Philadelphia, PA—Heavyweight contender Amir Mansour today signed a managerial contract with Joe Hand, Sr., chairman of Joe Hand Promotions, Inc. The signing took place in the offices of Peltz Boxing Promotions, Inc.
Mansour, 41, of Middletown, DE, is ranked No. 15 in the world by the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and he is the United States Boxing Association (USBA) champion.
A pro since 1997, the left-handed Mansour is 19-0, 14 K0s. He has defeated Maurice Harris, Dominic Guinn and Epifanio Mendoza.
“I’m looking forward to working with Joe Hand,” Mansour said. “I’ve known Joe since 1997 when I turned pro and first trained at his gym. I would never train anywhere else. A lot of good fighters train there.
“Whenever Joe comes into the gym he always says hello and he’s very respectful. The main thing is that I trust him and there are not a lot of people in boxing you can trust. He has explained the ins and outs of boxing to me, telling me things that most promoters and managers would never tell me.”
Joe Hand Promotions was founded in 1971 and has been the premier TV distributor of pay-per-view boxing, UFC and special events in the country. Its customer base includes nearly 4,000 sports-oriented commercial establishments, such as sports bars, restaurants, casinos, military bases, universities and cruise ships.
“Amir and I became friendly through my gym,” Hand said. “He reminds me of the punching power I saw in just two other fighters, George Foreman and Joe Frazier. He can punch with the best heavyweights around and he makes for good fights.
“We will be working with Russell Peltz so far as promoting and making Amir’s fights. I’ve known Russell since 1969 and I know he can help us get Amir to the heavyweight championship.”
Hand’s association with boxing began in 1967, when he became a charter member of the Cloverlay Corporation, the organization that helped guide Joe Frazier to the heavyweight championship.
In 1995, he established the Joe Hand Boxing Gym in North Philadelphia. Many of Philadelphia’s best boxers have trained there, including Bernard Hopkins, Danny Garcia, Gabriel Rosado and Chazz Witherspoon. Mansour also trains there under the guidance of ex-pro Howard Mosely.
Hand’s growing stable of fighters also includes junior lightweight Teon Kennedy, of Philadelphia, and amateur cruiserweight sensation Andrew Peurifoy, of Sicklerville, N.J.
