Patrick Ragan has spent most of his life in the sport of boxing. Following his own boxing career, he became a trainer and for 20 years ran the Westside Boxing Club in San Mateo. He went on to design boxing gyms for corporate clients and things were humming along.
But then COVID and the ensuing lockdown hit. Ragan decided to close his gym and he and his family moved out of the Bay Area. He continued as a trainer, working with fighters in Sacramento and Los Angeles, but for the most part considered himself semi-retired.
“COVID kind of destroyed everything,” Ragan said.
But he couldn’t shake the boxing bug. Now Ragan is back with Westside Promotions and the company’s first event is Feb. 18 at the Cow Palace.
It’s the first of three cards Westside Promotions have already contracted with the longtime event center.
“Boxing is in my blood,” said the 58-year-old Ragan. “This is what I do. I can’t sit still in my life.”
Ragan said this is no small-time card. His first headlining event is a World Boxing Council championship fight as 22-3 Ronald Gavril will face Khainell Wheeler, who is 7-2 with six knockouts, for the WBC Continental Americas light heavyweight title.
Also scheduled to appear on the card are Evan “Yung Holy” Holyfield, the son of former heavyweight champ Evander Holyfield. Andy Vences (23-4-1) of San Jose is scheduled to fight, as well as Sacramento’s Cain Sandoval, who is 7-0 with seven knockouts.
“We have a WBC title fight. This isn’t a small club show. This is a major event for the Bay Area,” Ragan said. “We’re all in.”
While becoming a promoter was something deep in the back of Ragan’s mind, he didn’t seriously start contemplating it until he was working with John “Pops” Arthur, a legendary figure in the world of boxing who has worked with some of the best heavier weight boxers of the last 30 years, including James Toney.
Ragan said he considered Arthur a mentor and started asking him what it would take to start promoting fights in California. Ragan was originally going to work with James Toney Productions, where Arthur was also working.
But Arthur suffered a stroke and died of COVID while in care and suddenly Ragan was left to go about this on his own.
Ragan knew the sport of boxing. He didn’t know all the ins and outs about the business of boxing, so becoming a promoter has been something of a crash course.
“There were so many different areas that I didn’t get to fully understand with Pops. When he passed, I was like, ‘Oh shoot. What do I do now?’ That was a very difficult [situation], to be put in a position where your head is spinning,” Ragan said. “It takes a long time to figure all this out. Walk by faith, not by sight. I’ve always just believed doors open.”
Ragan managed to navigate through it all and is now on the cusp of his first promotion and he wanted to do it at the Cow Palace because of its history in the world of boxing. Sugar Ray Robinson beat Rocky Castellani by decision there in 1955. Cassius Clay won the light heavyweight title at the 1966 Olympic Trials at the Palace. In 1968, Sonny Liston knocked out Henry Clark in the seventh round.
On a more personal note, Ragan fought a Golden Gloves tournament at the Cow Palace in 1982.
“We’re calling it, ‘Resurrecting the Palace,’” Ragan said of the card’s slogan. “ I wanted to use the Cow Palace. This is where Sonny Liston fought. Sugar Ray Robinson fought. … If you look up the greatest boxing venues of all time, the Cow Palace is still in the top 10.”
Ragan believes there is an untapped market for good, quality, affordable boxing cards among Bay Area boxing fans. If he can supply that, the fans will come. That’s why this first card is not make-or-break for the fledgling promotion company. He said he is committed to the three cards this year and with sponsorship help, is OK not making a lot of money on next Saturday’s event. He looks at it as an introduction to the Bay Area boxing scene, with the hope that it grows for boxing cards scheduled in June and November.
“We’re putting together great boxing minds that understand the business. We’re not looking to be a flash in the pan. We’re not just throwing an event. We’re throwing a vision. The vision is, we’re going to go all in on this situation and bring the best entertainment we can,” Ragan said. “[Fans] are tired of these small shows. These four-round fights.”
He also believes the venue itself can become a calling card.
“We had interest in resurrecting the Palace. It has some cool, old bones to it. Yes, it needs some loving. It needs some upgrades and maybe we can showcase it and bring some money into it,” Ragan said. “We could have gone [somewhere else]. We chose the Cow Palace because of the history.”
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