BWAA 2022 Manager Of The Year Peter Kahn Talks Future Plans For Xander Zayas And Franchon Crews-Dezurn

“It’s not just about boxing, it’s about life.”

That’s what boxing manager Peter Kahn told me recently when we spoke about his role and his approach dealing with the fighters he works with.

Few managers on the combat sports scene had a more successful 2022 than Kahn. According to the Boxing Writers Association of America, no manager in the sweet science had a better year.

Kahn was voted the Manager of the Year in 2022 which capped off a banner campaign that saw him negotiate George Kambosos Jr’s two fights with Devin Haney. The former split those bouts, briefly holding the undisputed lightweight title.

ADVERTISEMENT

Kahn also guided top-rated prospect Xander Zayas through 2022 as he is now ranked No. 6 by the WBO ahead of his April 1 bout with Ronald Cruz. Zayas is on track to be ranked in the Top 10 by all four governing bodies before the end of the year, and he doesn’t turn 21 until September.

Franchon Crews-Dezurn, another of Kahn’s fighters, further entrenched herself as a trailblazer in women’s boxing by becoming the first undisputed super middleweight in history. I had an opportunity to speak with Zayas and Crews-Dezurn about their futures and working with Kahn.

ADVERTISEMENT

Zayas talked about his confidence in Kahn to guide him during his career, and he pointed to the success the latter has had helping guys like Kambosos and others achieve their championship aspirations.

ADVERTISEMENT

Crews-Dezurn expressed similar confidence in Kahn, but also discussed her fashion and music endeavors.

According to Crews-Dezurn, Kahn has not only encouraged her to pursue these additional passions, but he has taken the 35-year-old under his wing from a business standpoint.

“Franchon is a very talented person outside of the ring,” Kahn told me during our interview as he sat just outside of his home in Miami, Florida. “As well as music and fashion, she’s even getting into management. So it’s just like more so an honor for me to be able to represent people like her and to be able to work with people like Xander from the ground up.”

ADVERTISEMENT

While Crews-Dezurn has only been with Kahn since December 2020, Zayas and the 51-year-old manager go back to the promising Puerto-Rican fighter’s amateur days. When you talk to them separately or together, their connection seemingly goes beyond boxing.

“The word manager can be can be used very now narrowly, or it could be used in a very broad sense. I like to look at it in the sense that, yes I’m here to help them progress in their boxing career, but I’m also here to help them grow outside of that. [I want] to help them prepare for the secondary and third careers that can come out of the sport; Especially when it comes to the fact that they have a very particular window of opportunity to make a name or to cement a legacy to earn enough income to be able to utilize that moving forward. One of the things that I express is financial literacy for them to understand that it’s unlikely unless they become a mega mega Superstar with generational wealth, like I was able to do for George Kambosos Jr. We’re talking about being able to help set them up so that their money works for them outside of boxing including other business ventures.”

Is the focus on the financial aspect stronger than the eyes on the prize in the ring? Not if you ask Kahn or his fighters. Crews-Dezurn and Zayas both reiterated this concept throughout our conversations.

ADVERTISEMENT

“I mean obviously, first and foremost it’s about helping them achieve the success and fulfill their goals inside the ring,” Kahn expressed. “But I look at it as a very all-encompassing job.”

Here is a look at the entire interview with Kahn:

Next up to get the job done in Kahn’s camp is Zayas on April 1. On the same card, another fighter from Kahn’s stable, Georgia’s Nikoloz Sekhniashvili (8-1) will take on undefeated American welterweight prospect Jahi Tucker.

ADVERTISEMENT

We will see if 2023 brings Kahn’s camp as much success as 2022.