PART TWO:
Boxing through the eyes of a cutman!

April 28, 2004

By Trinidad Guzman

Photo: Roger Williams

Jacob “Stitch” Duran is one of the most prominent cutmen, not only in boxing, but also in the mixed martial arts “UFC” competitions as well as Japan's widely popular sport of K1 kickboxing. Most people would be exhausted by that amount of time consuming work but Duran does not stop there, he is also a representative for the non-profit organization “Retired Boxers Foundation” and once a week co-hosts with his partner Nick Ward a local Las Vegas radio program “The Thirteenth Round” dedicated to the sweet science.

If that was not enough, the fifty-two-year old Duran is also credited with being the pioneer of the widely talked about documentary “A Boxers Nightmare” which features some of the biggest players within the sport of boxing conversing about the changes that they feel are needed to thrust boxing into the twenty first century and protect its most prized possessions… the fighters! Fightnews was able to sit down one-on-one with “Stitch” and in this four part in-depth series get his take on everything from his groundbreaking film to the secrets of becoming a quality cutman in the cutthroat boxing industry.

Speaking of Doctor Goodman and Doctor Homansky, they are both featured in your film “A Boxers Nightmare”, when did you first produce this eye-opening documentary on the perils that go on in the sport of boxing?
I started about four years ago. What happened is, when I moved to Las Vegas I always wanted to create the film “Cuts, Cornermen and Confidence”, a young film director John

Barnthouse, was looking for someone to train him as a boxer and my name came up because he had heard that I wanted to do a video, he called me and asked if I would train him, but I told him that I don’t work with amateurs, I only work with pros. He mentioned that he worked in film so we got together and from “Cuts, Cornermen and Confidence” we really put together a great program called “A Boxers Nightmare”.

Tell us a little bit about what your film deals with?
It is really great for a young boxer who is looking to get into the sport of boxing, they would definitely have to look at this film, it takes you from A-Z about what is the right thing to do and what is the wrong thing to do.

How long is the film?
The film is one hour and seven minutes long right now, but it has some of the most in-depth information that anyone has ever created.

Who are some of the “experts” that you showcase in your documentary?
Fernando Vargas, Mike Tyson, Marc Ratner, Flip Homansky, Margaret Goodman, Mills Lane, not everyone could get all of this information from these individuals because they are not in the trenches, I am and I see what is going on. The information that is on this film really pertains to everyone in boxing, but for the most part for the young kids that are coming up, the young fighters that are not making any money.

So this documentary’s main focal point is on the young naive fighters that are just entering the game?
It certainly helps them, but also the fighters of today. There are a lot of myths in boxing that we address in the film. One of the things we address in the film is dementia pugilistica the “Punch Drunk Syndrome”

That is a very sensitive subject.
A very touchy subject, everyone thinks that if a fighter dehydrates and loses water functions from his body it will take water from his brain, which could create more damage to his brain because there is no water protecting the brain. As Doctor Margaret Goodman explains on the film, that is a myth! For a fighter to lose that much water where it would drain out of the brain, the fighter would already be comatose. When you do dehydrate, it will affect your body’s skills or your motor skills because you are just not one hundred percent, then you could take more damage to the head or the body, because you are not one hundred percent. So dehydration can affect you in that way, but for the “Punch Drunk Syndrome” dehydration is not a factor!

I would assume that a lot of people who have watched your film or are eager to get their hands on it, love to hear what the fighters have to say about the sport, can you give us a little glimpse into what the fighters speak about?
Well, the interviews from Mike, I have to tell you are not the interviews that the average person is going to get. Mike is telling the viewer to watch out for things that have happened to him. He explains that he has been ripped off over 100 million dollars and that it is very humiliating. What do tell your family, your wife and your kids? He also says that when you train you have to train at one hundred percent.

This from a fighter that is known not to train properly.
Exactly! But he knows what is nessecary.

I take it he is being very candid in this interview?
Very candid, regardless if he does it or not he knows what he needs to do.

What about Fernando Vargas?
Fernando Vargas is saying that as a fighter you need to know where your monies are coming from, from distribution rights to Pay Per View rights. You also need to know where your money is being invested, so you can take care of your money. You are getting this type of information from these guys. To hear it from a couple fighters like Mike Tyson and Fernando Vargas, you definitely have to address it.

