Boxing is the sport of the comebacks, but whereas fighters do come back to the ring, promoters do so to the World Boxing Federation.
This description fits better to no one but Jerry Thomas of Clarksburg, West Virginia, the head of West Virginia Sports Promotion.
When Jerry, who began his involvement in boxing way back in 1977, last year decided to return to promoting WBF fights, he was certainly no stranger to the organization.
Roll back the years to 1991 and it was none other than Jerry Thomas who put on the third WBF world title bout in history when he matched hometown hero Tommy Small with Ohio’s Harry Arroyo in Morgantown, WV, for the vacant world super welterweight crown.
Although Small won the title with a decision, he conceded it in his first defence in Australia against Craig Trotter. In any case, it is with justification to say that West Virginia Sports Promotion is part of the WBF’s early history.
The company, founded in 1978, has promoted nearly 1.000 event nights over the decades featuring fighting sports such as boxing, kick boxing, MMA and Toughman contests.
One of the fondest memories in Thomas’ extensive promotional career, surely, must be the success he enjoyed with his brother Tommy ‘Franco’ Thomas, who was a world-rated heavyweight in the late 70ies, early 80ies.
“It’s great working with the WBF again, especially with the new management team which took over in 2009,” says Jerry Thomas, “I hope to do many more WBF fights in the coming years!”
The next World Boxing Federation championship battle in West Virginia is already lined up for this coming March.
When not busy within the fighting business, which admittedly rarely happens, Jerry, who is of Lebanese-American descent and in his youth served in the US Marine Corps, enjoys life with his wife Sally, their four children and four grand children.
