Boxing manager Dave McWater, Founder and CEO of Split T Management, is one of the few managers actively supporting US Boxing and its Olympic style fighters.
“I first met Dave in 2016 and I learned that he is the Professional Director who will come to our events to find talent,” commented US Boxing CEO Mike McAtee. “Over the past six years, I quickly learned that Dave is the only Manager who regularly attends our events and actively supports the opinion fighters, their coaches and their clubs.
“Dave understands that 99% of fighters, coaches, and officials turning professional started in USA Boxing and/or remain part of USA Boxing, so he helped support Boxing. United States by sponsoring events or financially supporting fighters and coaches who attend events to compete at the highest level. Simply put, he is devoted to the Olympic sport of boxing, where most of the managers, promoters and media draw from our fighters, coaches and officials.
“He understands the mission of American Boxing: ‘create champions in and out of the ring’…”
While boxing promoters and most managers simply sign near-perfect amateurs developed through the USA Boxing program, don’t invest until When they turned pro, McWaters not only managed a number of fighters before they signed professional contracts, he also covered the costs of several fighters competing in tournaments, buying tables, and advertising at clubs. event, and advised his fighters whether to remain amateurs or become professionals.
“Some are not ready,” McWater said. “Their minds are so rich at the age of 16-17 so it would be a waste if they played against professionals at that age, when they could have accumulated great experience against the great players of the future. future in amateur tournaments. It stunts their growth. And they will certainly never turn pro in an Olympic year.”
Now authorized to sign management contracts with amateur boxers, Split T is arguably the biggest and most successful manager in boxing, having a stable with over 75 boxers, the majority of them is a product of American Boxing.
Split T’s growing roster of talented boxers includes members of the US Olympic Boxing Team such as 2020 Olympic bronze medalist Oshae Jones, 2020 Olympic athlete Tiger Johnson and athlete 2016 Olympic Games Charles Conwell, as well as former elite US boxer Teofimo Lopez, who became the first unification of Split T. world champions in the professional category, Khalil Coe, Otha Jones III, Javier Martinez, David Navarro, Diego Pacheco, Giovanni Marquez (son of 1992 US Olympic athlete Raul Marquez), Trinidad Vargas, and many others.
“I have no proof, that’s just my theory,” McWater noted, “but I believe many boxers started going to the gym after the 2008 crash (in which the sole medalist of Team USA was Deontay Wilder’s bronze), when there were bad times. They (young boxers) look towards Floyd (Mayweather, Jr.). We’ve seen much better American boxers starting in 2016. These days, the gyms, trainers and facilities are fewer, but the numbers are increasing.
“The medal says it all. Shakur (Stevenson) won the gold medal in 2016 and Nico Hernandez won the bronze. And Claressa (Shields) won gold in 2012 and 2016. At the Tokyo Olympics, Richard Torrez, Jr., Duke Ragan and Keyshawn Davis all won silver, Oshae Jones won bronze. USA Boxing is on the right track!”
In 2013, McWater founded Split T Management in New York City, bringing boxing into analysis and developing a comprehensive database of amateur boxers, passed on to professionals, including invaluable data. not necessarily reported in the press or on boxing websites. Of course, the critical boxer reviews for Split T in terms of signing boxers range from Olympic athletes to major tournament medal record, to winning. in their professional debut for one of the top 5 promoters in the industry. There is a method to McWater’s boxing philosophy.
“I grew up in the basketball world,” explains McWater, “the world is full of leagues. That’s why I attend many of the top amateur boxing tournaments every year, especially the US National Boxing Championships and the National Golden Gloves. Most mock it (using analytics). I have a lot of respect for scouts, but my work has its place. I watch 1000 matches a year.
“It’s a different world today, not conducive to star building, because some promoters have exclusive network agreements to deliver TV content. We sign someone we trust (based on the aforementioned criteria) because we worry about injury, crime, and drugs. We rarely contract a client we don’t like. Boxers are much smarter than people think.. Just because a lot of people are uneducated, they are extremely smart for their level of education. Boxers are smarter athletes and I’ve worked with basketball and baseball players.”
McWater is particularly proud of Split T’s women’s division, which, under the direction of Vice President Brian Cohen, includes nine past or current world champions. “Brian should be Manager of the Year,” McWater suggested. “He won’t because it’s women’s boxing, but our five female boxers have won world titles in 2022.”
Split T Management handles a variety of responsibilities for its clients, including contract negotiations, public relations and communications, training instruction, legal services, branding, community relations, and more. Copper and Nutritional Support. It also has the largest full-time staff in the United States: McWater and Cohen, CEO Ron Rizzo, Boxing CEO Joe Quiambao, Vice President Brendan Segales, Deputy Director (female boxer) Cohen and Social Media Director Ryan Rechten.
American boxing and McWater, like all supporters and fans of Olympic-style boxing, are concerned about the possibility that boxing will be absent from the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Then it is not currently is part of a sports program run by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) with an interest in the International Boxing Association (IBA) acting in the best interest of the boxing community.
“We all know about the IBA scandals,” added McWater, “but no one really believed that boxing would be eliminated from the Olympics. At the very least, it will reduce boxing. I’m glad that USA Boxing is standing in front of the IBA.”
Boxing in the US needs more supportive managers like Dave McWater and Split T Management.
