Chương 48: **Chapter 48: Dynasty Promotion Company**
After seeing off Morales and his team, Link went to the lounge to check on the unconscious Mario. The guy had a sullen look, as if he'd suffered a great grievance.
Link didn't bother with him and instead found West, instructing him to recruit one or two more sparring partners. They needed to be physically fit, resilient, and skilled.
Typically, sparring partners, like coaches, play a significant role in a boxer's growth. A strong sparring partner helps improve faster through daily sparring sessions. Notable boxers like John Ruiz, Oliver McCall, Larry Holmes, and Lennox Lewis all started as sparring partners and later became world champions.
It's a mutually beneficial process.
Mario had good physical attributes and strength but was somewhat dull and slow to progress, unable to keep up with Link's pace. A better sparring partner would yield better training results.
West agreed, noting that Link was now a star boxer with a promising future. Finding sparring partners in the circle would be easy with just a notice.
â€"â€"
“Hi, Link!â€
After training, Link returned to the small shop, where a middle-aged man in a blue beach shirt and brown shorts stood up under the awning, removed his sunglasses, and waved at him with a smile.
Link stopped his car, surprised to see Franco Duvall after a long time. Unlike his previously well-groomed and refined appearance, Franco now dressed casually, with his shirt open to reveal chest hair, wearing leather sandals, and his hair tousled by the sea breeze.
Franco Duvall might look relaxed rather than down-and-out, as the leather sandals he wore were a limited edition by Italian luxury brand Adele Fendi, worth over three thousand dollars.
“Mr. Duvall, what brings you here?â€
“Link, please call me Franco.â€
“Okay, Franco, what brings you to Miami?â€
Link retrieved two bottles of sparkling water from the fridge, handing one to Franco, who thanked him and smiled, “Link, I’m here to sign you. How about it, interested?â€
“So, you brought a hundred million dollars?â€
“Oh, no, of course not. I don’t have a hundred million, but I bring sincerity.â€
“Sincerity?â€
Link chuckled lightly, “Franco, you should know that top promotion sincerity is worth twenty million dollars. How much is yours?â€
“Rest assured, I’m more sincere than Greg Cohen.â€
Franco handed over a file folder, pushing it across the table.
Link opened it, seeing an eight-million-dollar signing bonus, paid upfront;
Winning the first place in the Pan American Games qualifier, a bonus of $100,000;
Olympic gold medal, $1 million; silver medal, $500,000; bronze medal, $200,000;
Winning any domestic or international amateur boxing competition, a bonus of $100,000 to $1 million;
After turning professional, winning a continental title from the four major organizations, a bonus of $200,000; winning a world title, $1 million per title.
In terms of revenue sharing, before becoming a world champion, he and the company would split 50:50; after winning the world title, it would be 60:40 in his favor; if he could retain the title for more than five years, 70:30, and ten years, 80:20.
The contract was very detailed, covering competition, promotion, logistics, medical care, prize money, PPV revenue, and peripheral revenue sharing, including post-retirement benefits.
“Link, how about it?â€
As he read the contract, Franco Duvall watched him closely and asked immediately after he finished.
Link didn’t answer immediately. The contract was good, but still below his expectations. He turned to the first page, pointing at ‘Dynasty Promotion Company’ and asked, “Why Dynasty Promotion Company?â€
“You don’t know? I recently had a falling out with my father, and he removed me from my position as president of Main Events. I sold my shares and founded Dynasty Promotion Company in New York with millions of dollars. It’s the biggest news in the boxing world recently. Didn’t you hear about it?â€
Franco asked in surprise.
Link shook his head, looking at the name ‘Dynasty Promotion Company’ with disbelief. It wasn’t Franco’s rebellion against the Duva family that surprised him, but the appearance of this company. It was supposed to appear four or five years later.
Four or five years later, Franco Duva and his brother Dino Duva, dissatisfied with Lou Duva’s management, would set up Dynasty Promotion Company with part of the team. After Lou Duva’s death in 2017, Main Events was managed by Franco’s wife, Nora Duva.
Franco and Dino continued with Dynasty Promotion.
Link knew about this company because Dynasty Promotion had a good relationship with the Chinese boxing team, signing Chinese boxers Zhang Zhilei, Meng Fanlong, and Wang Zhimin, promoting boxing in China for a few years with considerable fame.
They focused on the mainland, hoping to tap into the vast market of 1.4 billion people.
The result was disastrous.
Chinese people, accustomed to flashy martial arts movies, showed little interest in boxing. Chinese boxers were either small or fat, wearing strange shorts, hugging each other on stage without much visual appeal.
No viewership, no ad revenue, no ticket sales.
Dynasty Promotion lost a lot of money in the mainland, eventually abandoning the market, closing the domestic branch, and withdrawing all investments to the US.
But the US market was dominated by Top Rank, with other promotions like Matchroom, Queensberry, Golden Boy, Premier Boxing Champions, TGB Promotions, and GTD Promotions flourishing.
Dynasty Promotion had little room to survive and inevitably went bankrupt.
Link didn’t expect Franco Duva to establish Dynasty Promotion ahead of schedule.
Butterfly effect?
“Link, rest assured, although Dynasty Promotion is new, its core members are mostly from Main Events, with over forty people. We have talents in all areas. If you join us, we’ll treat you as our core champion.â€
Franco Duva spoke sincerely.
Link pondered. Joining Dynasty Promotion had its merits. It was an undeveloped blue ocean with significant maneuvering space.
However, he lacked confidence in Franco as a partner. Franco was warm, sincere, and emotionalâ€"a great friend but not an ideal entrepreneur.
“Franco, signing is complicated. I’m going to Havana the day after tomorrow for the Olympic qualifiers, so I don’t have time to deal with this. How about we discuss cooperation after the Olympics?â€
“Two percent shares!â€
Franco Duva suddenly grabbed his arm, excitedly saying, “Link, I can give you two percent of Dynasty Promotion’s shares and a partner status. We can run Dynasty Promotion together, how about it?â€
Link was surprised. Although two percent shares weren’t worth much, only a few hundred thousand dollars, Franco’s willingness to offer shares showed immense sincerity, making it hard to refuse.
Link hesitated, “Franco, I’m just an amateur boxer, haven’t fought a single professional match. You, as a boxing veteran, should know that many amateur champions fail miserably in professional boxing, like Henry Tillman. Aren’t you worried I might be the same?â€
Henry Tillman, the 1984 Olympic heavyweight gold medalist, twice defeated Mike Tyson in the Olympic trials, making Tyson his alternate. But in 1990, Tyson knocked him out in one round, becoming a boxing anecdote.
“Ha ha, Link, I believe in you. You’re not Henry Tillman.
Even if you were, it wouldn’t matter. Your words on the train showed you’re extraordinary, someone worth investing in. I believe you’ll be remarkable. How about it, want to take a gamble?â€
Franco Duva extended his hand, eyes filled with anticipation.
Link thought for a moment, then shook hands.
Despite being a new company, Dynasty Promotion had potential, with less internal competition and consumption. Joining them would mean fewer troubles.
Moreover, Franco Duva, as Lou Duva’s eldest son, former president of Main Events, and current president’s husband, had resources and connections, making it a decent choice for cooperation.
However, the contract had details needing negotiation.
Link and Franco Duva only signed a draft contract, with the formal contract to be discussed after the Olympic qualifiers.
(End of Chapter)
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