Promoter Owens: It’s pride, not just profits

Tommy Owens…small hall promoters battling the digital age

FOR Tommy Owens – a workaholic who has provided Birmingham pro boxing with a sturdy backbone – the problems associated with being a promoter have provided plenty of headaches, but have yet to give the man grey hairs.

Owens, in partnership with Jon Pegg, has - over the course of 11 years – given rank and file fighters stability.

In the years before the double act, our boxers pretty much had to earn a crust in away-day bouts with the odds stacked against them. Whisper it, but the Second City had gained a reputation for journeymen. It was sink or swim: the good lads learned to swim very quickly, the rest sank.

Owens and Pegg, through their shows – first at Villa Park, now at Solihull’s Planet Ice – have provided local boxers with the opportunity to perform in their city and given fans a chance to see them. They’ve been handed the chance to grow a fanbase.

It has, Tommy admitted, been a difficult journey. For a small hall promoter who relies on bums-on-seats, the digital age has thrown-up fresh challenges.

“I’d say to anyone looking to get into it (promoting), it’s not everything it’s made out to be,” Tommy said. “It’s a lot of hard work for little or no reward. Don’t go into it thinking you’re going to get rich.

“What I get out of it is a lot of self-pride – I’ve done that, everyone who has taken part has walked away safely, everyone’s had a great night, everyone’s talking about it. That’s what gives me the buzz.

“No one wants to lose money and I’ve probably lost a bit of money over the last 12 months. I’ll put on a show as long as a show breaks even.”

So why do it? “I just absolutely love boxing,” the 40-year-old – by day, a contract manager for a construction company, - shrugged.

It’s a love affair that has survived the test of time. Tommy fought as an amateur for Ladywood ABC and had four pro outings, winning two, at cruiserweight – between 2007 and 2008 – before a medical condition drew the curtain on his career.

He explained: “I had eight amateur bouts, got to 16, discovered going out with mates and took a big break.

“I was 24 when I went to Richie Woodhall in Aston and said I was interested in turning pro. They saw something and said, ‘yes’.”

Tommy, now living in Bartley Green, lost his debut on a cut so bad, Woodhall refused to let him out for the second round.

“At the time there was a different ruling,” he explained. “I was cut in the first and couldn’t carry on. Today, that would’ve been a no contest.”

Tommy speaks ruefully of his third loss. In the opposite corner, making his debut, was Bob Ajisafe, an opponent who would go on to take English, Commonwealth and British titles at light-heavy. The Leeds fighter also lost an IBO world title bid on points.

Tommy was taken out in the second.

Owens during his pro career. Picture by MARK JONES

“I learnt a lesson that night,” he laughed, “don’t fight an unknown debutant. No excuses – he was better than me on the night.”

With a grin, he added: “Know who the matchmaker was for that Custard Factory show? Jon Pegg.”

The father-of-two probably hasn’t let his boxing partner forget that.

“My career was shut down just as I was improving,” Tommy said. “They (the medics) found something that had always been there and I probably shouldn’t have boxed in the first place, but I have no regrets. It wasn’t meant to be.

“Because I didn’t want to walk away from boxing, because I loved it so much, I got my trainer’s licence, then my manager’s licence. I was a personal trainer at the time and a customer said, ‘why don’t you put on your own shows?’.”

The alliance with Pegg was formed, with Jon making the matches, and their first bill took place at the Holiday Inn on October 19, 2012, Birmingham light-welter Andrew Patterson topping the bill.

There have been many memorable nights since then, but Tommy singled out the May 14, 2016, Holte Suite, Villa Park, bill topped by quality Black Country middle Dan Breeze and Birmingham’s own Natty Howell, won by Breeze on points.

“That sticks out,” he said. “That was the busiest night we ever done at Villa Park, it was rammed, the atmosphere was electric and there was that bit of needle between Dan and Natty.”

Tommy is the first to admit a promoter’s lot is much tougher now than it was back then.

“The covid thing hasn’t helped,” he said. “I don’t think we’ve recovered from covid, plus everything is digital now. People like to hand over cash and not being able to do it the old way – handing over notes – has put some people off.

“Boxing in Birmingham is buzzing, but the one thing that hasn’t got better is the ‘bums on seats’. A lot of that is down to the digital age. We’ve seen the negatives of shows being streamed. It definitely affects the numbers, it’s a reason for people not to attend.

“We can’t turn our back on it, we have to accept it’s a digital age, but we can control it. We’ve decided not to stream every show. That’s because we want to keep the shows going.

“And you don’t have to be a big fan to enjoy the shows. It’s a great night, with a great atmosphere and DJs.”

Jon Pegg…He and Tommy have proved a formidable team

Owens’ passion for boxing has seen him overcome the headaches. And there’s no doubt he and Pegg have become a potent force that has forged champions.

“It’s a lot of phone calls,” said Tommy, “a lot of calling to make sure what you’ve arranged is still OK. It’s the silly ones – the silly problems – that cause you the most problems. Silly things like telling a fighter he needs to get this clearance or that clearance and they leave it until the last minute.

“I leave the matchmaking to Jon and cannot praise him enough. It’s a thankless task – you’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t. An easy win and people say, ‘we’re not paying to watch a mugging’. A competitive match and people say, ‘that one was made to soon’.”

Despite the sleepless nights, Tommy is committed to pushing boxing’s profile in the West Midlands – and next month stages two major shows in Solihull and Coventry.

He added: “I’ll continue to provide a platform for boxing in Birmingham out of a love for the sport.”

And like any love affair, Tommy’s relationship with boxing has had its ups and downs.