"I really truly believe that Zahir belongs on the international stage and I will let his gloves do the talking on Friday night. But I really believe in this kid and the thing that really got me was when he said he was fighting for legacy. And he told me a story about footsteps in the sand and how the tides come in and washed them away and now he wants to put those prints back in the sand, but to make sure that they are cemented. We had this incredible conversation and we signed him and we are right where we want to be...He definitely wants to fight for a world title and I think after this fight, people will see he is ready to fight at any level," stated promoter promoter Brian Halquist, who talked about Zahir Raheem's return to national TV tonight on ESPN2's Friday Night Fights. Check it out!
PC: Big promotion on Friday Night Fights tonight with Zahir Raheem. You have to be pleased with the ESPN date.
BH: When we signed him, the deal was let's get 3 fights in because he's been off for awhile and we got our 3 fights in and our plan, no kidding, when we talked over a year ago, was to do 3 fights and then get on TV. That was the plan. I went back and looked at our plan. We even had January 3rd as our "hope date" to get him on TV and we ended up with January 10th, which is great because it was a pipe dream. We had the perfect plan and it worked out perfect. The fight is for the NABO title on national TV, so "The King" is back.
PC: What was it about Zahir that made you want to sign him?
BH: I had not signed a fighter for awhile. My idea was we would just put on the best fights we can. And I heard that Raheem was working to get back in the game and was looking for a promoter. And knowing that he had been with Top Rank and some big guys like that, I felt like we would at least talk to him. Our first conversation, I said, "Okay, we are going to do this," because he said something to me that no athlete had ever said, "I'm not doing this for money. I'm not doing this for anything. I'm doing this for my legacy because I don't want to leave this sport like I left it." When he said that, I said, "This is the kid." And boy was he the kid. And we didn't know what he had. The thing is, like he's said in the past, he never quit boxing. He worked out, he fought in exhibitions, so it's not like he just quit and came back. His first fight back, when I saw him, he was so quick and provided angles; I was like, "Oh my God." His second fight was the same thing and by the third fight, his improvement from his first fight was just tremendous. This kid is the real real deal, and he hasn't lost a step. I think people after Friday night will realize he hasn't lost a step. He is so fast and so quick. I watched him workout and he dropped a guy with full body armor with a punch and I was like, "Oh my God." The guy went down and couldn't continue anymore. I don't want to scare the opponents away with this interview, but I really truly believe that Zahir belongs on the international stage and I will let his gloves do the talking on Friday night. But I really believe in this kid and the thing that really got me was when he said he was fighting for legacy. And he told me a story about footsteps in the sand and how the tides come in and washed them away and now he wants to put those prints back in the sand, but to make sure that they are cemented. We had this incredible conversation and we signed him and we are right where we want to be. After this fight, and we take one fight at a time, but after this fight, I feel like he will be ready for the international stage in competition and we will be ready to step up and he will have 4 wins by then and he will be ready. We have been contacted by a number of people about him already, so there is a lot of interest.
PC: How important was it at this juncture, and like you said 4 fights into his comeback, to get him televised and get new fans to know him and familiarize him with old fans again?
BH: It was a real big part of our plan. We knew we had to bring him along and we did. He fought some very good journeyman fighters and after a year, we knew it would be very important for boxing fans to know he was back. Our goal was to get him 3 fights and then to get him on TV again because we knew people had to see him again on the national level. And this is actually an international broadcast that will be seen in South America, Mexico and Canada. He's gonna be back on that stage and that's really what we needed for him. He beat Erik Morales on HBO and he's just had some huge fights, so getting him on TV and letting everybody know he's back and he will be 4-0 by that time is huge. We could have continued doing club fights with him, but to really get him back in the mix, we needed to, one, get him in front of a national audience and, two, get him in the rankings. And he's in the North American rankings and intercontinental rankings and he will be fighting for the NABO title in this fight. We really want to start big game hunting because after this fight, we are ready for whatever comes our way. That's where he is at right now after this fight. But it was so important to get him on TV. That was always our original plan. We wanted to get him in a training cycle with worthy opponents and then we would really step it up in that 4th fight on TV, and then after this fight, we will be looking at a number of different things. But we already have a number of different calls and interest for him. I couldn't tell you how many phone calls for TV networks with an interest in him. After Friday night, I think there will be a lot more interest. I think he was the perfect boxer for our company because we didn't have anybody signed at the time and everything we do in boxing from publicity to everything else surrounds Raheem. We've been able to really promote and work with him one on one. I talk to him daily and I go watch him workout when he's in town. I like him not only as an athlete, but he is a good guy. He is a very nice guy. He is everything a promoter could ask for.
PC: What is the end goal for Zahir from a promotional standpoint?
BH: We will take him as far as he is capable of going. Our goal is to not only fight for one, but to win a world title. That is the goal. The plan isn't to get a few more wins and then retire or none of that. He definitely wants to fight for a world title and I think after this fight, people will see he is ready to fight at any level.
PC: I wish you guys the best of luck on Friday night. Is there anything else you want to add?
BH: Percy, thanks for the interview. I really appreciate it and anytime you want to talk after the fight, just let me know. I am just very excited for Zahir. He's worked very hard over the last year to show he belongs and he's gonna make some big big noise in this sport. Zahir Raheem is back!
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]