Interview with the owner of Polish Boxing Promotion

31.08.01 - Profiboksz.hu interviewed Mr. Krzysztof Zbarsky, owner of the upcoming promotional company, Polish Boxing Promotion. The young Polish manager kindly took the time to answer our questions.

About Polish Boxing Promotion

How did you get into the boxing business?
I used to do fitness boxing. I sponsored amateur boxing. Pro boxing was my hobby and a couple of years ago I invested into boxing. Polish Boxing Promotion takes up approximately 20% of my business activity. Besides promoting fighters, I also trade with electronic equipment and invest in the stock market.

PBP was founded to establish professional boxing in Poland. Our aim is to make fighters successful in the pro ranks. 20-30 years ago, Polish amateur boxing was on top of the sport, and I’m convinced that pro boxing can also be successful. We organize more than a dozen events a year, to make the sport more popular in Poland. We have more than 30 fighters and most of them have been already introduced abroad: in the Netherlands, England and in the USA as well.

Is it possible to make pro boxing profitable in Eastern Europe? What are the criteria to make a boxing club financially successful in this region?
Eastern Europeans like this sport. In Poland, boxing is already one of the most popular sports, second only to soccer. If people like boxing and they are interested in boxing, it can be successful. The major problem is that you can sell tickets and broadcasting rights for a fraction of money compared to the USA or Western Europe, while the cost of the whole promotion is almost the same everywhere. This needs to be changed.

In which country is boxing more popular: Poland or Hungary?
Definitely Hungary. We don’t have 15,000 spectators for a fight card in Poland.

In your opinion, what is the future of professional boxing in this region?
I believe that fighters from Eastern Europe will be in the elite of the sport. Some of them have already made a name for themselves in the pro ranks. Kostya Tszyu or Vasilij Jirov for example, already belongs to the top class of fighters. Once we have the necessary economic and professional background to operate a boxing stable, the best fighters won’t have to go abroad to be successful. This is the aim of Polish Boxing Promotion.

What kind of results do you need to achieve to make PBP profitable?
Our primary aim is to sell the broadcasting rights. I really like this sport. I invested a lot of money in this sport. I hope, that one day I will get it back from boxing. I don’t want to make a fortune out of the boxing business. I just want to get back my investment.

How do you pick opponents for your fighters? Who organizes the fights?
We have the dates 3 months before the fights. We send the list to our matchmakers. Currently, we have three matchmakers in England, Germany and in the USA. The are responsible for finding the opponents, but I personally check the opponents before big fights. We have three boxing clubs in Poland to train the fighters.

Besides physical abilities, what does a boxer need to have to become successful?
You need to have the skills, but that’s not enough. If you are determined and have tremendous heart, you can be a good fighter. However, to be really successful, you need more than that. You need a TV company to broadcast your fights. You need to have the looks and the personal charm and need to know how to use the media in your favor, but be careful not to overdo it and become too extroverted.

Who is the best fighter of PBP and who is the most marketable?
Considering achievements and skills, my best fighter is Agnyieska Rylik. She can beat any other female fighter in the world. At the moment my best male fighter is Jacek Bielski. Talent wise, the most promising fighters are Mihály Kótai and Roman Dzsuman. The most marketable fighter in my stable is a heavyweight: Albert Sosnowski. He has fought on HBO and ESPN cards as well.

The future

For an upcoming fighter, it's very important to fight against beatable, but solid opposition to get prepared for tough fights. Most American ex-Olympians fight very good opposition even in the early stages of their pro careers. In Europe, some promoters make their fighters fight against less than stellar opposition and many of these fighters fold when they face a real opponent. What do you do to avoid this kind of trap?
We try to avoid this problem by finding more and more capable opponents for our fighters. We also organize training camps in the USA, Denmark or the Netherlands and get quality sparring partners, so that our fighters can prepare themselves for the real tests.

What are the upcoming events of Polish Boxing Promotion?
Some of my fighters will fight in Denmark in September
On the 15th of September, Jacek Bielski will fight against Jawad Khaliq for the IBO welterweight title in Nottingham, England. In the undercard, I have several fighters too.
In Poland, on the 29th September, Guzowska will fight one of the best female fighters in the world, Laura Serrano, who fought to a draw against Christy Martin in a Don King card. On the same night Roman Dzsuman will battle for the IBO international welterweight title.
On the 13th of October, in Budapest, Hungary we will organize a fight card with Albert Sosnowski, Agnyieska Ryilik and Mihály Kótai as the main event. Szabolcs Rimovszky will debut that night.

On the 15th of September Jacek Bielski will get his first title shot against Jawaid Khaliq. How do you rate Bielski's chances?
50 per cent.