It’s one thing to have the information, but what does a young fighter or even a veteran of the sport do with the information once they get it? How do they protect themselves from the scenarios that Vargas and Tyson speak about?
Well, number one, they have to get the right people working with them. It doesn’t matter if you call them a manager or an agent; you have to find out what they are going to do for the fighter. Are they going to make sure that the monies a fighter makes are going to be invested? Are they going to pay the taxes? Are they going to put them in some type of protected program where they will have money down the road? Are they going to have insurance? All of these types of things fighters need to be aware of. Boxing is a business, a fighter is an independent contractor and just like in any field you are going to have your insurance, pensions, savings, fighters need to understand this and put their money to work for them.

What is your opinion on fighters going to people or companies for financial guidance who don’t necessarily just represent fighters?
If they have a financial structure, whether you are making money in boxing, football, baseball or soccer, if an agent has a good financial structure and a good long-term plan for them, why not use them?

The reason I brought that to your attention is because it seems that most people view the individuals in boxing who handle the finances within the sport to be crooked.
Well, part of it is because you see all of these lawsuits. You had Terry Norris suing his former manager; you have David Tua and his manager.

If a former world champion like Terry Norris cannot protect himself from being taken to the cleaners, it would seem as if the little guy coming into the sport has almost no shot of protecting himself.
I agree! The fighter is actually the boss; the show will not go on for any promoter or manager without the fighter.

The fighter being the boss is a very important point that seems to often get overlooked by these prizefighters.
Absolutely, the fighter is the boss, but if you look at these managers and all of that, somehow they think they are the bosses. In fact, I brought that point up to Fernando Vargas about him being the boss and paying his bills, that is when he gave me the information about knowing where you are getting your money and how it is being spent. The fighter is the boss!!

Do you feel that a lot of the problems that fighters go through could be prevented if they would take a more active role in what is going on with their career?
Trinidad they have to! They have to because it is their money. They are the ones who are signing the checks, they are the ones who hired the managers, agents, trainers, cutmen, and financial advisors, they have to take an active role, but again this is all accomplished through education.

I am sure to most people it would seem like common sense that you would not allow your manager, who you hired, dictate what is going to happen with your own money. Why don’t more fighters stand up and let their managers know that they are the ones in charge and it’s their way or the highway?
In doing preparation for this documentary, I sent out some surveys asking general questions like, what kind of education do you have? Do you have a manager? How much money does he take? Have you ever trained injured? Have you ever fought injured? I already knew what the answers would be but I got some great responses from fighters and as it turns out, most of these fighters have less then a high school education and are below the poverty level when it comes to income on a year to year basis.

So you would like to see upcoming fighters get an education starting at an earlier age, not just a boxing education.
Absolutely! You and I just don’t get money and go out and spend it all. I have a family I have to take care of, I have to pay my bills and put some money here and do this or that, and so the idea is to be smart with your money. A lot of boxers have not been afforded the educational tools to know how to do these things. They have not been educated in a traditional sense on how to handle these situations and that is where a good manager or a good agent comes in, because that is their job to educate them on these matters. One manager that I feel has done a great job is Rollando Arrellano who is Fernando Vargas’ manager, he has done a terrific job; really he is a role model for managers. If you want to be a manager, you do what Rollando did with Fernando Vargas.

What separates him from the rest of the managers out there?
He has done everything that is supposed to be done, he made Fernando’s money work for him and Fernando will never be broke.

So fighters need to make sure that the people around them are trustworthy and have their best interests at heart?
Listen, fighters are not racehorses or they’re not greyhounds where you run them around a track, they are individuals and are some of the greatest people in the world, but they get taken advantage of because they are often naïve and too kind.

We talked a little bit about money; do you feel that the environment that these fighters grew up in has anything to do with the way they blow their money?
It has everything to do with it! Fernando Vargas said it best when he said, if you give a kid who grew up with nothing a million dollars he is going to go crazy, because he thinks that same type of money will continue to come in. He is going to buy the Escalade and the diamond jewelry and not manage his money. Another good example of this is when I worked with a young fighter named Ray Lovato and he fought Felix Trinidad and made like $85,000, a great pay day for that type of kid, but within two months it was all gone. He thought that there was going to be more fights like that coming in, but there never was.

Do you feel that fighter’s always thinking that the next payday is around the corner is a common drug of the sport?
That is a great point, because EVERY fighter thinks they are going to be a world champion and that’s just not the case. EVERY fighter thinks they are going to make $100,000, $300,000, $500,000 paydays and that’s not the case. The average fighter is probably making anywhere from $1500-$3000 for ten round fights! There is no way they are going to be able to buy the diamond rings and the Escalade and all of that.

Also See: Part I

Questions? Comments? Please e-mail Trinidad Guzman