INTERNATIONAL SPORTS HALL OF FAME AWARDS
Saturday, March 5, 2022 | Arnold Sports Festival, Columbus, Ohio
INDUCTEES
Burt Watson – Boxing Manager / MMA Coordinator
A career in Boxing and MMA that began more than forty years ago, Burt Watson has served in a host of positions with some of Boxing’s and MMA’s most recognized names. As a consultant, advisor, promoter, and event coordinator, Burt has coordinated and been a part of some of the most unforgettable events ever seen in both Boxing, UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), and MMA.
Burt served as business manager to the legendary ”Smokin Joe Frazier”. Handling all aspects of administrative support from contract negotiations and personal appearances to television interviews and public relations. During his stint with the Frazier organization, Burt honed his managerial and event coordination skills. He quickly became one of the industry’s most sought-after event coordinators. Burt’s skills as a coordinator quickly took him to the four corners of the globe working on notable projects and coordinating historical Boxing events.
Burt was eventually asked by ION Pictures, the producers of the Champions Forever video project, to lead a two-year, three-continent promotional tour working with Joe Frazier, Muhammad Ali, Larry Holmes, George Foreman, and Ken Norton. While on tour, Burt had his hands in the coordinating of all public relations, personal appearances, and promotional stops, all the while balancing the needs and personalities of the most legendary diverse group of athletes ever assembled.
During the return to the ring of Mike Tyson and the legendary career of Oscar De La Hoya, Burt served as camp coordinator for many of their fights, preparing all budgetary and operational elements for the safety and comfort of those legends and later others legends as Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, Hector Camacho, Julio Chavez, Roy Jones, Bernard Hopkins, Michael Spinx, Arturo Gatti, Zab Judah, Evander Holyfield, Wladimir Klitschko, Vatili Klitschko, and many others. During this time he worked as an Independent site coordinator for some of boxing’s most notable promoters, including Don King, Lou Duva, Lou Di Bella, Butch Lewis, Mike Acri, Frank Warren Sports of London, Joe DiGuardia & Bob Arum/Top Rank.
While earning extensive television relationships, Burt has also organized championship fights and boxing events on such networks as ESPN, Showtime, HBO, Univision, Sky Sports, CBS, ABC, NBC, SPIKE, Combate, and FOX.
Adding to an impressive list of boxing events, in 2001 Burt was introduced to UFC President Dana White who introduced Burt into MMA and the UFC. Burt went on and became the primary force and coordinator for the UFC Ultimate Fighting Championship on its televised TV and Pay-Per-View events while becoming a legend and a stable influence in the sport’s history of MMA.
In 2006 while being the primary site coordinator and Fighter handler for all Fighters, Burt was asked to bring his skills and experience as a coordinator for the televised Telemundo airing of the Latin Billboards award shows.
In February of 2015 the “Fighters Only Magazine” which is the worldwide, national MMA publication, awarded Burt Watson with its Life Time Achievement Award for his years of work, loyalty, and contributions to the growth and development of MMA and combat sports. Burt also Host and created a Podcast Series on the MMA Junkie / USA Today network titled “Legend 2 Legend”. The format is an “OG” conversation with such legends as Royce Gracie, Uriah Faber, Randy Couture, Chael Sonnen, Glover Teixeira, Vitor Belfort, Rampage Jackson, Matt Hughes, and most recently George St Pierre. During that conversation, they discuss Life, Family, Career, and a host of things fans would never get to hear. Mostly based on his past working experience with each individual. Tune in to the website https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com for “Legend 2 Legend”.
Burt has joined The Bellator MMA organization in its very successful operations as a major force in combat sports and the ShowTime TV Network. While enjoying his work and time with Bellator MMA, Burt is still enjoying his passion and creating his Legacy as well as mentoring and motivational speaking.
