Roc Nation Sports Entering Boxing Promotion

Roc Nation Sports is expanding. This time it’s not a new client it’s picking up. Instead it’s becoming a player in the world of boxing.

The agency just hired respected boxing promoter David Itskowitch to be the COO of the boxing division of Roc Nation Sports and, according to Roc Nation president and chief of branding and strategy Michael Yormark, it marks Roc Nation Sports’ official entrance into the boxing ring.

“There’s no question the sport of boxing needs a new player, someone who can do something different,” Yormark told ESPN.com last night. “We’re energized and we’re going to make a difference. This is a huge priority for us. This is a highly serious business to us.”

As of right now, Roc Nation Sports hasn’t signed any actual boxers or announced how they plan to help the sport of boxing. But Yormark believes that, by hiring Itskowitch, the agency is putting itself in place to make some serious moves in the world of boxing.

Itskowitch most recently worked for Golden Boy Promotions as its chief operating officer from 2007 through 2013.

A few weeks back I had the opportunity to interview boxing legends Sugar Ray Leonard and Roy Jones jr. I asked both what they felt could be done to bring the sport of boxing back to the forefront. Both agreed that a large part of the problem is that kids weren’t exposed to boxers and the sport in the same way as they were before. Could Roc Nation’s involvement in the sport help to make it popular again with the youth?