While law practitioners generally aren’t thought of in charitable terms by most members of the general public, few would object to the motion that lawyers are a necessity in modern day life, and in fact, it could well be argued that denizens of the legal profession have sustained more than a few businesses during the tough times that most enterprises must go through from time to time.
One of those business categories that has seen its share of ups and downs over the years is professional boxing, much to the annoyance of the old boxing establishment.
While boxing is a sport, it’s also an industry, and boxers, promoters, managers, and other such participants in the prizefighting business all share one central need in common; lawyers. One of the more forward thinking boxing promoters said of lawyers, “They are like the police force, you’d like to think you could do without them, but unfortunately in modern day times, they are a necessity.”
John Hornewer is a lawyer that has never actually performed or practiced in a courtroom. Straight from the classroom, he started his career as a fresh-faced attorney to heavyweight boxer Lennox Lewis and was instrumental in helping to put together the deal that brought Lewis back to his native Britain.
These days, Hornewer is one of the leading lights among lawyers who sail the choppy seas of pro boxing and Chicago native’s current client list speaks volumes about both his legal acumen and versatility.
“I’m an attorney for professional boxers,” says Hornewer. “Depending on who they are and what they need, is how my services are defined. For example, for Floyd Mayweather, it’s just doing the contracts; for Wladimir Klitschko, it’s doing his personal boxing related legal work plus the work for K2 Promotions.
“With Chris Byrd, it was almost co-managing with Tracy Byrd. Depending on what the particular boxer needs, I try to fill the need and serve the role that they require; it’s really a broad spectrum.”
Hornewer is a busy man and has cause to travel far and wide in his profession. This week he’s in England, hard at work for one of the main performers in this Saturday’s massive Ricky Hatton vs. Juan Lazcano showdown at the City of Manchester Stadium.
“I’m here as part of Team Malignaggi, for Paulie Malignaggi, the IBF junior welterweight champion who is fighting on the Ricky Hatton card in a rematch with Lovemore N’dou,” said Hornewer. “Assuming all goes well on Saturday night, there is the potential for Paulie to have a mega-fight matchup with Ricky Hatton in the fall in America.”
It’s not all terms and stipulations with Hornewer as he pursues his craft; there’s a lot of love for the sport amid the negotiations and deal making. The attorney also possesses a keen eye for the finer points of the game as evidenced by his rundown of Malignaggi’s chances this weekend against a dangerous opponent.
“Paulie can’t do any better than he did the last time; not with his style, he’s not a knockout puncher,” Hornewer surmised. “I think that Lovemore N’dou is going to be motivated, he knows this is probably his last chance in boxing to make a mark and the obvious difficulty for Paulie is motivational in that he already beat the guy so convincingly before; how do you get up for the fight?
“How do you remain focused on Lovemore N’dou knowing that there’s a Ricky Hatton fight out there? Too often, fighters fall into that trap of looking beyond to the next fight and that’s what Paulie has to protect against. So, I think it’s really on Paulie to not only be physically ready but to maintain an incredible mental focus.”
Having been involved in boxing for decades, Hornewer is adept at recognizing not only the pitfalls that potentially await his clients but also the rich rewards that come from smart career choices. Like the rest of Team Malignaggi, Hornewer hopes that having Paulie fight on the same bill as junior lightweight divisional leader Ricky Hatton will serve as a springboard for their boxer’s entree into the elite standing of the sport.
“I’m excited about it for Paulie,” exclaimed Hornewer. “I think that Ricky probably learned a lot from the loss to Floyd Mayweather and obviously, Paulie brings a different skill set, to some extent, than Floyd does, however, I do think that Paulie has a great style to beat a guy like Ricky Hatton.
“Ricky, to me, is a skilled brawler; Paulie is a pure boxer who uses his feet and uses his movement and uses his boxing skill. He has a lot of speed and speed gives Ricky problems. Now, if Ricky gets a hold of him Paulie and grabs him and makes it into a mauling, brawling fight, Ricky has a great chance to win.
“If Paulie’s able to keep him on the outside, he has a great chance to win. So, I think it’s one of those style matchups that make for a very interesting night of boxing. I really think Paulie has seen the way Floyd handled Ricky and there is a blueprint now on how to beat Ricky Hatton.”
Saturday, May 24, 2008 will feature the biggest selling fight in the history of British boxing, IBO/Ring light welterweight champion Ricky Hatton vs. Juan Lazcano, in front of 55,000 fans at City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England on a shared production between Frank Maloney Promotions, Punch Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions.
Chief support features IBF light welter champion Paulie Malignaggi, 24-1 (5), vs. former titlist Lovemore N’dou, 46-9-1 (31), and Commonwealth welterweight champion Craig Watson, 12-2 (4), defending against Matthew Hatton, 33-3-1 (13).
Two other championship fights will be featured with English light middleweight title bout between the champion Andrew Facey, 19-5-1 (6), going against Manchester’s Thomas McDonagh, 31-1-2 (6), and Liverpool’s Mark Moran, 9-0-1 (2), squaring off with Danny Wallace, 12-4-1 (6), for the vacant English super bantamweight title.
Two-time British light middleweight champion Jamie Moore, 28-3 (19), also sees action on the card, facing Esau Herrera,14-3-1 (6), of Mexico City in an eight rounder.