RIP Boxing Promoter Ken Thompson

The fight game lost a good one, sadly, with news that boxing promoter Ken Thompson passed away, at age 85.

“You see the love from all walks of boxing folks and you haven’t seen one negative comment and you won’t,” said Beto Duran, who has called fights put together by Thompson Boxing for six years.

Ken Thompson had done well for himself in the buildings materials  biz, with stucco being a specialty. He saw a need for arenas for grassroots opportunities in the Southern California region around the start of the 2000s.

You can read that as legit joy on the face of Mr Thompson as ace bantamweight Danny Roman notches a triumph

Duran told NYFIGHTS that the sport won’t replace his presence easily. “Ken Thompson loved boxing. Doors at 8pm, he’s in the building at 5pm. Always smiling. Shaking every hand. Attention to every detail but never interrupted with your work,” the broadcaster continued. “In 6 years of doing the broadcast never once told me what to say. Never once got in the middle. Always said “thank you” after a broadcast. Mind you he’s paying me and says thank you!”

The company posted the sad news on social media Monday afternoon.

Duran: “Southern California club show yet made impact all over world. Took fighters to England and Japan and South America. You would have loved him!”

Boxing game stalwarts took to social media to offer praise. Steve Kim…

And fellow journo Doug Fischer…

As well as videographer Albert Baker…

Thompson Boxing executive Alex Camponovo kindly furnished us his thoughts on the passing of a solid foundation within the game.

“Kenny wanted to be a boxing promoter because he loved the sport, full stop,” Camponovo said. “We embarked ourselves on this ship that soon made him realize that this was a truly crazy business. We never dreamt of achieving much more than promoting a few shows and packing a couple of ballrooms, let alone creating champions, unified champions on what was then HBO or Showtime, but we did.

Camponovo and Ken Thompson have been a truly dynamic duo, building fighters and a solid rep

“Kenny was pragmatic, astute and kind, which is a rare combo in itself, but his wonder for what was to come next was always there,” he continued. “He was truly a good man that lived every moment and took every trip like it was his last. He celebrated the victory of a new kid in a 4 round fighting in Ontario, Ca as well as a world title defense for one of our champs in Tokyo, Japan. He loved the sport and he wanted to make it better. On the way, he made all those around him into better people, certainly me one of them. We had no clue, but we jumped on his crazy idea 23 years ago and took the best ride of our lives. Ken Thompson never wanted us to end it like this, so we will take care of his legacy for as long as we can, loving the sport that actually loved him back.”