Here's something unusual from an upstart boxing promoter: "Before we started putting on fights, we wanted to build a facility, specifically for boxing." But this is the vision of Red Owl Boxing's President, Gabriel Fanous, who has built two boxing arenas, one in Ontario, Canada and another in Houston. With a background in entrepreneurship, investments and building sports facilities, Fanous believed that in order to be successful, the typical model for mid-tier boxing promoters needed to change.
If you look around boxing, in
whatever part of the world where you may live, the sport is populated with dreamers
and schemers. There seems to be an unending supply of those who want to get
into boxing promotion. They have lots of ideas. But what
so many of them don't have is financial capitalization. So, what they are left
with is lukewarm venue deals where if they are fortunate enough to pack the
house, they might realistically break even or make a couple of bucks. It's not
a sustainable way to make a living in the sport.
"Unlike other people who
decided to get into the sport," said Fanous, "the first thing I
decided to do was build a facility. Let's have a place where boxing lives.
Let's get rid of the variables that need to be involved in putting on a show in
different places. Let's try to give fans a consistent experience. Let's build
it for television and broadcast. Let's have a fun vibe in there. Let's invest
in infrastructure of the sport."
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| Gabriel Fanous (right) with former champion Shane Mosley Photo courtesy of Red Owl Boxing |
Fanous understands the value of
real estate, of ownership, and of control. With his Owl's Nest in Houston, he
has designed an arena to provide a first-class experience for those attending
his shows and watching on TV. The venue was built to maximize the boxing
experience. As part of the construction of the facility, he included plans for
where television cameras should be placed and what could provide the best
viewing environment and atmosphere for fans at the venue.
And the ownership is important
too. With a venue in hand, he could one day sell naming rights. He could rent
it out for public or private events. With ownership, he has control over
catering and vendors. He can capture various revenue
streams that wouldn't be open to those who rely on renting a venue for
boxing.
It's not that Fanous views his
approach as the way to make untold millions in the sport. He's OK if he breaks
even in boxing for the time being; he has other businesses. But what he believes in is giving
himself a chance to succeed with a firm belief that the current regional boxing
model is broken.
Now armed with two arenas, a
broadcast deal with DAZN, and a belief in 50-50 fights, Fanous is starting to
put his vision for Red Owl Boxing to work.
How about another new idea?
On each Red Owl card, he has
three types of fights. The first is an Introduction Fight, where a skilled
up-and-coming fighter is making his or her pro debut to the larger boxing
public. The second fight is the "Redemption Fight," which is a take
on the concept of the crossroads matchup. These fights will involve talented
boxers who are coming off a loss or have had recent setbacks in the
sport. The third fight is the "Crowning Fight," where two
advanced prospects or young pros are vying to become a legitimate contender in
a given division.
With the branding of these three fight types,
Fanous is trying to solve a problem for developmental boxing programming. The question he is trying to answer for viewers is why
should they care about these fights or fighters? Fanous' answer is to
communicate with boxing fans about expectations for every fight. He believes
that the branding of these matches will help set the stakes for what will
follow on the broadcast.
"Everything that we're
trying to do," said Fanous, "is to build consistency...in fan
experience, in branding, in organization, and the people that we choose to work
with."
Another word that Fanous often says is "evolve." This applies to boxing as a sport and his own efforts as a promoter and provider of boxing content. Fanous looks at the current boxing media landscape and sees change and uncertainty everywhere. The sport is going through rapid disruptions in distribution and content providers.
Fanous believes that
boxing needs to do a much better job of ensuring a compelling experience at an
arena and on a broadcast, especially for smaller cards. And if you've been
following Red Owl's fight cards on DAZN, you will notice a constant evolution in
their broadcasts. The camera work is crisper. The audio and lighting are
better. The broadcast pacing feels more organic.
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| The Owl's Nest in Houston Photo courtesy of Red Owl Boxing |
Red Owl continues to tinker with its presentation. Fanous acknowledges that he's still learning. He incorporates feedback in terms of how to get to the next level. He has given a lot of runway to his matchmaker, James Bartley, in terms of making fights and identifying boxers who would be good candidates for longer-term deals.
Fanous is also really enjoying
what he's been able to build with Red Owl. "It's something that's so much
fun," he said. "To have this platform to provide opportunities for
people in their life to change their circumstances, it's a blessing. I've been
blessed in my life. I'm just trying to pay it forward and do it in a fun
way."
Although Red Owl is still only a
few years old, Fanous is starting to look farther afield. On Friday, Red Owl
will present a boxing card in Commerce California, at the Commerce Casino. The
headliner pits undefeated lightweight Deonte Brown (16-0) against Grimardi
Machuca (17-2). Other notables on the card include the rugged South California-based club
fighter Saul Sanchez and the debut of U.S. Olympian Rashida Ellis.
Fanous openly admits that he may
be looking to replicate his model in other cities, which means building from
the ground up, and in his case, that also means literally building.
"I'm trying to build a
brand, said Fanous. "Nike is a brand. Apple is a brand. You walk into any
Apple store around the world and you know what it looks like. You know what to
expect. If I'm fortunate to build another Owl's Nest, let's say Philly for
example, it's going to look exactly the same as the Houston one. I want people
to recognize our brand. I want them to know what they are going to get. We need
consistency in the experience and with fans' expectations. That's my vision for Red Owl Boxing."
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