The best punch trackers on the market
21st April 2020
By: Noah Abrahams
Perhaps boxing’s most famous yet mysterious manager and promoter, today Al Haymon celebrates his 65th birthday.
Working in the shadows of the sport’s most iconic names, Haymon’s list of clientele stretches from Floyd Mayweather Jr to Amir Khan and Manny Pacquiao.
His older brother Bobby Haymon sharing a ring with Sugar Ray Leonard as a former boxer, fighting was always in the American’s blood.
Growing up in Ohio and studying Economics at Harvard University, Haymon’s life as a promoter began through music, using his student loan to kick start a string of events. With a master’s degree in Business Administration to his name, an academic turned to a creative art, eventually making his first millions when representing the likes of Whitney Houston and rapper MC Hammer.
An incredibly wealthy businessman, it was only in 2000 that after over twenty years of success with Eddie Murphy, concerts and comedy, Haymon turned his hand to boxing.
Licensed in Nevada as a manager whilst also functioning as a promoter, the rarely seen figure initially took charge of the late super welterweight and welterweight world champion Vernon Forrest.
A father figure in several ways to Mayweather Jr, ‘Money’ is a prized gem in Haymon’s business portfolio. Helping the legend to manoeuvre in business and indeed life, a quiet character has been crucial in the development of an all-time great.
Influential not only to Mayweather Jr, American television audiences have for years been entertained by a silent power in control of over 40 different athletes and, in turn, their tv screens. Hard to hit because rarely seen, Haymon lets the success of his clients speak for him. In both 2005 and 2013, he won the Manager of the Year Award from the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA).
Popular for being humble, Haymon leads by example and is adored by fans because of it. In a rare interview given after winning the BWAA accolade in 2005, he said: “The stars are the fighters and, personally, I think it takes away from the sport when managers and promoters steel away the attention from these talented young men, who do something very dangerous for a living.”
Loyal, intelligent and enigmatic, everyone at Boxing Guru wishes Al Haymon a very happy birthday!
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