Boxing promoter Garner had license pulled in Colorado
Aug. 26—Justin Garner, a California boxing promoter who's planning a card in Albuquerque on Oct. 27, was forced to forfeit his Colorado promoter's license for non-payment of bills following a January 2022 card he staged in Denver.
In a Colorado Office of Combative Sports document provided to the Journal by boxingnewmexico.com, it was stated that Garner failed to pay the contracted amount to three boxers on the card, as well as the fee for the ring doctor and the fee due the Colorado commission.
The document is signed by Garner, dated July 5, 2022. According to the document, Garner did not contest any of the Colorado commission's findings.
Garner, his company identified as Legacy Sports & Entertainment, was granted a New Mexico promoter's license in July and an event permit earlier this month by the New Mexico Athletic Commission for his proposed Oct. 27 card at the Albuquerque Convention Center's Kiva Auditorium.
The necessary fees were paid and proof of insurance and of a surety bond, both required, were provided to the NMAC's satisfaction.
The document from the Colorado commission makes no mention of insurance or bond requirements, though Colorado's regulations require both.
Phone messages left by the Journal on Saturday for Garner, NMAC chairman Joe Chavez and NMAC executive director Richard Espinoza were not returned.
Garner's card is scheduled barely a week ahead of a proposed Nov. 4 card to be staged by Albuquerque's Aaron Perez, whose promotional company, Legacy Promotions, has been in business since 2015.
Perez has an active promoter's license, having promoted shows twice this year, but has not yet secured an event permit for his Nov. 4 event.
Despite the similarity of the names, the two companies have no association. In a phone interview on Friday, Perez expressed concern that there could be confusion created by the similarity in name of Garner's company and the company Perez runs with partner Gabriel Carlin.
"That's my concern," Perez said. "As it is, a lot of people are thinking I'm having a show in October."
Perez's Legacy Promotions has been staging boxing events successfully in New Mexico since 2015.
In a phone interview on Aug. 18, Garner told the Journal his Oct. 27 main event would match Albuquerque welterweight Clinton Chavez (6-1, four KOs) against New Yorker Dashaun Jones (4-3, three KOs).
Garner said he planned to populate the rest of his card through an online boxer application form on his website (legacysportstv.com). The response had been excellent, he said, adding that he hoped to have more bouts to announce by the end of this month.
Tickets for Garner's card are available on ticketmaster.com, with only one bout having been announced, but only a few seats have been purchased.
"They don't even have a card right now," Perez said.
In February, Albuquerque promoter Teresa Tapia found herself unable to fully compensate all of the fighters who performed on her card at the Rio Rancho Events Center. Tapia said an out-of-state partner in the promotion, Joe Kelly, had agreed to pay the fighters but reneged. Kelly distributed checks on the night of the card but then stopped payment.
Phone messages left by the Journal for Kelly were not returned.
No action against Tapia was taken by the New Mexico Athletic Commission, who since the Feb. 24 card has paid all the fighters involved either fully or partially.
Because Kelly was not a licensed promoter, the NMAC was unable to take action against him.
