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Image via Everlast Worldwide
Boxing is unique when it comes to the world of sports.
Whereas other sports have players associations or unions, boxing is one of the few sports without such infrastructures.
While Everlast is not actually taking the steps to put together a formal union, it is trying to help fill the void left without one by teaming up with Adrian Clark and Protect Yourself at All Times.
Having worked with Clark and the organization since 2016, the latest evolution of the partnership includes a symposium that will focus on education and how to help boxers navigate the increasingly complex business world of boxing.
Clark himself knows a thing or two about boxing, having fought as an amateur boxer and working with the likes of Errol Spence Jr. Jarell ‘Big Baby’ Miller, Frank Galarza, and a host of others.
What started as a video blog series and a book put together by Clark will now be a full-fledged event with a setup that will mirror how a typical boxing match would normally play out.
“This isn’t going to be your typical symposium where I’m going to stand up and (only) talk. I am going for a more theatrical approach. I want the fighters and the general public to feel like they are attending a boxing match. The theatrics in this symposium include satire, comic relief, hard truths and a wealth of knowledge. The overall goal is for people to be educated, informed and entertained.”
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Everlast and Clark are even going to take it beyond that by creating a monthly newsletter that they hope will become a utility for boxers, providing actionable advice that they can use to better understand the business side of the sport.
The symposium will even be included in Everlast’s ‘Be First’ global ad campaign, a move that the company feels fits the narrative of what they are trying to portray.
“Everlast’s ‘Be First’ global ad campaign is committed to showcasing and supporting individuals that break ground and find unique ways to reach their goals,” said Chris Zoller, vice president of marketing and product development for Everlast. “Not only is Adrian blazing a new path for himself but for boxers everywhere. We are 100 percent behind him and what PYaAT (Protect Yourself at All Times) does for the sport of boxing.”
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Since formal announcement of the symposium earlier this fall, hundreds of boxers from around the globe have reached out to Clark to issue their congratulations and inquire when the symposium will be.
With most fighters retiring from the sport either in financial ruin and/or tax trouble, Clark wants to do more than just educate; he wants to help boxers find success for themselves and their families after their fighting days are over.
“Boxing should be viewed as a business to the athletes, not just a sport. Fighters have to remember, boxing is not an associated sport; not to mention there’s not a union to serve as the voice for them. I have to step up and be the voice to educate the fighters and their families.”
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Traditionally at a disadvantage when it comes to education, boxers don’t have the luxury that other sports have when it comes to either gaining a scholarship or being able to go back to school to finish a degree like a football player might.
Clark is on a mission to change that.
“I fought as an amateur boxer while earning my undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. I mentored young fighters at the Neighborhood Center Boxing Club. I once took a few of the fighters to campus and showed them what college was like. I wanted them to see that college was possible while they fought for their dreams.”
