The Two Iron Mikes
If you’ve been paying attention to my blog, you might have caught a post I did a few months ago about NJ quietly becoming a boxing mecca.
At the time, I was talking about a little-known gym in North Bergen, and one of the people making moves to put the gym on the map.
Fast forward a few months, and it’s a whole new world.
My friend is now in talks with a group of investors, opening his own gym.
He’s also building a stable of world-class amateur and professional boxers, MMA fighters and athletes from different sports.
Oh, he’s got a pretty serious technology play in the works as well.
Did I mention the film/television productions currently in development?
The ‘friend’ is Michael Havaien.
A Hampton University graduate, Michael (‘Face’ to his friends) is a force to be reckoned with.
Never one to toot his own horn, he’s been taking meetings and talking to some of the most influential people and brands in the fight business.
With friends in high places at virtually every major promotions and matchmaking house in boxing, Michael knows the importance of making friends.
Main Events, Mike Tyson, and Golden Boy, are just of few of the people and brands on speed dial.
With bouts lined up for main events and undercards in Atlantic City, the Prudential Center and Bally’s, you’re likely to see Michael ringside the next time you watch a fight on HBO or Showtime.
If you’re a true aficionado, you might have caught one of his by-lines in BoxingCommunity.org, 8CountNews or Bokser.org.
Soon, though, you’ll be able to tune into Michael’s own branded web channel, where you can catch his by-lines, videos and other exclusive content.
We can’t let the cat out of the bag quite yet, but Michael is about to drop a major bomb (we’re talking Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined – serious mushroom clouds).
If you’re familiar with the way Sean ‘Puff Daddy’ Combs established Bad Boy Records, and took over the music industry, you’ve got a hint about what Michael is about to do – hence the title to this post.
With a keen eye for business, an intimate understanding of the fight industry, a bird’s eye view of fight promotions, management and match-making, and a hustler’s mentality, cat’s are surely not ready for this mogul-in-the-making.
And like Puff, Michael has a uncanny ability to recognize talent most people overlook.
He’s cultivating a stable of up-and-coming (and undiscovered) athletes in multiple sports, and banking on one of them (if not all) making a splash in their respective sports.
Currently, he’s talking with B-Hop‘s business partner to provide PR services for upcoming fights in DC, working with the NJ Golden Gloves, and deals in the works with some of the most widely recognized promoters and fighters in the game today.
Stay tuned for additional posts about ‘The Bad Boy of Boxing’ and the projects he’s working on.
Stephen Chukumba 