Egis Klimas isn’t exactly a household name. In fact, many boxing fans may not know his name, let alone those outside of the sport.
However, the role that he has played in the sport is an important and remarkable one, which sprung from very humble beginnings. His journey from refugee to top flight boxing manager is one of the most inspiring stories boxing.
Above: Sergey Kovalev, unified light-heavyweight world champions and one of Klimas' best boxers, poses with a fan.
Klimas was born in Lithuania, and fled as a refugee in 1989 after two years of military service. He went to the United States, a land which he believed held opportunity for him. When asked about leaving, Klimas says it was simply because he saw a lack of chances - there was no future for him. He arrived in the US with $42 to his name, barely able to speak English.
Helped to settle by the International Rescue Committee, who set him up with food stamps and an apartment with no rent for three months, Klimas says he was embarrassed to use food stamps as he was fully able to work. Soon he began working in Pizza Hut, folding the pizza delivery boxes. He then became a bait-man on an Alaskan crab boat, after which he obtained a license and began to deliver pizzas. Through all this though, Klimas never forgot his passion - boxing.
He did manage to finally fortify himself financially, after he set up Global Food Importers, which imported shrimp from Thailand to a major US retailer.
Despite never being a professional himself, he was devoted to the sport. He happened to meet with one Don Turner, who had previously trained Evander Holyfield. A relationship started, and Klimas began to bring more and more Eastern Europeans into the world of boxing. Now he has a vast and impressive stable.
Boxers under him include current WBA, WBO and IBF champion Sergey Kovalev (light heavyweight), former IBF featherweight champion Evgeny Gradovich (the man from whom Lee Selby seized his world title,) and the current WBO junior lightweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko.
Klimas played a huge role in getting the Kovalev v Ward fight into place. With Kovalev, the current champion, and Ward, a former, it promises to be monumental. The match takes place in Las Vegas on November 19th.
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