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Spencer Fearon: Find me a better atmosphere!

| E enjte, 02.04.2009, 11:10 PM |


Find me a better atmosphere!

By Spencer Fearon

I would like to start by thanking everyone who was in attendance at Kensington Town Hall on Friday night for the first Hard Knocks Boxing Promotions bill.

Judging by the reception on the night and the feedback I have had since I think I can safely say it was a memorable night for all in the venue's Great Hall.

As my title suggests, and I'm sure you have checked out for yourself in the video of the main event between Kreshnik Qato and Jurijs Boreiko, the atmosphere was off the hook.

I am not going to pretend it was a fight of the year contender (although it was a cracking scrap) but I would like to be there if there is a better atmosphere at a fight in Britain this year (and hopefully promote it).

Of course the Bernard Dunne crowd looked superb the other week in Dublin, but that was crowning Ireland's only current world champion, while this was a six-rounder!

The atmosphere in the venue took me back to my young days when I would go to the Saxon dances put on by Dennis Rowe with Philip Levi and Tippa Irie djing which were always jam-packed with everyone going nuts.

I deliberately did not want to use the platform of this blog to hype the event. Buncey told me he would have had me on his show to do so the same last week. I told him I didn't want a story to be about me promoting an event or my ambitions for the future, I wanted the event to speak for itself.

I feel these pictures say a thousand words.

I was intent on doing the basics on this promotion. Putting on decent matches and selling the place out - there were no two-for-one, Lidl-style deals.

After we started needing a shoehorn to squeeze people into the auditorium we had to turn people away at the door.

You can't conduct if you have no orchestra and I have no intention of bringing people to events that do not entertain them. I believe all four of the bouts we put on did that.

As Don King said to me when I met him in Berlin: "Promote the people, exhalt the people - the attraction is what counts."

My business partner Ciaran Baynes and I have exciting plans for Hard Knocks which I will divulge at a later date but I am happy to leave the example of this first show as an indication of what our intentions are.

This was the second fight I have worked Kreshnik Qato's corner (yes I was a busy manon the night) and once more I was touched with the devotion the Albanian people have for their hero.

It is an honour working with Kreshnik. It is easy to see why they love him. Despite his fanatical following he remains a humble, genuine guy. Eight years he came here without a word of English and now speaks four languages - including the ebonics he's picked up from me!

I also have to give my appreciation for the venue which could well be relabelled the House of Hard Knocks (unofficially, if my friends at Royal Kensington and Chelsea Borough are watching).

We at Hard Knocks would like to thank Enzo Calzaghe for giving us his punch machine which a lot of our punters enjoyed and the sponsors of the event Braemar Seascope, VST, Welbeck Solutions, WBX and Yldon, as well as Dean Powell for his help with the matchmaking and the Boxing Girlz who added another touch of class (there will be no busted girls at my joints!).

It was also an honour to have my friend and former world champion Colin McMillan there as well as current cruiserweight king Ola Afolabi and a man he could well face in the future Zack Mwekasse - the two had a friendly staredown.

One extra feature enjoyed by some of my long-time friends was the barber chair in reception courtesy of Nubran. Just a little reminder for those who think The Spirit isn't road anymore because he's promoting in West London!

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