Capítulo 25: **Chapter 25: Top Rank**
"Hey, Link, how about we chat again?" After the match, Link ran into Greg Cohen in the hallway of the locker room.
Greg Cohen, a famous promoter under Top Rank, had participated in promoting matches for boxing champions such as De La Hoya and Mayweather, and was very famous in the industry, known as the gold medal promoter.
Link had met him once in Charleston, where he offered a $10 million contract to sign him.
This included a $2 million signing bonus in cash, with the remaining $8 million to be paid out upon achieving various milestones. For example, $2 million for winning the Golden Gloves, $1 million for the Amateur Championship, $2 million for the Olympics, $500,000 for the Pan American Games boxing championship, $500,000 for winning a fight after turning pro, $2 million for winning a gold belt, and so on.
For a newcomer, the offer was very generous.
But Link didn't want to work with Top Rank.
"Mr. Cohen, please wait a moment!" Link said as he dried himself off with a towel, drank a bottle of water, and then did some stretches on the mat to prevent lactic acid buildup in his muscles after the intense exercise, which could affect the afternoon match.
While he was busy, Greg Cohen leaned back in a chair, crossed his legs, and waited with a smile, tapping his feet lightly on the floor from time to time, relaxed and casual.
About ten minutes later, Link sat down on the bench opposite Cohen, relaxed.
"Sorry to keep you waiting!"
"Haha, no problem. I used to be an agent for De La Hoya and Mayweather, so I know all about locker rooms. But they weren't as hardworking and disciplined as you. After each match, they would lie directly on the massage table and have two buxom Spanish girls sit on them and give them a massage." Greg Cohen raised his hands and made a grabbing motion in the air, a hint of an ambiguous smile on his lips, and gave Link a knowing look.
Link understood and laughed, not without envy, "Who wouldn't? If I had the money, I'd get three."
Greg Cohen laughed heartily, slapping his thigh and saying, "Link, I like you. Your temperament is very compatible with mine. So, work with me. Join Top Rank, and we'll make a fortune together. You'll become a boxing champion in the future, with money, beautiful women, top luxury cars, private jets, luxury yachts, everything they have, you'll have too."
A look of longing appeared on Link's face, "Sounds great, but..."
Before he could finish, Greg Cohen raised his hand and continued, "In light of your outstanding performance, I specifically went to President Arum to discuss it, and we decided to upgrade your contract to A-level, the treatment of a world boxing champion.
"$5 million signing bonus, plus other rewards, totaling $20 million. As long as you agree to join Top Rank, you will become a multimillionaire in a very short period of time and have everything you dream of." Greg Cohen waved his arms as he spoke, his voice loud and powerful, very persuasive.
Link smiled, but his heart was calm.
Although the conditions offered by Greg Cohen were very generous, the $20 million bonus clause was the highest of any promotion company he had been in contact with so far.
But Link wasn't swayed by his words, because he had never intended to work with Top Rank.
It wasn't that Top Rank was bad, but that their philosophies didn't align.
Top Rank's predecessor was Muhammad Ali's boxing agency, which was later taken over by legendary promoter Bob Arum and renamed Top Rank.
Bob Arum was a 75-year-old Jewish man who looked like Churchill.
In the 60s and 70s, he had been the promoter for boxing champions such as Muhammad Ali and George Foreman.
In the 80s, he promoted Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Roberto Duran, and Thomas Hearns, the four kings of the middleweight division, and organized a round robin for the four.
In the last decade, Top Rank had successfully launched super popular boxing champions such as Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya, Mayweather, and Pacquiao.
In the future, the "Battle of the Century" between Mayweather and Pacquiao in 2015 would generate over a billion dollars in profits from the fight and its surrounding events.
The 2017 fight between Mayweather and Conor McGregor would generate over $500 million in profits, all orchestrated by him and Top Rank.
It could be said that Top Rank was very successful in boxing promotion.
By this year, Top Rank had surpassed Main Events, Don King Promotions, and Goossen Tutor Promotions in terms of annual profit and influence, becoming the world's largest boxing promotion company, and would continue to lead other promotion companies in the future.
For a boxer, being signed by Top Rank was definitely a great opportunity not to be missed.
But Top Rank had a problem in that it was too commercialized, with everything being manipulated by capital, controlling the matches, controlling the boxers, and treating boxing matches as a tool for making money rather than a professional sport.
This mode of operation was similar to the entertainment industry's training of trainees.
They would select promising newcomers from amateur competitions, sign them, and then cultivate them, using the media to create hype and package the boxers, then push them out to fight and make money, and when they were burnt out, they would replace them with someone else, until the sport of boxing was ruined.
It was also under the influence of Top Rank that the American boxing scene had become increasingly commercialized, with boxers focusing more on the financial rewards of the sport rather than boxing itself.
This was also the reason why good boxers couldn't survive, and the boxers who were promoted were generally not strong enough. Bad money drives out good money, leading to the declining quality of boxing matches.
