Dame Dash and others expand to the Boxing Ring

Wednesday, August 3, 2005
By: Kenny Rodriguez

Dame Dash

In a recent New York Times article, hip-hop mogul Damon Dash spoke about his latest business venture in the professional boxing arena. Dash, best known as co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Record and Rocawear clothing, has joined promoter Lou DiBella to form Dash-DiBella Promotions – a company focused on promoting young professional boxers.

“Overall, what I’m trying to do for boxing as a whole, I want to bring the sexiness and the charisma of the glitz and glamour and the diamonds back to the sport,” said 34-year-old Dash. “I want people to look at the fights more as an event as well as love the sports aspect of it.”

Since the late 1990s professional boxing has lost notable popularity in mainstream American, the NYT reports, and sports promoters have tried various techniques to bring back the golden eras associated with legendary boxers Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Mike Tyson. Many speculate whether urban cross-promotional tactics, such as those used in the NBA, can help increase box office sales and television ratings for the struggling sport.

Light welterweight boxer Floyd Mayweather expressed approval for the mixing of professional boxing and urban marketing. “I need to be promoted in the hip-hop area,” said Mayweather. “My fights need to be promoted like it’s a rap album. I need commercials like, ‘Coming soon: It’s something you can’t miss.’ I think the hip-hop world and the boxing world coming together is great on both ends.”

Other notable hip-hop businessmen who have made the transition to the boxing arena include James Prince, founder of Rap-A-Lot Records, and Chris Gotti, chief executive of the Inc. (formerly Murder Inc.) and brother of Irv Gotti.

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