TKO Promotions has apparently been financially TKO’d.
The burgeoning promotional outfit headed up by Texas businessman Chet Koerner, who teamed with matchmaker Chris Middendorf, has folded up shop.
Well known fight manager Cameron Dunkin signed some of his prospects with TKO.
Formed in 2008, the company had a bad history of writing checks which bounced like they were being dribbled by LeBron James.
Often times, the checks were eventually paid but now several sources say that Koerner is likely to be next seen on the side of a milk carton.
“Chet The Jet has jetted,” one boxing guy told me. “No one has seen him in some time. It looks like his company has gone belly up.”
TKO’s troubles began after it had signed a legion of mostly young fighters, local yokels who the company thought would sell tickets to shows in their various hometowns. In many cases, TKO gorssly overpaid for the level of talent it acquired including a $125,000 bout purse for Rhode Island journeyman Peter Manfredo. Manfredo was given at least one “rubber check” as part of his three bout deal with TKO.
“Hometown Heroes” was TKO’s winning theme or so it thought
Koerner and associates also never locked in a meaningful TV deal, not suprising consider the roster was littered with unknown boxers and the harsh economic environment.
On Fightfannation.com, writer Mark Ortega was all over the demise of TKO like the proverbial cheap suit.
After a July 2 ESPN televised show in California, some fighters got paid with checks that bounced. No word on whether those checks were made good.
Oddly enough, for a company who boasted of “Hometown Heroes,” the main event on the July 2 in Ontario pitted Demetrius Hopkins of Philadelphia against Mike Arnaoutis of Atlantic City.
TKO was supposed to hold a card July 31 at a minor league ballpark in York, Pa.
TKO based its operations in Las Vegas but reports say that office has been abandoned.
So you think it’s easy being a fight promoter?
Try it sometime.
ABOUT TKO BOXING PROMOTIONS
Formed in early 2008, Chet Koerner?s Las Vegas based TKO BOXING Promotions?, originators of the ?HOMETOWN HEROES TO WORLD CHAMPIONS? national boxing series, stable includes: heavyweight Lenroy Thomas, cruiserweight Andres Taylor, super middleweight Fedor Chudinov, middleweights Peter Manfredo Jr., Giovanni Lorenzo, Elvin Ayala, James Countryman and Dmitry Chudinov, middleweight J?Leon Love, junior middleweights Bastie Samir, welterweights Demetrius Hopkins, Bradley Blankenship, Mikael Zewski, Michael Finney, Leti Leti, Alantez Fox, and Eric Mendez, junior welterweights Francisco Contreras and Joseph Elegele, lightweights Edner Cherry, Rolando Reyes, Terence Crawford and Fidel Maldonado, featherweights Matt Remillard, Carney Bowman, Dat Nguyen, Delvin Placencia, Gabino Saenz, Rafael Lora, Maxwell Awaku and Robert Rodriguez, super bantamweights Rafael Valenzuela and Dodie Boy Penalosa Jr., bantamweight Leo Santa Cruz and flyweights Rayonta Whitfield and Randy Caballero.
Follow TKO Boxing Promotions on Twitter at Twitter.com/tkoboxing