This was one of the reasons why he didn't want to join Top Rank.
Link looked at Greg Cohen and said, "Mr. Cohen, the conditions offered by Top Rank are tempting, but I'm more concerned about revenue sharing than cash rewards. If I join Top Rank, what percentage of the revenue can I get from each match?"
"20%!"
Greg Cohen held up two fingers and smiled, "Link, you're very talented, and with our help, it won't be difficult for you to become a world boxing champion. After you become a world champion, you'll get a 20% share of the prize money for each match. You know, this is the treatment that Top Rank gives to its well-known boxing champions."
"Mayweather and Pacquiao, they only get 20%?" Link asked thoughtfully.
"No, no, they're not just well-known boxing champions, they're top boxing champions, sports superstars. Their share is higher. If your fame reaches Mayweather's level in the future, the company will take the initiative to increase your share. We at Top Rank never mistreat true talent," Greg Cohen said in a loud voice.
Link couldn't help but feel a little emotional after hearing this.
In the 60s and 70s, boxers were the key to how profitable a match was. The more famous the boxer, the more profitable the match, so many well-known boxers often got more than 70% of the revenue share.
By the 90s, boxing matches were controlled by boxing companies, and publicity, broadcasting, advertising, etc., were all handed over to capital operations. The role of boxers in events became smaller, and the money they received became less and less.
Top boxing champions like Mayweather and Pacquiao made their own names first, and then cooperated with Top Rank, and they could get about 60%.
The average boxing champion was around 30%, and some were even lower.
For example, former heavyweight champion John Ruiz, after being defeated by light heavyweight champion Roy Jones Jr. in 2003, his popularity plummeted and he could only get 15%, known as the blue-collar boxing champion.
Greg Cohen said that he would give him 20% and increase his share in the future, which sounded good, but it couldn't satisfy his appetite.
Link smiled lightly: "Mr. Cohen, do you think my future popularity can reach Mayweather's level?"
"Of course, with your strength and the help of our company, you will definitely have the opportunity to catch up with Mayweather in the future."
Hearing him raise this question, a relaxed expression appeared on Greg Cohen's face.
Link was interested! The next negotiation should be stable, he secretly laughed. The first time he contacted Link, Link was very tough, saying that he would wait until the end of the game to talk about the contract, he thought he was a difficult person.
Now that he offered him a 20 million contract and a 20% share, and said that he would make him the second Mayweather, he immediately let go, indicating that his psychological expectations were not high, and he was a very easy young man to deal with.
Just when Greg Cohen thought he could negotiate a contract next, Link suddenly said: "Mr. Cohen, you are right, I also think I will be better than Mayweather in the future, so I want 70% of the game revenue share, can Top Rank accept my proposal?"
"How much?"
Greg Cohen froze for a moment, a look of astonishment flashed in his gray-green eyes, as if he was looking at a lunatic.
"You want a 70% split?!"
"Yes, I have the strength and I am not lacking in fame. I am only one world champion away from becoming a world champion, so I want 70%!"
When he said this, Link's expression was very calm, and his voice was also very calm, without a trace of tremor, as if he was stating an objective fact, not a hypothesis.
Greg Cohen's Adam's apple slid up and down twice, squeezing out a strange laugh.
"Gehehehe, you want a 70% split? Hahaha, you, an amateur boxer who has only played a few games, dare to ask for a 70% share of the game revenue? Are you sure you are not joking?"
In the second half of the sentence, his voice turned stern and dissatisfied.
"No!!"
Link said calmly.
"Can't change?"
Greg Cohen frowned, the muscles in the corners of his eyes twitched.
Link shook his head, his eyes bright and firm.
Greg Cohen sneered, patted the dust on his blue trousers, and walked towards the door. After walking two steps, he stopped and turned his head and said:
"I heard that little Duva from Main Events also contacted you, are you waiting for his news?
Haha, don't wait, although he is the president of Main Events, the company's power is still in the hands of Lao Duva, Lao Duva is old and nostalgic, and prefers old people like Holyfield, he I will never give you, a newcomer, too generous treatment."
Link was silent after hearing this.
"Link, you have good strength, but in the boxing world, having strength is only the minimum requirement to enter the professional boxing world. There are many, many boxers with strength, but only those with brains can make a lot of money.
You are still young, maybe you don't understand the meaning of this sentence, if one day you understand this truth, call me, I don't mind signing you with a 10% share contract. "
Greg Cohen put down a business card, looked back at him, the corner of his mouth on his shoulder evoked a meaningful smile, turned and stepped on the floor hard, and walked out of the lounge.
Link glanced at the business card and threw it into the trash can casually.
Even if Franco Duva couldn't give a reasonable offer, he was not in a hurry to sign the contract.
In the boxing world, although capital plays an increasingly important role, a person with strength and fame will never be buried.
(End of this chapter)
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