Imagine planning a boxing event in Germany, where the competition is generally sparse, and then having to contend with one of the world’s leading promoters.
This, rather unfortunately, is precisely what has happened to Florian Winter, who could hardly have anticipated going head-to-head with Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions next month.
As far as he could tell, there would be no issue with staging a show at Europa-Park – one of Europe’s biggest theme parks, no less – in southwestern Germany.
Or at least, that’s how it seemed prior to the announcement of Agit Kabayel vs Nelson Hysa, which takes place in Dusseldorf on the same weekend – albeit a day later – on November 28.
Thankfully, the distance between there and Europa-Park means neither event should suffer any great loss in ticket sales. But still, it’s hardly ideal when the world heavyweight champion – and an immensely popular Kurdish-German figure, at that – is fighting on the same weekend, in the same county, as your next major show.
Speaking with Boxing News, Winter acknowledged the situation but, nevertheless, is choosing to view it through a positive lens.
“It’s not frustrating – I always say: You need to find a solution and think positively. For sure, it would be better not to have these events on the same weekend, but I think we can handle it.”
Part of the reason for Winter not being overly miffed by the emergence of Kabayel-Hysa is that, while recognising Queensberry’s UK clout, he believes his promotion, Ringside Zone, is cultivating a different kind of relationship with German fans.
That is to say: rather than building an event around one specific fighter, Winter hopes to reach a stage where, regardless of who headlines, fans will immediately buy a ticket and expect to be thoroughly entertained.
“We can’t do it like you do in the UK, with fighters [selling tickets], so we have to build Ringside Zone into a platform like the UFC.
“Then you go to a Ringside Zone event and know it’s going to be good quality, with a lot of action and innovation.
“I think this is the key to holding boxing in Germany. Before, we just built the Klitschko brothers [Wladimir and Vitali], and when Wladimir lost to Anthony Joshua [in 2017], German boxing went to sleep because there was no platform.”
British and Irish fans might have been there for Ringside Zone’s breakout night in May, when Paddy Donovan defeated Karen Chukhadzhian at Mannheim’s SAP-Arena.
Prior to it taking place, Winter was under a fair amount of pressure but, ultimately, managed to deliver a successful event which, unlike most UK shows, had thousands in attendance from 7pm onwards.
“I was really happy with the event in Mannheim – most people in Germany didn’t think we could bring more than 10,000 people to an arena for boxing.
“It shows the target group is still there, and that event really helped us with sponsorship deals and media [exposure].
“There’s always pressure, but I love pressure. How do you say … pressure makes diamonds? No risk, no fun!
“And I always feel confident, because we have a great team. We are Germans, so we do things step by step, with planning and a structure in place.”
As for Ringside Zone’s upcoming show at Europa-Park, fans can expect another heavyweight extravaganza, featuring unbeaten prospect Emanuel Odiase and a European title clash between Labinot Xhoxhaj and Eduardo Giustini.
When asked why there is so much emerging heavyweight talent in Germany, Winter initially joked it’s because they “eat a lot” but then discussed the high standard of amateur competition, with the likes of Nikita Putilov and Amin Younes Ouchaou leading the way in the unpaid code.
Among the promising professionals, meanwhile, are Olympic bronze medallist Nelvie Tiafack and the Ademi brothers – Ismet and Endrit – who signed multi-year deals with Ringside Zone last month.
