From Controversy to Champions: Sidekick Boxing’s Journey with Andrew Tate and Jonathan Haggerty
The founder of Sidekick Boxing Daniel Knight has had a formative relationship with outspoken athlete Andrew Tate. Knight, who started Sidekick Boxing in 2010, initially sponsored Tate when he was a rising star in the kickboxing world. Despite the risks associated with Tate’s polarizing personality, Knight saw an opportunity to leverage Tate’s charisma and ability to generate buzz to elevate the Sidekick brand.
Andrew Tate and Sidekick
Andrew Tate, a controversial figure known for his kickboxing and social media presence, got his start with Sidekick and a pair of boxing gloves from the brand. Eventually, he found success with Full-contact kickboxing. The partnership between Knight and Tate lasted about four years. During this time, Tate was the main sponsored fighter for Sidekick Boxing. Knight described Tate as easy to talk to, noting that they quickly became friends.
However, the relationship eventually soured due to difficulties working with Andrew Tate’s team, who allegedly employed unprofessional tactics, such as asking other promoters not to work with Knight and having Tate block him on Twitter.
Despite these challenges, Knight acknowledges the significant impact Tate had on his business. Videos featuring Tate, which initially did not gain much traction, have since garnered hundreds of thousands or even millions of views due to Tate’s rise to fame. Knight credits this exposure with helping his business thrive, stating that Tate’s engagement brought significant attention to Sidekick Boxing.
Knight’s perspective on Tate is nuanced. While he does not agree with many of Tate’s controversial opinions, he recognizes Tate’s ability to create reactions and generate viral content. Knight also notes that Tate was ahead of his time in understanding how to make videos go viral, a skill that has since become widespread among influencers.
Knight appreciates certain aspects of Tate’s message, particularly those encouraging young men to take control of their lives, prioritize fitness, and strive for continuous improvement. He sees some value in Tate’s discussions about masculinity, despite the polarizing nature of these topics. However, Knight does not fully subscribe to Tate’s more extreme ideas, such as the concept of the “matrix” controlling people’s lives.
Jonathan Haggerty
Moving on from the Full-Contact style kickboxer Andrew Tate, Sidekick boxing is now working with the Muay Thai and Kickboxing world champion Jonathan Haggerty. The UK’s Haggerty is a two-sport king brandishing multiple world titles in ONE Championship, capturing both by way of stunning knockout.
The collaboration with Haggerty highlights the fighter’s achievements and also underscores Sidekick Boxing’s commitment to being a significant player in the combat sports industry by backing top-tier talent.
Jonathan Haggerty, with the backing of Sidekick Boxing, will next face Superlek Kiatmoo9 at ONE 168. The Thai-born Superlek is a top-ranked pound-for-pound talent in Muay Thai going up in weight to challenge for Haggery’s world title. The championship match goes down on September 6.
