New promoter to enter Irish scene – wants to sign Irish talent

A new promoter is hoping to enter the Irish scene next year.

Kieran Farrell, at just 26 years old, enters the game at a young age, but the Manchester man lives and breathes boxing.

Formerly one of the hottest prospects in Britain, Farrell was forced to retire following a brain injury sustained in a close loss to Anthony Crolla in an English lightweight title fight back in 2012.

‘Vicious’ jumped straight back into boxing however, setting up ‘The People’s Gym’ in his local area of Heywood. An inspirational man, Farrell was last week awarded a British Empire Medal for his work in the community through the gym which includes running classes for children with behavioural difficulties, the homeless, and people suffering from addiction.

However, it is not just charity work for Farrell, and he has also moved into the promotional and management side of the game, currently having twelve licensed fighters on his books with more coming through. This month he will run his third show on November 18th at the Bowlers Exhibition Centre, and he is hoping to expand in 2017.

This expansion features Belfast, a city close to his heart. No stranger to the Titanic City, Farrell was trained by Belfast legend John Breen, and even holds an amateur win over Mick Conlan. Farrell is hoping to move into the Irish scene and his door is open to any and all Irish fighters who are looking to be signed – should they have the same passion and hunger for the sport that he does.

Farrell spoke to Irish-Boxing.com about his plans and explained how he is an equal opportunities man, and is willing to work with any fighter with a love of the game, be they red-hot prospect or journeyman.

While his Belfast show is tentatively scheduled for October of next year, he described how “I’m on the lookout for good Irish prospects.” Indeed he is already in the process of bringing through Waterford kickboxer Dylan Moran.

While each boxer’s matchmaking will be tailored to their abilities, Farrell promises that he will “put them in with tests, they wont be able to just turn up and expect to win.”

Farrell stresses that he is not aiming to make his fortune through the business of boxing and outlined how “it’s not about making money, I’m only looking to cover my costs.”

Outlining his sales pitch, so to speak, for Irish fighters, Farrell provided us the following:

I have an agent in Derry who will deal with everything if you agree to signing professional.

It costs £152 to apply for a boxers licence, we send that off with your medical card (or proof of your amateur bouts), 4 passport photos, your original birth certificate or passport, signed boxer-manager agreement and boxer’s application.

The way boxing works at the lower end of things, so coming up on the small hall circuit, you sell tickets. Firstly, £1250-£1400 pays your opponent’s purse, then whatever’s leftover in the pot is normally split 50/50 promoter and boxer so say you sold £3000 tickets, pay your opponent £1200, then there’s 1800 left over – you will get £900 and I as the promoter will get £900.

But I do things a wee bit different – I offer you 60/40 so if there’s £1800 left in the pot you would get £1080 & I would take £720 towards the costs of the show!

We would try and keep you as busy as possible, so you’ll probably be looking at 4/5 fights per year for first 3 years, keep your unbeaten record, get to about 12-15 unbeaten and pick up an Irish title hopefully, and start looking at the bigger picture then!