K2 Ends Up Quite a Climb for Brothers

Imagine a combination of Rocky Balboa and Ivan Drago with a little Joe Palooka tossed in.

Then imagine two of them.

It’s not hard to imagine the possibilities.

In one of the bleakest periods in heavyweight history -- a period so dismal that even the possibility of a Mike Tyson comeback is being encouraged -- the arrival of the Klitschko brothers was almost universally hailed.

Reared in Ukraine, trained in Germany, living in Los Angeles, fluent in four languages, each the possessor of a doctorate in sports science and both goodwill ambassadors for the United Nations, Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko were a highly attractive package, at least until Wladimir started losing.

So attractive that they began to wonder why they needed outside help, why they couldn’t promote their own careers, a la Roy Jones. So the Klitschkos formed a promotional company, K2, tested the validity of their contract with promoter Klaus-Peter Kohl, and proceeded to put together Saturday night’s fight at Staples Center between Vitali and Corrie Sanders for the vacant World Boxing Council heavyweight title.

What the Klitschkos learned along the way, however, was that this promotion business isn’t as easy it sometimes appears, doctorate or no doctorate.

Before it was all done, Kohl, fellow promoters Bob Arum, Dino Duva and Don King, Staples Center President Tim Leiweke, officials of Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Hotel and HBO were all involved. And the fight card went through more changes than a model at a fashion show.

Referring to Jones’ self-promotion and Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, Tom Loeffler, president of K2 promotions, explained that the Klitschkos “have seen what other fighters have done. The idea is not to compete [with Kohl], but to function as a licensed promoter in the United States. What specifically they will do with K2 is still to be determined down the road. Everything is up in the air,” including the Klitschkos’ ties to Kohl, who is not licensed to promote in this country.

Their contract with Kohl’s Universum Box Promotions, which was first signed in 1996 and twice extended, was to expire at the end of this month. But a clause in that contract stipulated time be added if the fighters were unable to perform because of injuries. Because both have been hurt, Kohl maintained the contract should be extended and, last week, a regional court in Hamburg agreed with him.

Still to be determined is the new length of the contract, but it won’t be in effect beyond this year under any scenario.

In the meantime, with the Klitschko-Sanders fight set and K2 not yet in operation, Kohl proceeded to search for a venue. Duva negotiated with New York’s Madison Square Garden for last weekend, but King secured that date.

Kohl then authorized Arum to seek a Las Vegas site.

“Peter was concerned over in Germany,” said Arum, “because there was no real promoter over here in America.”

Arum obtained a $1.5-million offer from the MGM. That’s when Leiweke jumped in. He has long envisioned Staples Center as the Klitschkos’ primary site. Leiweke has talked of staging a Klitschko doubleheader. When Vitali finally got the attention of this city in June with his valiant though losing effort against Lennox Lewis, Leiweke became more determined than ever to jump on the large shoulders of the Klitschkos with the hope they would carry him to a successful boxing program for Staples.

So it came as a shock to Leiweke when he heard that MGM had all but locked up Klitschko-Sanders. Leiweke countered with a $2-million offer.

“Peter thought Leiweke’s offer was only $1.5 million because K2 was planning on keeping the other half million,” Arum said.

Once it became known what Leiweke’s actual offer was, MGM officials agreed to match it.

Loeffler, born and reared in Los Angeles, pushed for his native city and Staples won the tug-of-war.

Fluent in German with a background as a boxing manager, Loeffler showed the Klitschkos around town when they arrived, became their business manager and now sits atop K2.

That, however, has proved to be an uncomfortable position in recent weeks.

K2 signed Vernon Forrest and Teddy Reid, two welterweights, for the semi-main event.

“Tom is a wonderful guy, but he is not a promoter,” Arum said. “It’s not an easy job. You can’t just say, ‘Hey, I got a license. I’m a promoter.’

“You think if I was promoting this card, I would have stood for putting Vernon Forrest and Teddy Reid on this card, two guys who have no local connection? At least put Forrest in with [Antonio] Margarito [an Arum fighter], who is Hispanic. Because you are not dealing with a real promoter, these things are allowed to happen.”

The controversy increased when Forrest was forced to drop out because of chronic shoulder and elbow injuries. Loeffler attempted to substitute an International Boxing Federation 135-pound title match between champion Javier Jauregui and challenger Julio Diaz. HBO rejected that fight and decided it wouldshow only the main event.

Another attraction, Lucia Rijker, arguably the best female fighter in the world, was also forced to pull out.

“While her trainer, Emanuel Steward, was away,” said Loeffler, “Lucia sparred with Carlos Hernandez. It was unsupervised and Lucia, being very competitive, wound up tearing something in the stomach region.”

King said he was called and asked to help salvage the card, but didn’t do so.

Local super-flyweight Jose Navarro has been added to Saturday’s event, as has junior-middleweight Carlos Bojorquez.

“Many have tried to be a promoter, many have put up many millions and many have failed,” said promoter Dan Goossen.

“What you often get is what you are seeing Saturday night. This could really have had juice behind it. It doesn’t, because it takes more than saying you are a promoter. It takes one being a promoter.”

Loeffler, of course, doesn’t agree with the harsh assessment of his card. Who is right? Ultimately, the public will decide with their pocketbooks.