'An absolute debacle': Boxers left unpaid, promoter suspended after disastrous Rochester show

“It wound up being an absolute debacle. No one was paid. Everyone was excited about Savage Life Promotions putting on an event and seeing boxing back in Rochester. It’s sad, because I don’t think anyone else will try to put on an event in Rochester for maybe another 25 years. It’s a shame, because Rochester has a rich boxing history. I’m going to leave this up to Russell and my father to get the money, because I have bigger things ahead.”

Mills (22-1, 9 KOs) does. He will have the biggest test of his young career against undefeated Emiliano Vargas (17-0, 14 KOs) on the Xander Zayas vs. Jaron “Boots” Ennis undercard on June 29, at Brooklyn’s Barclay Center.

The Rochester Blue Cross Arena holds 10,662 spectators. Gramling and Harris were hoping to get 4,000. The fight attracted roughly 2,000.

Peltz, who had Mills and super welterweight prospect Messiah Miles both on the card, blames himself for what happened. Peltz goes back to smokey backrooms of boxing in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and into the 1990s and 2000s.

“This is the first time a promoter stiffed me in all my years,” Peltz said. “A few fighters stiffed me, and I was stiffed once as a matchmaker for a couple of thousand. But this is the first time one of my fighters ever got stiffed. This was my fault, all my fault. I worried about this fight for two months. I never had any faith in [Gramling and Harris]. My pessimistic self told me these guys have no money to promote this. I even told Gramling and Harris that we were willing to take $25,000, if they paid us $5,000 up front. They didn’t agree to that. We were looking to develop a new venue up there in [Northern New York] other than the Turning Stone [Casino in Verona].

Blue Cross Arena in downtown Rochester, New York.

(Education Images via Getty Images)

“I’ve been in constant contact with [NYSAC Executive Director] Matt Delaglio, who I have known for years and is good guy who gets things done. Matt is very strict. I told Matt from Day 1 that I was worried. Matt told me Derick and Clay did things right for their first show. When we were offered the Vargas fight, we were going to pull out, but I gave Derick and Clay my word. I promised Bryce and Miles that they would get their money. What bothers me is that I let my fighters down, because I should have known better, and I did know better. I thought boxing was past fighters getting stiffed on shows at this level.”

According to NYSAC, as of Thursday, May 7, none of the fighters on the April 25 Rochester card have been paid. NYSAC has passed along Savage Life Promotions situation to the District Attorney of Monroe County. According to NYSAC, this is the first time a situation like this has happened in New York state in more than a decade. It also happened in New Jersey state in January 2026 and in Pennsylvania, according to NYSAC.

Savage Life Promotions previously held a smaller show with three pro fights in New York state, and according to NYSAC, it went well. All fees were paid and insurance was paid, and for this fight a $20,000 bond was paid for the $100,000 budgeted show. Of the $20,000 bond, according to NYSAC, that money will be distributed to the fighters. Mills will receive a portion of the $20,000 bond.

Gramling and Harris told Uncrowned exclusively that they do intend to make sure the fighters get paid. Gramling and Harris said the pay deadlines, which were not met, were put on them from NYSAC. Even Blue Cross Arena Executive Director Colin Holman has admitted the venue itself remains owed $20,000. Arena officials have been in contact with organizers of the fight to establish a payment plan.

A GoFundMe was created Wednesday by Savage Life Promotions to help raise funds.

“We feel really bad that this happened, and we want it out there [rather than] leaving the impression that we did this intentionally,” Harris said. “This has been blown out of proportion. By putting bad press on us, it is counterproductive to paying these fighters. We’re not running away from this. We wouldn’t be talking to you if we were. We put this event on for the community. We want to get in front of this. Derick and I have good reputations within the community, and that is what is important to us. This is BS what boxing people are trying to pull on us. We miscalculated what kind of gate we would get. We paid for everyone’s hotel fees, their transportation, their medicals, their per diems. Why would we go $100,000 in the hole?”

Added Gramling: “Fighters will be paid. We spent over $50,000 for this event, and I even lost my gym over this. I thought a positive would come about, and had to pay production, service staff, we paid thousands. We didn’t make any money. If we intended to scam anyone, where was the benefit, because we didn’t make any money? We went into debt and I lost a black-owned business, my 24-hour gym, over a dream. Clay and I went into this with good faith. We thought we would get a minimum of 4,000 for the fight. We didn’t get that number. We wanted to help the Mills kid bring back boxing to Rochester, New York. We thought we would get a minimum of a 1,000 to come and watch him from Syracuse. We thought we would get the numbers. We didn’t get the numbers.

“We know that we are going to pay these fighters. We are not ducking anyone. I have a track record of good events. That seemed to get lost in this. I’m not running away from the fighters. I do plan on coming back and being in boxing again. We’re not going anywhere. We never intended to scam or defraud anyone. The checks were real.”

Peltz remains hopeful that the fighters’ nightmare will end by them eventually being paid.

“Boxing has enough problems as it is,” he said. “We don’t need any more. These guys risk their lives in that ring, and sometimes that fact gets lost. I’m making sure my guys will be paid. It’s just that this should not be happening in 2026.”