Lou DiBella

Last updated

Lou DiBella
Lou DiBella 2010.jpg
DiBella in 2010
Born
Louis John DiBella Jr.

New York City, U.S.
Occupation(s)Boxing promoter, television/film producer

Louis John DiBella Jr. is an American boxing promoter and television/film producer.

Contents

Education

DiBella is a graduate of Regis High School (New York City). He then continued his education at Tufts University before pursuing a Juris Doctor degree at Harvard Law School.

Career

Boxing promotion

DiBella currently promotes the fighters Regis Prograis, Tevin Farmer, Sergiy Derevyanchenko, Ivan Baranchyk, Richard Commey, George Kambosos Jr., as well as prospects Oleksandr Teslenko and US Olympian Charles Conwell, among others. DiBella is an ardent supporter of women's boxing and his expanding roster of female fighters includes world champions Amanda Serrano and Alicia Napoleon as well as Heather Hardy, Shelly Vincent, Raquel Miller and Tiara Brown. He also promoted events that Deontay Wilder, the former WBC heavyweight champion, fights on.

Past boxers represented by DiBella Entertainment include former WBC Middleweight champion Sergio Martínez, former middleweight world champions Jermain Taylor and Bernard Hopkins, former junior welterweight titlist Paulie Malignaggi, [1] former WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto and "Jo Jo" Dan.

Producer

DiBella expanded his boxing empire producing television content and films. In 2007, he produced the documentary Magic Man, which depicted the life of Paulie Malignaggi and his rise in the world of boxing. [2] The documentary had its television premiere on Showtime and was later aired in the United Kingdom leading up to the Malignaggi vs. Lovemore Ndou fight, where Malignaggi retained his title.

In 2008, DiBella added the credit of executive producer to his list of accomplishments with the 2009 film Love Ranch starring Helen Mirren and Joe Pesci. The film was directed by Taylor Hackford. [3]

DiBella was also the associate producer on the film The Fighter , which was released in 2010 and based on the life of former DBE fighter "Irish" Micky Ward, starring Mark Wahlberg as Ward and Christian Bale as his trainer and brother Dickie Ecklund. The film won two Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress.

DiBella then established the television and film production company BK Blu. In its first year, the company premiered the film Tapia at the LA Film Festival then later, premiered the documentary Maravilla at the Tribeca Film Festival, premiered the documentary Hardy at the DOC NYC Film Festival, and acquired the rights to a number of television and film projects currently in development. The Tapia documentary, which was co-executive produced by DiBella and Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, premiered on HBO in December 2014.

Other ventures

As of May 5, 2017, DiBella also owns two minor league baseball teams, Tampa Bay Rays Double-A Southern League affiliate, the Montgomery Biscuits, and San Francisco Giants Double-A Eastern League affiliate, the Richmond Flying Squirrels. The Biscuits' home field is Montgomery Riverwalk Stadium, while the Flying Squirrels play their home games at Richmond's The Diamond. [4] [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Boxing Council</span> Sanctioning organization for professional boxing bouts

The World Boxing Council (WBC) is an international professional boxing organization. It is among the four major organizations which sanction professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Organization (WBO).

John Mugabi is a Ugandan former professional boxer who competed from 1980 to 1991, and 1996 to 1999. He held the WBC super-welterweight title from 1989 to 1990, and challenged twice for world titles at middleweight, including the undisputed championship.

Paul Anthony "Paulie" Ayala is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1992 to 2004. He was a multiple-division World champion who held the WBA bantamweight title, and the IBO super bantamweight title. In 1999 he was voted "Fighter of the Year" by The Ring magazine for his first bout against Johnny Tapia, which also won "Fight of the Year" honors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buddy McGirt</span> American boxer, boxing trainer

James Walter "Buddy" McGirt is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1982 to 1997, and has since worked as a boxing trainer. He held world championships in two weight classes, including the IBF junior welterweight title in 1988, and the WBC and lineal welterweight titles from 1991 to 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andre Berto</span> American boxer (born 1983)

Andre Michael Berto is a former professional boxer who competed from 2004 to 2018. He holds dual Haitian and American citizenship. A two-time former welterweight world champion, he held the WBC and IBF titles between 2008 and 2011, and the WBA interim title in 2015. As an amateur, he won the National Golden Gloves tournament in 2001 and 2003 (welterweight), and would represent the U.S. at the 2003 World Championships, winning a welterweight bronze medal. He also represented Haiti at the 2004 Olympics, reaching the opening round of the welterweight bracket.

Light welterweight, also known as junior welterweight or super lightweight, is a weight class in combat sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paulie Malignaggi</span> American boxer

Paul "Paulie" Malignaggi is an American former professional boxer who competed from 2001 to 2017 and has since worked as a boxing commentator and analyst, currently with BYB Extreme Bare Knuckle Fighting Series and ProBox TV alongside Mike Goldberg. He held world championships in two weight classes, including the IBF junior welterweight title from 2007 to 2008, and the WBA welterweight title from 2012 to 2013. Malignaggi competed once as a bare knuckle boxer in 2019 in a loss to MMA fighter Artem Lobov. Malignaggi was particularly known for his hand speed, boxing ability, athleticism, and durable chin.

