KO Warrior Promotions Ram At The Fights interview on Cuban boxers

The KO Warrior Promotions Ram At The Fights interview focused on Juan Luckey’s plans to give Cuban fighters a route into professional boxing through Colombia. Luckey told Ram At The Fights that Impacto en la Costa would feature Michael Barreiro against Hader Julio and Diego Estrada against Camilo Morelos. He also discussed the obstacles to promoting shows in Colombia and his ambition to stage professional boxing in Havana.

What did KO Warrior Promotions say about the Impacto en la Costa fight card?

KO Warrior Promotions presented Impacto en la Costa as a Colombia show built around Cuban fighters, including professional debuts and a return to action for Michael Barreiro. Luckey named Barreiro’s matchup with Hader Julio and Diego Estrada’s bout with Camilo Morelos as fights he wanted fans to watch.

Michael Barreiro and Diego Estrada’s opponents

Luckey described Barreiro’s fight with Colombia’s Hader Julio as a four-round super welterweight belt bout. He said Estrada, from Cuba, would face Camilo Morelos over four rounds at welterweight. He also pointed to a Cuba-associated lightweight scheduled for eight rounds, although the fighter’s name was unclear in the conversation.

Luckey said two fighters from Cuba would make professional debuts on the card. He also described Barreiro as a fighter he was bringing back into action. His descriptions of Barreiro’s status varied, but his stated aim was to put Cuban talent in front of a Colombian audience.

Why the show returned to Los Córdobas

The promoter traced the event to a November 2024 show in Los Córdobas, a small beach town where he said the mayor loves boxing. Luckey had invited a boxer from Nigeria to compete there. After what Luckey considered a successful show, the mayor called him while he was in Chicago and asked him to return for another November event.

Luckey gave November 21 as the date for the new card, while the host mentioned November 23. The two dates were not reconciled during their conversation. Luckey’s explanation of how the card came together was clearer: a local invitation brought him back, and he used the opportunity to assemble matchups involving Cuban and Colombian fighters.

What did KO Warrior Promotions say about Cuban boxers in Colombia?

KO Warrior Promotions wants Colombia to be a place where Cuban boxers can debut, fight or resume professional activity. Luckey said talented Cuban fighters do not always get the chance to reach the professional level, and he wants his shows in Montería and elsewhere in Colombia to offer that opportunity.

He saw the card as a message to fighters considering that route. Luckey invited Cuban boxers who want professional bouts to contact KO Warrior Promotions in Montería. He said he hopes to continue bringing Cuban fighters to future events rather than treat their appearances on this card as a one-time project.

Cuban technique and Colombian power

Asked what fans might see when Cuban and Colombian boxers meet, Luckey drew a distinction between the styles. In his opinion, Colombian boxing can emphasize power, while Cuban boxing places more focus on technique. He expected those approaches to make for an interesting contest in the ring, rather than claiming every fighter from either country boxes the same way.

Luckey’s ambition to promote in Havana

His interest extends beyond bringing fighters out of Cuba. Luckey said he has been in touch with the Cuban Boxing Federation and has tried to arrange professional shows in Havana. He still wants to do so, but said the politics involved make the effort difficult.

Luckey mentioned DAZN’s work in Havana as something he admired. He would like to build on that example, although he said he does not have DAZN’s resources. For now, Colombia is the practical base for the opportunities he is offering Cuban fighters.

What challenges does KO Warrior Promotions face promoting boxing in Colombia?

KO Warrior Promotions faces two recurring problems in Colombia, according to Luckey: funding shows through ticket sales and helping boxers adapt to digital tools. He said some people in the local boxing community push back against a ticket-sales approach they associate more with the United States than Latin America.

Luckey wants to change that attitude because he considers ticket revenue important to a promoter’s ability to put on a show. He said Millions supports his ticket-sales approach and its online fight card helps him organize the event. Those tools, in his view, offer a way to build support for both the promotion and its fighters.

Technology presents a separate challenge. Luckey said he sometimes struggles to get boxers in Colombia comfortable with newer digital tools used around boxing events. He has had to learn the Millions platform himself before explaining it to trainers and fighters.

His advice to them is to keep producing content and give the process time, comparing that persistence to training. Luckey credited Millions with teaching him things about promotion that he had not learned elsewhere. He did not present the platform as a quick fix for ticket sales or the difficulty of changing established habits.

How did KO Warrior Promotions begin promoting boxing?

KO Warrior Promotions grew out of Luckey’s work in boxing management in the Philippines. He said he started in 2015, after a friend who worked as a World Boxing Council referee and judge encouraged him to consider the business. Luckey later promoted shows in the Philippines before beginning work in Colombia in 2023.

From teaching to boxing management in the Philippines

Luckey was teaching English in the Philippines when his friend noticed his interest and background in business. Luckey said he has a marketing degree and an MBA, but had not previously considered boxing management or promotion. He learned the business and began as a manager, naming a female boxer as his first fighter in 2015 or 2016.

He described that period as one of ups and downs for an American working in Philippine boxing. Over time, he moved from managing fighters to promoting shows. Luckey also recalled attending the Elorde Awards and meeting people in the Philippine boxing community, including Manny Pacquiao.

A meeting in Las Vegas led to Colombia

After the COVID period, Luckey went to Las Vegas. At a casino show there, he met a Colombian promoter from Montería who invited him to visit. Luckey went to Colombia and began working there in 2023. He said he came to conduct boxing business and has continued returning because of the welcome he received.

Luckey now describes Colombia as a second home. His path to promoting there did not begin with a planned expansion: it began with one invitation, followed by relationships that gave him reasons to keep staging shows.

What shows is KO Warrior Promotions planning after Impacto en la Costa?

KO Warrior Promotions is considering another show in a Caribbean coast beach town and planning championship fights in Colombia for January 23 and February 28. Luckey said local officials have invited him to discuss future events, while he intends to keep promoting World Boxing Union title belts in Colombia and beyond.

The January beach-town show remained a possibility when Luckey spoke about it; he said the city government had invited him to consider staging it. He also said mayors and governors had begun contacting him about shows in Colombian towns, including places unfamiliar to him.

Luckey identified himself as a vice president of the China-based World Boxing Union. Describing the scope of his plans, he said:

My intention is to continue promoting our title belts not just in Colombia, but worldwide

He said he had championship fights lined up for January 23 and February 28, both in Colombia. Luckey hoped to continue working with Millions on future events, but did not confirm a stream for either date.

Who is KO Warrior Promotions?

KO Warrior Promotions is a professional boxing promotion that presents itself as a way for fighters to compete more frequently and build their records. It says its approach can give a boxer the opportunity to fight twice in one month, rather than wait months between bouts. That is the promotion’s stated model, not a schedule promised for every fighter.