At the time of writing, according to the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBoC), there are currently 2,500 boxers who have a professional boxing licence. 1,100 of which are active.
In the current landscape of this intense, demanding, and rigorous sport, there is only a minute minority that are fortunate enough to call it their full-time job.
Fighters struggle to break through, as if they can’t sell a large amount of tickets, they get ignored. This is the harsh reality of boxing.
Former Welsh super-lightweight champion Angelo Dragone recalls a moment when a boxer was pulled off a show because they had not sold enough tickets.
“I know a British champion boxer who was on a small hall show with me, and because he only sold thirteen tickets, he got taken off the show,” said Dragone.
“I was looking around, thinking is this what it’s like?
“You had the best boxer in Wales, and a British champion who couldn’t sell enough tickets getting pulled off the small hall show, which is ridiculous.
“As I’ve said there is a lot of pressure off the promoters to sell tickets, obviously, if you don’t sell tickets you don’t get paid and that’s the name of the game.
“It’s very difficult. It’s a hard game unless you’ve got a good following or signed with a major promoter.”
Dragone who is nicknamed the ‘The Italian Stallion’ had to heavily rely on his local community in the early stages of his career.
These links of which he grew alongside his family and friends are the main contributors for the success of the shows he’s been a part of and stated he’s been lucky with his support.
“It’s massive to sell tickets if you actually want to be on boxing shows; professional boxing is literally a business. Starting off is so hard,” explained Dragone.
“I was lucky, to be honest, because I had a good following, because I was the local milkman when I started. I was like a pillar of the community.
“I used to do a lot of boxing classes as well, and I had loads of support from family and friends. I had a good following.
“But it’s so hard, lots of stress on fighters to go around selling tickets, promoting yourself. Facebook, Instragram posts, the list goes on. You’re trying to train for your fight and you’ve got so much stress on your plate it’s very difficult.”
Sheffield’s Owen Durnan was a national amateur finalist and went onto make his professional debut in November 2023, but now fights in the away corner on a consistent basis.
“I used to think if you beat everyone you’ll get opportunities but that’s not necessarily how the business works,” stated Durnan.
There will always be a burden on fighters when they compete on the small hall scene, working hard behind the scenes to get into the best shape possible but also selling tickets to their family, friends and acquaintances is also just as high as a priority.
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