Sakio Bika is a Cameroonian-born Australian professional boxer. He held the WBC super-middleweight title from 2013 to 2014, and previously the IBO super-middleweight title from 2008 to 2010. In 2015 he challenged once for the unified light-heavyweight world title, and in 2007 won the third season of The Contender reality TV series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edner Cherry</span> Bahamian boxer

Edner Cherry is a Bahamian professional boxer and two-time world title challenger.

Showtime Championship Boxing is a television boxing program airing on Showtime. Debuting in March 1986, it is broadcast live on the first Saturday of every month. Showtime Championship Boxing, which is very similar to HBO World Championship Boxing, features Mauro Ranallo on play-by-play, Al Bernstein as the color analyst, Jimmy Lennon as ring announcers, and Jim Gray as reporter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devon Alexander</span> American boxer

Devon Alexander is an American professional boxer. He is a former world champion in two weight classes, having held the unified WBC and IBF light welterweight titles in 2010, and the IBF welterweight title from 2012 to 2013. Alexander was prescribed Tramadol after surgery in 2012, and thereafter had to battle opiate addiction, coming clean in 2018.

Danny Óscar Garcia is an American professional boxer. He has held multiple world championships in two weight classes, including the unified WBA (Super), WBC, Ring magazine and lineal light welterweight titles between 2012 and 2015, and the WBC welterweight title from 2016 to 2017. As of August 2020, he is ranked as the world's sixth best active welterweight by The Ring, seventh by the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and eighth by BoxRec.

Julius Munyelele Indongo is a Namibian professional boxer. He is a former unified light-welterweight world champion, having held the WBA (Unified), IBF, and IBO titles between 2016 and 2017. As an amateur, Indongo represented Namibia at the 2008 Olympics, reaching the first round of the lightweight bracket.

Mike Alvarado is an American professional boxer who held the WBO light welterweight title in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Six World Boxing Classic</span> Boxing competitions

The Super Six World Boxing Classic was a professional boxing tournament organized by the Showtime television network in co-operation with Sauerland Event. The tournament was held from 2009 to 2011, with all fights being contested in the super middleweight division. The winner of the tournament, Andre Ward, unified the WBA, WBC and The Ring Super Middleweight titles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shawn Porter</span> American boxer

Shawn Christian Porter is an American sports commentator and former professional boxer who competed from 2008 to 2021. He was a two-time welterweight world champion, having held the IBF title from 2013 to 2014 and the WBC title from 2018 to 2019. Porter was particularly known for his aggressive pressure fighting style, physical strength, chin, and high workrate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jan Zaveck</span> Slovenian boxer

Dejan Zavec, best known as Jan Zaveck, is a Slovenian former professional boxer who competed from 2003 to 2015. He held the IBF welterweight title from 2009 to 2011, and challenged once for the WBA super-welterweight title in 2015. Zaveck is the only Slovenian boxer to have held a world title, and was named Slovenian Sportsperson of the Year in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adrien Broner</span> American professional boxer

Adrien Jerome Broner is an American professional boxer. He has held multiple world championships in four weight classes, including the WBO super featherweight title from 2011 to 2012, the WBC lightweight title from 2012 to 2013, the WBA welterweight title in 2013, and the WBA light welterweight title from 2015 to 2016. He is known for his over the top behavior both in and out of the ring.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernard Hopkins vs. Chad Dawson</span> Boxing competition

Bernard Hopkins vs. Chad Dawson was a boxing match contested for both the WBC and The Ring light heavyweight championships. The fight took place at Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, United States on 15 October 2011. Hopkins was making the first defense of the titles he won from Jean Pascal in Montreal, Quebec, Canada earlier in 2011 while Dawson was looking to win the WBC title for a second time and the Ring title for the first time. The fight was the main event of an HBO pay-per-view presentation.

Regis Prograis is an American professional boxer. He has held the WBC super lightweight title since 2022, and previously the WBA super lightweight title in 2019. As of February 2023, he is ranked as the world's best active super lightweight by the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, The Ring magazine, and BoxRec.

References

  1. Colin Linneweber. "Guido Brooklynite Paulie Malignaggi Ditches Promoter Lou DiBella". Bleacher Report.
  2. "Showtime To Air Malignaggi Documentary "Magic Man"".
  3. "Debut finally here for 'Love Ranch'". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
  4. Staff, WSFA 12 News. "Montgomery Biscuits Officially Have New Owners" . Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  5. Benjamin Hill, MILB. "Defenders Relocating to Richmond" . Retrieved July 25, 2023.