Solak Promotions: What a progression!

[JANER]

I hate readin' my old posts.. lol



Edited by - janer on 06 Dec 2004 12:42:20

[Koshy]

"Love him or hate him, Tarik has the sport in his hands".

I think that is the point.

[krama]

Sorry Janer - he has become too cocky and arrogant - he has the good foghters in his pocket - wont let them endeavour on other shows, doesnt make any - decent - attempt to bring on hardcore QLD and WA fighters, seems to promote fighters around his stable or associated with it, there are of course exeptions, but they are already money making machines anyway - eg ZAM -
the money HE makes compared to the blokes WE come to see is ridiculous!! - I've stated this before but I'd gladly lose the p o o f y fire works and rope hanging bimbos and have those funds chanelled to the fighters! give them something more than the crap they ae getting now.
Lets get serious - forget he razamatazz bull**** and focus on the KEY REASON we are going to these events - TO WATCH FIGHTERS FIGHT!!!!
I remember the super events 10 years ago - when people like Tosca, Stan, Super Kick Vick, Louie The Ice etc were all around, the fight nights were BRILLIANT!!!!!! - no bull**** rope hangers, no crap fireworks, the only bimbos were the card girls but we saw GREAT FIGHTS!!
We rarely had issues with refs etc or fights in the crowd until SUper Solak and his crew of brainless morons came around

[sirbillyg]

<RockyVoice>
Yoooo adriennnnnnnnnnnnnn i did itttttttttttttttt
</RockyVoice>

:)<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_cool.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_blush.gif border=0 align=middle>

[harls]

I totally agree with krama. I think Tarik needs to either do a 180 with his shows, evolve a little and take a back seat from the spotlight, or move on and leave the fight game. In my opinion he is no good for the fight game at the moment.

[paul c]

Krama,

Serious question dude, not just disputing.

You mentioned less than lacklustre fights on his cards. Not disputing this lately.

But, I think most of us would agree that the shows have grown immensely.

What do you think has caused the growth. The poor fights?

I reckon that it is the razamataz, the girls and fireworks, which has differentiated him to the other promoters. I think it's given Solak's promo's a more glamourous appeal to the general public.

Personally, I can't see anything appealing in loosing the glamour.


Edited by - paul c on 01 May 2003 15:09:34

[harls]

Yeah, I think Tarik is more appealing to the general public who don't really know squat about Kickboxing, because he concentrates on all the glitz and glamour instead of consistent great fight line ups. Simple fact is that people who don't know the sport wouldn't honestly know if they've seen a good show or not. To me all the lights and girls, don't make up for the crap fights. Sorry guys, just my opinion.

[paul c]

Harls,

Your point is fair.
See, guys who fight or train, are going to the venue to either compete or watch their mates compete. They can make a valued judgement of the quality and are not interested in the fluff between.

But others like me, were going out to an entertainment event.
I think there's a big difference.

Promoters are showcasing a very brutal and bloody sport. Personally, I think fluffing it up in between is pretty important in attracting the non hardcore.

[remy]

He is important to the sport because he is the only one at the moment in Australia that can consistently put on big shows with the big names. K-1. And I like the fireworks and dancing girls as well as the fights :)

[sethridge]

I just dont understand janers comment that good fighters are scarce..... speak for your own state mate.. if tarik grew a brain and got some of the good TECHNIQAL hardcore fighters from QLD WA and SA who fight there heart out each month cuz fighters from QLD and WA fight on a regular basis "theres at least a muaythai fight nite in wa every month somethimes two" on his undercards if its gonna be on fox it would be a much better show.. you cant just rely on ozkan to make a show..

[sniffa]

[quote]
Cedric fighting Meads was a HUGE step, and nearly had him in 1 round.

yeah and meads nearly had cedric in like 5 rounds(3 standing 8 counts)..and seeing as cedric was fighting over 100kgs to meads 92kgs..(1st fight as super cruiser weight) cmon janer take ya head outta cedric's cloud and see who and where the better fighter on the night was

[JKLA]

For Tarik to be getting so much airtime and coverage, like all promoters he must of broke his ballz to get there. I know Tarik has been promoting shows for a long time, he worked his way up from small shows to large shows. I dont think he gets 6 shows a year with fox from luck, good looking suits, or his personality.
I think he has taken the right steps, worked continously hard, invested a lot of money, and earned his way to getting extensive coverage.
I am in no way saying that there are other promoters who dont work hard to reach these heights.

Also, if a QLD or WA promoter had the current publicity of Tarik, we would most probably be seeing only fighters from their region being publicised. I am not going to argue whether that would be better or worse than Tarik, but it would be the same situation reversed. For eg, if the QLD/WA shows and promoters replaced Tarik, would they have helped Mark Hunt get to Japan and win the K1?

I am not biased towards Tarik, I actually love the WA and QLD shows, but my point is there will always be room for debate on both sides. Tarik has done what he has to do to get his covergae, I only hope other promoters who work that hard catch the same break.

