GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo. — When the words 'Colorado' and 'boxing' are brought up in the same sentence, it's usually because of Jack Dempsey. The Manassa Mauler was the World Heavyweight Champion for seven years in the 1920s and was part of the first class of honorees inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990.
Now he's got some centennial state company.
Fred Sternburg never threw a professional punch, but the Greenwood Village resident was honored with this year's class for his efforts outside the ring.
"I'm not a promoter per se, because the promoter is the one taking the risks and putting up all the money. So, what I do is help publicize these fighters and become, boil it down, it's telling their story," he said.
One of those stories belongs to living boxing legend Manny Pacquiao.
"He had a great personality. His English got way better, and then next thing you know, he's on 'Jimmy Kimmel' seven times singing songs with Kimmel and the celebrities and doing skits on the cover of 'Time Magazine,'" Sternburg said.
Sternburg started in the 1980s working for a publicist in Washington D.C. He got hooked on the industry after doing the press conference for the match billed as the 'Super Fight' between Sugar Ray Leonard and Marvelous Marvin Hagler.
"We had every network TV affiliate in D.C. and Baltimore going live, doing interviews ahead of time before this big thing. And I'm like, if this is boxing, sign me up," he said. "I mean, the biggest of the biggest media stars were flying in from around the world for this announcement."
Not long after, he got a job with America Presents in Denver. Three years later, he started his own company, Sternburg Communications.
He's worked with all kinds of fighters, including Olympians, but the biggest name on his resume is Pacquiao. He sees them like family.
"To me, they're all they're all my kids, these fighters," he said. "I just enjoy going into camp and telling their stories and things that people don't know about. Shedding light on [them]."
If you ask Sternburg where he's come up with some of his best PR ideas, he'll tell you:
"The wife and kids are as big a part of this, you know? Lauren, Sam, David. They all chipped in," Sternburg said. "They always give me ideas. I steal them and, you know, I run to the bank with them."
Sternburg isn't finished with boxing yet. He's in Las Vegas right now doing PR for a fight happening June 15.
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