In the red corner, representing all the reasons boxing is losing market share to mma, traaaaaaditional boxiiiiiing promotiooooons!
In the blue corner, representing the future of storytelling and fan engagement, entering the ring for the first time, overrrrrtime booooooxingggg!
Boxing fans – scratch that – combat sports fans of all kinds, please welcome OTX, the new vertical for the brand that disrupted the traditional path to professional basketball, Overtime.
Boxing has a lot of the same problems that basketball had. Traditional gatekeepers guard outdated pathways to being professional competitors. That’s about to change.
Built by young entrepreneurs for a modern audience, Overtime became masters of content creation and fan engagement. They built a state-of-the-art facility in Atlanta, Georgia to serve as home to the Overtime League. Now, Overtime Arena will host 4 professional boxing cards each Friday in August.
In the first show, OTX featured an Olympic bronze medalist, top contenders, and multiple hometown heroes from Georgia. There were live performances and dancing in the walkouts. There were rules changed for added incentive for entertaining combat. There was a highlight reel knockout to finish off the main event.
Fighters from Philadelphia, like O’Shea Jones and Haven “Hitman” Brady, training with the future legend, Jaron “Boots” Ennis, put on a show in and out of ring. The co-main event, Elijah Pierce, dedicated his knockout to his daughter and said it was only made possible by his father spotting a difference in “Magic” Mike’s defense and altering their strategy between the lost 2nd round and the 3rd round KO.
When asked about how OTX was different from other pro boxing promotions on the circuit, Pierce said, “The whole staff is just great. The team made sure everything was taken care of with no problems, no issues, so I could focus on the fight. That’s all I could ask for.”
The stories told and moments forged were more accessible, sharable, and relatable than traditional boxing promotions.
Not only is OTX an exciting newcomer to the boxing space, it’s a necessity for boxing to evolve and maintain an engaged audience that can support the sport and its stars.
For anyone that wants to join me for the next 3 fights in Atlanta, here are the links:
8/11: Bell vs Carcosia
8/18: Scoby vs Carmona
8/25: Simson vs Hernandez
