way they have explained it to me.
So all that are involved need to hear this: Anyone who has tortuously interfered with our contract, in any way, will be dealt with to the fullest extent under the law no matter what the cost may be. That’s what contracts are for; to protect the rights and enforce the commitments of those who sign them. And we will aggressively protect our contractual rights.
RR: HBO has been running promos for Cintron to defend his title on the July Gatti under card. Have they negotiated this fight with BBP?
BB: HBO doesn’t seem to realize that we’re very serious about what we are doing here. There’s way too much money involved, and many people involved also.
HBO needs to wake up and realize who promotes Cintron. Whether I was negotiating a fight with Mosely, Baldomir, or Mayorga, or dealing with Bob Arum for a Cotto or Margarito fight; HBO wasn’t recognizing me at all. I know why, and that truth will be revealed as well.
Everyone out there is going to have to answer to what went down here. Again, the only reason Kermit Cintron is fighting on the Arturo Gatti card is because BBP is allowing it so that the IBF does not strip the title from him. We chose to not stop that fight so that we could protect our investment in the championship belt. It is worth money and that is the only reason that Main Events has a renewed interest in Cintron. They didn’t have the stomach to support him and get him to where he is today, but they want to come in and steal him after BBP has made the investment. I can promise you this … that isn’t happening!
Furthermore, Kermit Cintron needs to wake up and realize that these people that he has around him are getting him into a deeper situation with every stupid move he makes. He needs to recognize his contractual obligations to Bobby Bostick Promotions, and start conducting himself as a professional that has signed a contract, and he needs to honor that contract just as I have. Because, as of right now, until a court of law says otherwise, he is under excusive promotional agreement with Bobby Bostick Promotions regardless of what any self seeking opportunist may be telling him.
RR: You obviously feel very strongly about this. Why is it that you chose to let him take this fight as opposed to get a cease and desist or injunction to, if not stop the fight, at least protect your interest to make sure you are getting paid the promoters share of the fight?
BB: # 1 – We will be getting paid the promotional fee that we’re entitled to per our promotional rights agreement. We have a valid contract. We earned our percentage. #2 – The other reason is to avoid any possibility of the IBF stripping the belt. It’s “our” belt. It’s Kermit’s belt. It’s also BBP’s belt. We all worked to hard to make that happen. We cannot just sit back and allow them to take it from us. We would never do that. We all won this and we all deserve this. Kermit just forgot that there are two parties to the contract that he signed. That’s all right… we’re going to wake him up and bring him back to reality.
RR: So what are your plans pertaining to those you feel have interfered with your contract with Kermit Cintron?
BB: First of all Kermit signed our promotional contract, and he took our signing bonus. Everybody in the boxing world knows that we’re very serious about boxing. We’re very serious about everybody we sign. So when you take our money and sign on the dotted line you have made a contractual commitment under the law. And we fully expect you to honor those commitments.
So we’re going to hold Kermit to his promotional contract. He might as well get out of his fantasy world because the reality is that he is either coming back to BBP, or he is going to be paying BBP a lot of money to go somewhere else.
Unfortunately, this is why boxing is the way it is today. There are unprofessional organizations out there that think they can sneak around and steal your fighter. They call people behind your back and try to fly him off to another state to make him a deal on the side. Or, they call his advisor and try to offer money on the side. Before you know it you have various people conspiring to interfere with your agreement with your fighter. Because it has happened before to people who did not have the ability to sue these organizations, they think they can do it anytime they want. Again, this is not happening to BBP, this is all about to end.
I have a word of advice for all the small promoters out there who have these great fighters and are having difficulty dealing with the networks and are being told that you’ve got to go through certain people to get TV dates. That’s a bunch of bull. I think that’s a horrible way to treat people in the industry and I’m not one of them. We’re bigger than some of the guys out there that are getting special treatment by receiving TV dates.
I can promise you this … all the small promoters and managers out there that have up and coming fighters need to understand that this can happen to them if they don’t have the resources to stand up and fight for what is right. If they don’t want to be bothered with this … tell them to come see BBP. We’ll get our own TV dates. We’ll put out own fights on. Our fighters are still going to fight. It’s not about the money. It’s not about any of that. It’s about doing the right thing. Boxing has such a black eye from the way these promoters and the television networks out there have got their little group together, and if you are not one of the three or four you’re not in business. That’s all garbage. I think that it’s a disgrace to boxing.
This is the United States of America. Monopolies are illegal. Everybody has the right to try to get a shot at bringing a fighter to a world title. We will do everything possible to make that happen for the fighters that we represent. We will make the best fights, for the best money, and the best opportunities on their behalf. We will do this is in an honest, above board manner. Just as we did for Kermit Citron … three fights two titles. What more can a fighter or his manager ask for?