USA TODAY International Edition
Gates steps into boxing world
Tight end sees sport as perfect fit for second career
San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates likes to say that the best teacher is experience.
That has served him well in his 12 seasons in the NFL, where the likely Hall of Famer has caught 788 passes for 10,014 yards and 99 touchdowns after coming into the league off a college basketball career.
It also tells you where he’s at in his second career. As a fledgling boxing promoter, he has much to learn.
The football star grew up in the boxing- rich city of Detroit and has the sport in his blood. Gates’ grandfather is the late Henry Hank, a light heavyweight who finished his career with a 62- 30- 4 record, including fights against some of the greats of his era, including Bob Foster, Dick Tiger and Joey Giardello. His 1962 fight against Giardello, which he lost by majority decision, was Ring
Magazine’s Fight of the Year. “I grew up in a boxing world. It was always a passion of mine,” Gates, 34, told USA TODAY Sports in a phone interview. “My grandfather would take us out in the yard and show us how to throw right hands, left hooks. But to me, boxing was so time- consuming. I loved to play basketball and ( other sports), and that’s where it kind of lost me.
“I watched it all the time I was playing, from collegiate level through the pros. I was always inspired to be a part of it, but the timing was never right early on in my career.”
Once Gates began to think about the next chapter of his life, close friends suggested he get involved with boxing.
“They could sense the passion I had, not only for my city but just for the love of fighting,” he said. “I enjoyed doing it.”
The death in 2012 of Hall of Fame boxing trainer Emanuel Steward, who made his mark at Detroit’s famed Kronk Gym, where he trained 41 world champions including Thomas “Hit Man” Hearns and the Klitschko brothers, left a void in the city, Gates said. That triggered an urge to try to help fill that void.
“It was brought to my attention that our youth, our younger generation, didn’t really have a platform anymore because of the passing of Steward,” Gates said. “There are tons of guys training in these gyms without an opportunity to even fight. And there was something deep inside me because ... when you’re from Michigan, you have personal reasons why you do things. But it came down to me just saying, ‘ I can help these kids, I can have a legacy of helping them and trying to make a difference in this community.’ ”
So Gates decided to put on one show. “I said, ‘ I’m going to pay these fighters and let them come fight. I’ll get the media involved and just give these kids an opportunity,’ ” he said. “And the thankyous I got from parents and kids — I can hear it sincerely — about them having an opportunity to become somebody. So I decided to take a step forward and keep doing it.”
Thus was launched AG Promotions.
Friday, Gates presented his fourth show in Detroit. That card was headlined by the first fighter he signed, Damian Vazquez. Also on the card were the O’Quinn brothers, Jarico and Robert, fighting for just the second time as pros.
The top fighter in Gates’ small stable is Ronnie “Teflon Ron” Austion, a welterweight who is 9- 0 with six KOs.
“He is pretty good,” Gates said of Austion. “He comes from a family where his dad is still in his life, which is important in my opinion. He has a great head on his shoulders, and it’s different, because I’ve always been an athlete, and now, even though I’m still playing, on the other side of the business, as a promoter, what you have to go through to please these athletes these days is amazing.
“They have people pulling at them from different angles, who have no clue what it takes to be successful. Who have no clue what it takes to be a noble person in this society. I try to extend my hand, but it’s hard, because they have so many voices in their head telling them what to do.”
Gates is particular about the type of fighter he will try to help.
“I meet with kids, sit down with them and get a feel for the vision, i. e. what they want to be,” he said. “I’m not trying to rule the world with the fighters. It’s kind of like I want to help the ones that want to help themselves. You can’t save the world, but you can lend a hand to guys out there who really want to make a difference in their lives and their family’s lives. I want to extend a hand for those particular fighters.”
Gates’ family has produced a star on the rise. Gates has high hopes for his 24- year- old cousin Tony Harrison, a middleweight who is 21- 0 with 18 KOs.
“My cousin is going to be a champion one day,” Gates said. “He’s very talented, has a ton of heart, he has superstardom written all over him. His last appearances on ESPN, he had two knockouts, back- to- back, and I’m anxious to see his next fight ( July 11 in Tampa). There’s more to come from him. I’m not just saying that because he’s my cousin. I’ve watched him work over the years, and I’ve watched him progress every single year as a fighter. In any sport you have to have skill and will. It’s will that eventually gets you to the top, and his will is second to none.”
Football will soon come calling for Gates, who will report to camp this summer for his 13th season with the Chargers, the final year on his current contract. He’s not sure when he will hang up his spikes but says, “If this was baseball, I’m on third base. It’s safe to say I’m on my way home.”
Gates, who turns 35 on Thursday and lives in Hollywood, is working on getting his promoter’s license in Las Vegas. In the process, he has discovered the good, the bad and the ugly sides of the business.
“The business side of boxing is more surprising than I ever, ever imagined,” he said. “The money factors in, the amount of money you spend in this sport, the amount of money I’ve already put into this sport. So I try to strategically be as careful as I can, but it’s a business and you learn as you go.
“There’s so many guys that get into this business and then get out. We hear about all the money, but you don’t hear about all the money that’s lost in the process. And that’s something that I’m aware of.”