Cheers,
Johnny

[shacols]

last show that was on fox,was a sydney show,the next fights on fox are from queensland.thats got to mean something

[sophie]

I was one of the ring girls in the last fight and I dont appreciate Krama saying we are bimbos. There was three thousand dollars up for grabs for walking around a ring and we also got paid to sit ringside and watch what I thought was an awesome lineup.

If tarik didnt spend the cash on all the extra flashy things, fox wouldnt air it, less sponsors would want to be involved and at the end of the day the fighters would lose out.

[nagas]

And what a great job you girls do Sophie, i agree the hot women the fireworks and the fights create a total package and a great night out.
Damn wish someone would pay me $3000 to walk around in a ring:)

[santorini]

Hey guys

Just reading the information that you have written about Tarik's shows. You must remember what he is trying to achieve? Recognition and with recognition comes the money and with the money you get the fighters.

In the golden hay days the sport was about kickboxing but as the sports industry moves on it's all about the big dollar. In the past some friends who were competing in kickboxing tournaments in the Dana Goodson days would only recieve a couple of hundred dollars if that. Nowadays sportpeople need to make a living out of competing b/c it's a fulltime job. It takes alot of hard core intense training to get into a ring to give their supporters a show and if they didn't I am sure they would be disinhearted about the harsh comments of not doing well.

These people go through intense training and I mean intense mental and physical training to achieve their best not only for themsleves but also for you.

Tarik's achievements to date have been outstanding considering he started off in the back streets of Broadmeadows and to do what he has done I commend him but in the same note without you supporters he would not have achieved.

As days go on sports is about entertainment and from what I gather he wants to draw a variety of customers.

Next time you go to one of his shows bare in mind YOU ARE there for the kickboxing but you are also getting something extra.

Never a dull moment.

[harls]

Fair comments. From the streets of Broady to promoting million dollar shows.. I wonder how he did it???<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle> He should be a financial advisor.

"Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law" Aleister Crowley

Edited by - harls on 06 Dec 2004 11:37:55

[k1_fighta]

Haha Harls.

No doubt Tarik has been involved in the best shows ever staged in Australia without Tarik we would have not have seen K1 on our shores and without Tarik we would have never known the fighter known as Gurkan Ozkan.

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Clinton. S

[mick]

i think that tarik puts a good show on but i have to agree it would be nice to see the fighters make a little more.

i bet that a lot of the fighters didn't make $3000 like the round girls. like she said they got paid to sit in the crowd.
glamor makes a good show but i am sure most people are there to see the fights the girls are just am added bonus

[harls]

I have to say if any promoter pays their ring girls more than the guys/gals slugging it out in the ring, they are seriously screwed up and need to get their priorities in order. People come to see the fighters mix it up, not to watch the ring girls shake their asses. No disrespect to the ring girls, if you get paid well that's all well and good but the fighters should get paid even better.

"Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law" Aleister Crowley

[Voice]

I think you will find the $3k was for the lot of them, not each!!

My views on Tarik have been plastered around here for a while so I won't regurgitate them again, lest to say the one thing that the money, the publicity, fireworks, ring chicks etc etc etc has not achieved....

Free To Air broadcasting...
The reason the public knows squat about the fantastic talent in Aust kickboxing is that for some reason the FTA stations have not been persuaded to put it on. Even under K1 rules we would have some brilliant programs that would rate highly on FTA (I think they would see MT as too brutal for public viewing).

IMO, FTA is the key to getting fighters paid some serious dosh rather than the 3-5k that the top 20 fighters in Aust earn per fight. Why Tarik and the others have not been able to get it on FTA, I have no idea...f*** off those stupid reality shows and put some hard honest kb on, I say. Imagine an 8-man middleweight show under K1 rules on at 9:30pm Saturday night Channel 9 ??

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A man's gotta know his limitations...

[S.M KIKBOXA]

Hey there sophie u were saying u where a ring girl...just curious at wat show..enmore thertre at sydney or melbourne.

[Lucy Tui]

A1 was presented very well, with the fights been good on the night, especially the KKO Headhunter did to Sergio the russian.
and Prince Hamid against Zambidis... it can only get better.
Tariks shows overall need some high profile fighters from overseas to give it that little bit more zest, keep the glamour and glitz & fireworks just bring out a few more overseas fighters that can fight....WITH THE POLITICS IN THE SPORT IN AUSTRALIA
IT HAS BEEN UNFORTUNATE FOR HIM TO KEEP UP WITH THE
GOOD FIGHTERS AROUND AUSTRALIA...AUSTRALIA HAS THE BEST KICKBOXERS & THAIBOXERS IN THE WORLD. BUT WE NEED OVERSEAS TALENT TO KEEP THE COMPETITION AT ITS HIGHEST LEVEL, ONLY HOPE THAT NEXT YEAR BRINGS
BIGGER AND BETTER EVENTS FOR A1 IN ALL DIVISIONS...
Tarik does a great job overall Keep up the good work, all the best for your new venture in A1.....
All the best for 2005, bring on the A1..... in all divisions....
Regards
Lucy Tui

[Bushi]

The ring girls are good, but people DO NOT and WILL NOT pay the minimum $50 (or whatever it was) to go and see the girls, they go to see godd quality fights that ARE NOT rigged.

