The videos are troubling. They’ve made their way online through social media and other postings.
A club fighter, Jacob Solis, is in the ring with a world-class fighter named Marquis Taylor. Both men are wearing headgear. Solis is under the impression that this is a sparring session. Taylor has been incentivized to treat the encounter as something more.
Solis is staggered by a roundhouse right to the side of his head. Lurching forward, defenseless, he’s punched hard again; this time by an illegal blow to the back of his head. As he slumps forward, a third roundhouse right – also to the back of his head – drives him to the canvas. There’s no referee. No one helps Solis as he struggles to rise and staggers toward a corner.
The overflow crowd loves it. The blow-by-blow commentator calling the livestream, watched by thousands of viewers, sounds enthralled.
Welcome to Sparring Club.
Sparring Club is the creation of BoxRaw, a British company that sells men’s and women’s apparel and combat sports equipment. Sparring Club is important branding for BoxRaw. Its website features a full-screen video that shows two men in a boxing ring with the superimposed legend: “SPARRING CLUB: THIS IS KILL OR BE KILLED.”
Recently, BoxRaw entered into a partnership with The Ring, which is owned by Turki al-Sheikh, the most powerful force in boxing.
On 11 July, BoxRaw and The Ring promoted a Sparring Club event at the Greenpoint Terminal Warehouse in Brooklyn. Posts on social media advertised the date, time and site, promised free entry for fans, and described the event as follows: “Live Pro Sparring from New York’s Top Prospects … Raw, Handpicked, Dog Eat Dog … Two fighters competing will be selected to fight on the Canelo vs Crawford undercard.”
The social media posts served the dual purpose of attracting fans and recruiting fighters. A post by trainer Eric Kelly (who served as BoxRaw’s point person on the ground on the night of the event) declared, “Slots is slimming up. There’s only a few slots left. I’m only looking for killers! Professional. Who man enough to hop in? You say you can fight right? Let me know!”
A New York trainer who was at the event later told the Guardian, “Eric Kelly called and told me he was hosting a sparring session that was sponsored by BoxRaw and The Ring and I should tell any pros I have in the gym that it’s a big opportunity. If they look good, maybe they can get a spot on the Canelo-Crawford show. So right there; that tells you it won’t really be sparring. It’s more like a tryout to be on a team. You want to make an impression and leave a mark. And you do that by knocking the…
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