Hornewer is an attorney and consultant whose past clients include Roy Jones Jnr, Lennox Lewis and Wladimir Klitschko. He became a boxing fan because free sports programming on networks like ABC and NBC allowed him to watch legendary fighters like George Foreman and Roberto Duran.
“There was a young man on my Little League team whose father was a boxer. We got word that his fighter was going to compete against the great Roberto Duran, and then we found out that when he found out who Duran was, he left the country,” Hornewer said with a laugh.
At Larry Holmes’ practice, Hornewer met Don King and was asked about his career aspirations. Hornewer said he would be a lawyer.
“When you are a lawyer Just call me,” Hornewer recalled King saying, so he did.
Hornewer went on to fight Mike Tyson-Trevor Berbick in 1986, where he met Matthew Hilton, a Canadian boxer who was signed to King. Hornewer worked with Hilton on a few fights. Then said he felt Hilton’s father was so close to King that he himself had little to offer.
Hornewer’s style of admitting the limits of his abilities And without pressuring fighters into signing any contracts, Steve Brunt called him and asked if he would represent the fighter who had just returned from the 1988 Olympics: Lennox Lewis.
“Lennox once called me and said, ‘What have you been doing all day?’ I said, ‘I’m worried about you!’” Hornewer said.
Aside from his concerns, Hornewer is also familiar with all parts of the sport. He sees his role as flexible according to people’s needs: “I act as a lawyer, negotiator, co-manager. Whatever is needed I worked the angle” is fitting for such a hectic sport.
The conversation loosely focuses on the many ways fighters need protection. with characteristic courage Boxers are often unwilling or unable to see the idea that one fight should stop or one’s career should end. But it can also take advantage of bloated contracts or environments.
Hornewer told Mulvaney and Goodman that he values honesty. Telling fighters what they feel they need to hear risks offending them at times. “I want to stop fighting two times too soon. More than two punches are too late,” he said, and he slipped himself into the spotlight to make sure the fight was stopped at the correct time.
The hosts discussed how boxing can be exhausting. Overall enthusiasm for sports fades with time. But admiration for the fighters remains. Therefore, fighters should be prioritized.
“The most important thing. That is my responsibility as I see it,” Hornower said, “to help them achieve their goals.”
The Fighter Health Podcast is available on Subdivision