If people want to see girls, he should do some marketing with the table top clubs, ie, present your ticket and get free entry to the Mens Gallery or Bar 20 and so on....put the money into the FIGHTS.

Tariks adds on TV end up with HIM standing there with the girls if my memory is correct, all self promotion.....

All this is IMHO

<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

"Yours in Bushido"

[paul c]

Harls asked an interesting question. Good on you Harls.

How did he do it?

I don't know, but if it's anything like the industry I work in Harls, it's probably through a lot of hard work and perhaps just even more importantly...Networking with those higher up in a position to invest.
Once such relationships are formed, and all parties keep their end of the bargain, it's just about near impossible to for newcomers to break into the circle (you guys wouldn't believe how incestuous some industries are once these bonds are formed). I mean, I as a photographer even with the same qualifications and as good a folio as other fashion photographers would find it near impossible to break into the established hi-end scene. The people already there are pretty loyal to each other. Yet, the established photographers are happy to leave me work alone with just a brief description to get the job done for them under their business name and pay me a dayrate or less than 1/6 of what they charge the client for under their dayrate.
Hey, I'm not complaining, just telling you guys what's it's like in my industry. My mate spent 10 years kissing ass in this industry to get where he is, while I was stupidly indulging my own passion for a lower paying field. So, he deserves his fees.

Solak has had a long term relationship with some of his sponsors, Crazy John's is a huge company. They probably invest as much or more in these none F.T.A broadcasting shows as Donut King does.

I have no idea about the specifics, but I doubt donut king are as big as Crazy Johns. Yet this year they sponsored two Lotus's in the Targa Tasmania, mechanic's, and my mate Jules as personal photographer for the duration of the entire event (I think it was 10 days). All this for something which may get their logos on the air at newstime locally, and maybe a one hour coverage weeks later on Fox. That's just one project this sponsor had been involved in. They are involved in dozens similar.

Have a look at how many people are associated with Solak promotions, some of them pretty big companies like Triple M etc.

I've personally found that when you work for yourself, Neworking is absolute key to ones growth. So, naturally you want to promote your name as being linked to what you do as much as possible, while at the same time working your ass off to produce and deliver that which you have promised.

So that's how I'd guess he's done it.

Mind you, just a guess.

[SPADA]

To have a show with good FAIR fights,is what I want to see.

To see good (.Y.) 's is a bonus,but the main point of "most" people going and shelling out good money is to see well matched fights,from 1st fight on the card,to the last.

Something that Tarik might have to revert back to.


At a guess... with the K1 and Tarik parting ways,Dixion has taken his
chance and absolutely made the most of it in less then 2-3 years.He has managed to get FTA t.v to show his fights in near prime time.

Ray will no doubt do his best from his base on the Gold Coast with him
getting the rights to host the K1 MAX Oceania.There is plenty of corparate money on the Coast with alot of Japanese businesses.2005 will show who has there stuff together in regards to putting on top notch fight cards with little need for (.Y.) 's to save the show.

I will definately be supporting rays promotions... cause they are always entertaining.The thing to remember in QLD,most of the gyms allow their fighters to fight on different promotions,something they may come back to haunt Melbourne once Tariks "Braveheart" fighting talent has retired or been disregarded.

cheers Spada

[shtaka]

paul c i think harls was refering to something totaly different and neworking has nothing to do with it <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle> (or may be it has)

[paul c]

I understand, but I honestly don't think there would be any need to. I reckon with such big companies and televised shows behind you, you'd be crazy.

If I've understood correctly, sponsorship is just like advertising, and would be tax deductable. Somone correct me if I'm mistaken. Tax stuff has changed a fair bit in the last several years.

I know that once my Cousins business earns a certain amount of money for the year, he goes crazy and starts buying tools he doesn't really need. (I'm trying to talk him into sponsoring a fighter instead of replacing his Hilti gear every couple of years... or a new ute more often than he really needs to etc just to keep his earning down to a lower tax rate).

[JWP]

"present your ticket and get free entry to the Mens Gallery or Bar 20"

ZDK,
I didn't know you were into art?
JWP

[Bushi]

Ah JWP,

Very fine lines at the Gallery........lot's of "portraits"..

The classic example is your next fight, ALL the talk is about the fighters and not the Girls, glitz etc that Tarik puts on. Sure the girls are good, but isn't it a fight card, not a fashion extravaganza and fireworks...

Get the fighting right before the theatrics, that's what QLD do best.

it's evident in the quality of the card Ray has put together.

"Yours in Bushido"

[J A]

ZDK
Fear not my friend cos I am sure there will be girls at Rays show!!hahaha oh those flirt models!! they put on quite a show...
Later
J.A

[Bushi]

I'm sure there will be but the difference is THIS show is based around the QUALITY of fighters.....I haven't seen Ray on any promo material with the girls....lol

"Yours in Bushido"