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One of the sport's youngest managers
at 41, the Boca Raton businessman has
been around boxing since he was a kid
going to the old Fifth street Gym in
Miami Beach and local shows with his father
and grandfather.
The 1984 Hollywood Hills alum waited until
he was well-established in his various
business ventures before he started managing
boxers two years ago.
"It's not as
easy as it may seem."
Hirsch said. "I had to be in a position
where I didn't need to support myself with
boxing. You can't approach this sport short
term and be successful".
"Now, financially, I am able to live the
dream I had since I was an eighth
grader at Nova middle School. Other kids
wanted to be a policeman or doctor. I wanted
to be in boxing....Nothing compares to the
electricity in the air, not even the Super
Bowl."
Hirsch
started World Class Boxing, which he is in
the process or re-naming Scott Hirsch
Management. Then he did something not a lot
of novice managers do. He started signing
fighters that everyone else in the sport
gave up on.
He gave
both heavyweights Shannon Briggs of Pembroke
Pines and Jameel McCline of West Palm Beach
a second chance.
"I am
very much a believer in second
chances....Every one needs a second chance
in life," Hirsch said. "Not all fighters
mature like Mike Tyson did at 19. Shannon
came into his own at 34. You can't write a
guy off with one loss. People told me I was
crazy, that I couldn't get them to train or
in title fights. I don't listen to
conventional wisdom."
In two
years, Hirsch's
boxers have been in 33 fights and are 32-2,
which is one of the reasons he' been
nominated as Manager of the Year by both the
World Boxing Organization and Boxing
Writer's association of America.
Briggs
won the WBO heavyweight title on Nov. 4 at
Phoenix with a 12th round technical knockout
of Russian Sergei Liakhovich. Briggs defends
his title on March 10at Madison Square
Garden against Sultan Ibragimov of
Hallandale Beach.
McCline
turned his career around and was on his way
to a title when he suffered a tough loss to
Nikolay Valuev when his knee gave out during
a fight last month. He has since undergone
surgery and is expected to be back in the
ring this summer.
Hirsch
said it's been a learning experience. "I
didn't realize the part that is
emotional...how hard you take the losses,"
Hirsch said. "It's so personal. The
victories are better than I thought they
would be and the losses are the worse.
"To
manage boxers, like Floyd Mayweather Jr. or
Vitali Klitschko, all they need is a lawyer
to negotiate the contract because everyone
wants them," Hirsch said. "To get Shannon
and Jameel title shots is a tougher job, and
more satisfying."
Hirsch
must be doing something right. He has had at
least 20 boxers call him since Briggs' title
win.
"How long
will I stay in it? Hirsch said. "I have no
plans to get out. I've always loved Boxing.
I did say if Shannon lost I would be out
March 11th but I don't think that's going to
happen. I am going to stay in it as long as
the run can last. |
