Unprotected

By Alan Santana

Being in the fight game for over forty years, I thought that is was the perfect time to write a book to educate young athletes on the dos and don'ts of any sport, be it boxing or baseball, when entering into the professional ranks, as well as the business side of it. I have seen too many professional athletes make millions of dollars, only to wind up completely broke in many cases after their respected careers are over or, in some instances, even before they are over. In today's world of sports and business, you need to be educated on the many details that you do not get taught in the portals of higher education. The waters are infested with sharks who are looking to take advantage of many young athletes when it comes to finances and sports; it has been this way, especially in boxing, since the dawn of the sport. Unprotected will give you the insight and vision that you will need to navigate your career in a direction that will protect and educate you, so that you do not wind up as another professional athlete who makes the national news of going broke. All my best to you as you read this book, and may you be blessed no matter what endeavor you path that you choose in life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jun 30, 2021
• ISBN: 9781640275409

Book preview

Unprotected

A Tactical Approach to

Boxing, Business, and Life

Alan Santana

Foreword by Jack Reiss

Copyright © 2017 Alan Santana

All rights reserved

First Edition

PAGE PUBLISHING, INC.

New York, NY

First originally published by Page Publishing, Inc. 2017

ISBN 978-1-64027-539-3 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64027-540-9 (eBook)

Printed in the United States of America

Also by Alan Santana

Pulling a Rabbit Out of My Hat

To my father, Armando Santana,

and my manager, Earl Beebe,

who taught me that hard work and dedication

pay off in the end, no matter what.

To my wife of thirty-one years, who has stood by every crazy idea and business venture that I have thought up. She has allowed me the freedom to continue to be creative and adventurous to no end.

To my four wonderful children, Victoria, Austin, Andrew and Aaron, whom I love and admire for the wonderful young adults that you have become. I hope that this book inspires you all.

Love, Alan

Foreword

Jack Reiss

Ihave known Alan for a while, and I am aware of his passion for boxing, so it came as no surprise to me that he was writing a book to help a new generation of fighters. Since he presented this idea to me, I have realized that it is an idea whose time has come.

We are living in an age of fast changes in all modern sports, and the changes that are taking place are usually to ensure safety. For example, bare-knuckle fighting began in the rear of taverns in England. These fighters battled for as many as eighty rounds, trading blows to all parts of their bodies until one was too injured or too exhausted to get up and continue. Today we limit the number of rounds and regulate the size of the gloves and the weights of the fighters, all to prevent deaths or injuries.

Alan’s book has been written from his own experience. His desire is to help prepare the new generation of fighters—or any modern athlete—to be better able to handle the journey from obscurity to perhaps stardom and retain control of their destinies.

This book is designed to help them survive throughout their careers and prepare them financially for when they hang up their gloves and have to fend for themselves outside of boxing.

Preface

Ihave written this quick reference guide with hopes of helping boxers, both young and old, to be able to educate themselves and gain knowledge to successfully manage the business side of boxing. I have also included segmented portions of the history of boxing. Over my many years in the sport, I have seen time and time again professional boxers who have made tens of thousands of dollars to millions of dollars and wound up broke at the end of their careers. Therefore, I felt that this book would at least give them a fighting chance to succeed in the business while not being taken advantage of by others.

This is also a manual that can be read by anyone who may be interested in the fundamental steps of going into business for themselves. I have laid out the basics for anyone to start a business, no matter what their background is or what sport they participate in. This is Boxing 101, the business side. It is designed to give the necessary protection and cover needed in the ever-changing, chaotic arenas of boxing, business, and life.

Prologue

It was a normal day in the summer of 1961 as my mother and father made their usual trip to the grocery store. The trip was occasionally bumpy as my father navigated his green Ford pickup through the winding roads of Los Angeles. The warm sun glistened on my mother, exposing her beautiful features and moderate baby bump—she was six months pregnant.

As my dad proceeded to make a soft left turn, the passenger door, not properly secure, flung open and my mother was thrown out of the truck to the ground. My father brought the truck to a screeching halt and rushed to her aid. She was treated at the scene for minor bruises, yet the incident led to my premature birth. There I was, unprotected, weighing in at a whopping one and a half pounds and ten inches in length. Thus, my first fight began. The days