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On October 15th, IBF super-middleweight mandatory contender, Jesse Brinkley (35-3, 22 KOs), will face champion Lucian Bute (26-0, 21 KOs) in Montreal, Canada.
Brinkley’s rise to a world title shot may have never happened if it were not for the partnership he found with Reno, NV based promotional firm, Let’s Get It On Promotions.
In early 2007, Brinkley was at a low point in his career. He lost two fights on national television and his future looked bleak. Most, including Brinkley himself, thought that his career was over. Meanwhile, Terry and Tommy Lane, who had taken over their father’s promotional company, were looking to get started.
“We needed a headliner for our first show. It just made sense to have Jesse fight in Northern Nevada again.” Says Let’s Get It On Promotions’ Terry Lane.
The birth of the careers for two young promoters meant another chance for Brinkley. While the rest of the boxing community had written him off, he could still fight in his hometown area in front of the friends and family who had supported him from the beginning.
“We matched him against a good fighter, Dallas Vargas, for his return. Jesse dominated Vargas, and we sold out the venue. It was clear that Jesse still had the goods, and was an attraction in Reno. We knew that we had something special.”
That was just the beginning. Soon, Brinkley went on a sensational winning streak. With Let’s Get It On Promotions, he became a regional champion, world ranked, and in contention for big fights and title shots.
Brinkley’s career was resurrected, and the Lane brothers, sons of world renowned referee, Mills Lane, realized their dream of becoming successful boxing promoters.
The relationship between Brinkley and the Lane family became more than just a business partnership. Let’s Get It On Promotions, who are known for maintaining a lean stable of fighters, developed a close friendship with Brinkley.
“All of our mentors advised us to not have personal relationships with our fighters. That’s just not possible for Tommy and me. Jesse is a special person. He became a member of our family.”
“We do a lot together.” Says Brinkley. “We love to eat sushi, bet on football, we even went on a family vacation to Disney World together. We talk almost every day.”
Brinkley and the Lane’s found each other at the right time. A couple of years ago, many would’ve never expected that Jesse Brinkley would be fighting for the super-middleweight championship of the world, nor would they have expected that Let’s Get It On Promotions would be major players in professional boxing. But more importantly, perhaps, tight bonds transcending boxing were made.
