NEW YORK (DECEMBER 8TH, 2011)—On Thursday night December 15th, longtime boxing guy Rich Komissar will be launching a brand new boxing series dubbed “Tommy Gallagher’s Winners Have Scars”.
The first event will take place at Schuetzen Park in North Bergen, New Jersey and it will feature some of the best Up and coming talent in the New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey region in an effort to create not only the stars of tomorrow but put on the best crowd pleasing fights.
“When I came up with the concept, I had to instill the services of Tommy Gallagher, a lifelong friend and in many ways my personal mentor”, said Komissar of the legendary New York boxing man who has trained, managed and promoted fighters and boxing shows since as far back as the early 1960’s. “Tommy Gallagher may be best known as being part of the The Contender reality show but he is much more than that” say Komissar whose late father Stanley was one of the original founders of the legendary Starret City Boxing Club in Brooklyn NY.
“Tommy has relationships all over the world in boxing and entertainment and has worked with practically every major boxing promoter on the planet. I am open to working with any promoter and especially the smaller local guys right here in the area. We look forward to putting on shows that will help these youngsters reach their dreams.
“We have formed a strategic alliance with Rob Diaz and the people at Havoc Boxing. They have done four sensational shows in Brooklyn and we will look forward helping each other grow even further.”
“We have the first show scheduled for December 15th with some great talent on the show including undefeated Cruiserweight Santander Silgado, Puerto Rican featherweight Rafael Vazquez, local hometown guy Danny MacDermott who is always in great fights and IBO Mediterranean Lightweight Champion Floriano Pagliara.
“We already have some things in the works for a great show in January in New York City and we plan to be very active throughout 2012 with this series”
1st bout is at 7:30 pm with the Doors opening at 6:30 pm
Tickets are priced at $100; $75 and $55 and can be purchased by calling 908-240-2097 and are also available at the following locations:
Schuetzen Park is located at 3167 Kennedy Blvd. in North Bergen, NJ
Global Boxing Gym in North Bergen, NJ 201 348 3149
Jack Dempsey’s (Midtown Manhattan) 212 629 9899
Trinity Boxing Club (Wall Street) 212 374 9393
Gleason’s Gym (Brooklyn) 718 797 2872
NEW POINT OF VIEW; DESIGNER HARLAN BRANDON IS GAINING A FAST FOOTHOLD IN THE MEN’S FASHION MARKET WITH A LINE OF SHOES THAT ARE RIGHT ON STYLE AND PRICE.
Footwear News August 2, 2004 Byline: Barbara Schneider-Levy With a shoe line less than a year old, Harlan Brandon is already making waves in the fashion industry.
The designer’s signature dress collection, which hit stores in May ’04, was sparked by a former footwear agent in China who asked him why little to no footwear brands are targeted specifically toward African-Americans. see here lenox square mall
“It was a good question, and we began figuring out how we could find a way to do a [project] together,” recalled Brandon, who has spent more than a decade designing for brands such as Fila, Fratelli Rossetti, Nautica and Tommy Hilfiger.
The result is Harlan Brandon Footwear, based in Upper Montclair, N.J. Focused on appealing to what he describes as a church-going, African-American-man’s sense of style and price, the line retails for between $98 and $120 and features a range of dress and dress-casual styles that include looks such as a black ankle boot with a softly squared toe, a slip-on with ornament trim and a classic monk strap.
For spring ’05, Brandon is continuing in a neoclassical direction. However, he said, “I am lightening things up with a perfed and woven story. I am doing a series of spectators in combinations like brown and cream. In silhouettes, there will be chiseled toes, but none will be too forward.” To reach his prime target shopper, Brandon put his advertising background to good use by creating a marketing plan that avoided the usual channels. He took his message straight to the source, first introducing the line at the Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., a predominantly black congregation with some 10,000 members, where he and his family attend.
At the coaxing of his pastor, Brandon began sharing his concept with fellow parishioners in an effort to illustrate the importance of black-owned businesses to the community at large. To Brandon, his message is an inspirational one for other potential entrepreneurs. “We can change our communities ourselves,” he said. Brandon stressed, though, that while he may have a leg up when it comes to selling to his fellow African-American males, he is acutely aware that “In order to make money, I have to have a good product.” While targeting a consumer who is often typified by a faster, slicker approach to fashion, Brandon’s Italian-made collection of contemporary classics has begun to attract a range of customer types. “Everybody wears everything today,” he said. “The shoes speak to one’s lifestyle.” In the short time since Brandon’s shoes have been available, they’ve been embraced by leading African-American celebrities such as Denzel Washington, Wesley Snipes and Isaac Hayes.
To Rick Payne, divisional VP of Rich’s-Macy’s, Lazarus-Macy’s and Goldsmith-Macy’s, that lifestyle resides neatly between the stores’ Stacy Adams and Mezlan businesses. For fall, Payne has placed orders for Brandon’s Davidson, a center-seam lace-up; Josh, a cap-toe in deerskin; and John, a slip-on with metal logo ornament. go to site lenox square mall
“There’s no question that in department stores today, new upcoming urban or ethnic brands are making an impact in streetwear as well as other areas,” said Payne, although he noted that non-apparel areas such as footwear have not been as aggressive.
While initial deliveries were expected in June at Rich’s locations in the Lenox Square Mall and Cumberland Mall in downtown Atlanta, Payne said the line could soon be expanded into more doors. The Lenox location, which caters to a consumer base that is about 30 percent to 40 percent ethnic, makes up 10 percent of Rich’s total shoe business, and, said Payne, presents the line’s best opportunity for success.
Indeed, Brandon’s prime target audience is a potentially lucrative one. According to Ken Smikle, president of Chicago-based Target Market News, a black consumer market authority, the buying power among African-Americans is growing.
In 2002, their earnings hit the $631-billion mark, of which $1.7 billion was spent on men’s shoes. It’s no surprise, then, that major department-store chains looking to cash in on the rising trend have picked up the line.
But Brenda Scott, director of vendor development for Federated Department Stores Inc., said the appeal of Harlan Brandon Footwear is even larger than that. “We are focused on working with and finding opportunities with minorities and women-owned businesses,” she said. But, Scott added, “For any minority and women-owned businesses looking to do business with Federated or any other retail company, the [entrepreneur] needs to know the industry, know what niche they’re going after and what … they can bring to the table.” Caption(s): The designer (above) has created a line of dress and dress-casual shoes that includes the exotic print slip-on (left) and softly square-toed monk strap (right).