By Jeff Zimmerman
Legendary boxing manager and promoter Jackie Kallen shares her illustrious and successful boxing life with Fightnews.com®. Kallen explains how she became the publicist of the famed Kronk Gym, where she first fell in love with boxing under the mentorship and tutelage of hall of fame trainer Emanuel Steward, plus her first interview with a young Thomas Hearns to managing future hall of famer James “Lights Out” Toney to his first world title in 1991. Kallen also reminisced on the golden age of boxing, the 1980s era of the “four kings” of Hearns, Leonard, Duran and Hagler which was recently chronicled in the Showtime sports documentary ‘The Kings’ and so much more in this exclusive interview.
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Very accomplished woman! I remember when she managed James Toney.
Nice interview Jeff. Jackie was a tough, brave woman who really proved herself in the world of boxing. She helped make Toney achieve greatness!
James Toney was one of my favorite fighters and I remember her guiding his career. Now she seems like she’s trying to stay relevant in boxing. Good video.
So great to see this interview. Jackie is good people and I have always appreciated her presence in the sport of Boxing. I too was drawn to the sport by the psychology of the fighters as they dealt with the enormous challenges of hand-to-hand combat.
As long as she’s around, I know there’s good happening, not just in the sport, but someplace in the world. She’s 75 now and looks incredible too! I really appreciate her and would love to meet her one day.
Extremely accomplished and dedicated to the sport of boxing and her fighters. The one and only the great Jackie Kallen…
I had the pleasure to meet Ms. Kallen at a fight in Michigan many moons ago. We soon hit it off and she began to manage my sons boxing career. He wasnt able to get any fights and it cost me money, so now hes a janitor in Detroit CC. We still have the Jame toney autograph.
Wonderful lady that managed a fighter name thomas “HISMAN” hers to world championships .
She belongs in the Hall of Fame in Canastota, NY.