István Kovács made pro boxing immensely successful in Hungary. A Koko fight means a sell-out crowd in Hungary. Will you organize fights in Hungary in the future? How about putting Felix Promotion’s fighters (Hungarian boxing promotion) on these cards, as you have done in the past?
We will keep organizing fights in Hungary, because there is a demand from a Hungarian TV channel. By the way: a New Zealander TV channel will also show the October 13th fight card, because they are interested in Mihály Kótai. Felix Promotion’s fighters, such as Bognár, Kalocsai, Szakállas and Szili all lost recently. Koczák is preparing for his EBU title fight, but I’m still interested in middleweight András Gálfi, who is ranked 2 by the WBO. I will consider offering him a title shot at Jowal’s IBO belt.

About Hungarian fighters

What is your opinion about Mihály Kótai?
Kótai is a real talent, a strong junior middle. He is a hard worker in the gym, has a big heart and determination. He will reach his prime in 3 years’ time. Mihály has a huge punch and throws very nice hooks.

The public was not sold on on Kótai’ last performance against Bediouri, because of his rushing, all-out assault style and because he did not set up his punches, just threw a lot of haymakers. What do you think of this?
Mihály was very tired in that fight. I was his third fight that month, so he was not at his best. He wanted to knock Bediouri out early to finish the fight as soon as possible, but the other guy has a very good chin and survived. Bediouri has fought Oktay Urkal and gave him a very good fight. Kótai beat him a lot easier. Bediouri came to fight and gave a good performance.

Kótai is training in Hungary. Do you check his progress?
I trust his team. His manager, László Veres supervises his training camp. We tell him the dates of his fights 2 months in advance, so that he can prepare himself.

A poll on www.profiboksz.hu revealed, that besides Zsolt Erdei, the Hungarian fight fans consider Kótai the most likely to win a world title. What do you think?
I’m glad that the Hungarian public trusts him . Kótai is only at the beginning of his pro career, but in a couple of years he will have a shot against anyone in the division.

When will Kótai fight for a title?
Hungarian TV channel, Sport1 wanted Kótai to fight for a title in October. Well, we could have given him a title shot for an intercontinental belt no problem. However, Mihály has a lot to learn and we don’t want to rush him. He fights 8 rounds. He will fight 10 rounders soon and when he feels comfortable he will get a title shot. He would probably win an intercontinental title tomorrow if he wanted to, but we want him to take his time. He should not be rushed. He will probably fight for a title before his 20th fight.

Roman Dzsuman started his career at the same time as Kótai and will already fight for a title. Is he more mature?
Dzsuman is from the Ukraine. He has no TV contract, no sponsors to back his career. All he has is his fists, so he has to walk the more difficult path to earn the same money as Kótai.

What will happen if Kótai loses a fight?
Nothing. A loss is only a loss. It will be a lesson for him, but life goes on.

You have recently signed another Hungarian fighter, Szabolcs Rimovszky. Why did you pick him?
László Veres recommended him. I attended his sparring session in Amsterdam and Rimonszky was very convincing, so I decided to offer him a contract. Szablocs will debut in October in Budapest.

Polish Boxing Promotion in the boxing world

For a promoter, it’s essential to have good connections with a boxing organization. Which one do you prefer?
We have good connections with IBO. I know that it is not the most prominent organization, but I’m satisfied with them. I’m not in the same league as Don King. We will have our first title fight at IBO. This is a very promising organization and is quickly gaining respect in the boxing world. IBO sanctioned Adams – Ayala and Barrera – Hamed. Hasim Rahman was on the cover of Ring Magazine last month holding his IBO belt.

How about the „big three”?
It’s only a question of money. I want my fighters to win the belt of a smaller organization first, defend it a couple of times, then get rated by WBC, IBF or WBA.

Which is more prestigious: an IBO or an EBU belt?
The IBO belt is definitely more prestigious.

Will your fighters fight in the USA, in the undercard of big fights, as Sosnowski did?
I have bought the broadcasting rights of the biggest stars (Hamed, Morales, Mayweather, Lewis) for Poland, so I managed to put some of my fighters on undercards. I will keep doing so in the future, but the most of the time heavyweights are favored in these events. There is one thing we won’t do: we won’t provide „opponents” just to put fighters on TV.

European fighters (mostly Eastern Europeans) are more successful in the amateurs than American boxers. In the pro ranks it’s the other way round. What is the reason for this?
In Eastern Europe, pro boxing has no traditions. There are no trainers, no sparring partners and no financial background. Governments invest a lot in amateur boxing. That’s why European amateurs are more successful. However, pro boxing is not supported at all. There are few promotional organizations to support fighters in their professional career. In my opinion, it will take approximately 20 years to get European professional boxing to the same level as overseas.

PBP has two female world champions. What is the public view on female boxing?
Agnyieszka Rylik and Iwona Guzowska are treated as heroes in Poland. They are the best in their weight classes, even pound for pound. Their fights are very popular in Poland. The public acceptance is mixed worldwide. I support female boxing.

Your boxers often fight on foreign soil. Which promoter have you connection to?
I have business partnership with a lot of promoters. Our closest associate is Matchroom Sports.

Thanks for the interview!
You are welcome.