Jackie Kallen (born Jackie Kaplan, April 23, 1946) is one of

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...

's first and most successful female

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

s. Her life was the inspiration for the 2004 film ''

Against the Ropes ''Against the Ropes'' is a 2004 American sports drama film directed by Charles S. Dutton (in his feature film directorial debut) and starring Meg Ryan and Omar Epps. The story is a fictionalized account of boxing manager Jackie Kallen, the first ...

'', starring

Meg Ryan Meg Ryan (born Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra; November 19, 1961) is an American actress. She began her acting career in 1981 when she made her acting debut in the drama film ''Rich and Famous''. She later joined the cast of the CBS soap oper ...

as Kallen, in which she had a brief speaking role as a reporter. She also worked as a consultant for

Mark Burnett Mark Burnett (born 17 July 1960) is a television producer who is the former Chairman of MGM Worldwide Television Group. He is best known for creating and producing the reality shows ''The Apprentice'', '' Survivor'', ''The Voice'', and ''Sh ...

's reality TV

series Series may refer to: People with the name * Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series * George Series (1920–1995), English physicist Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Series, the ordered sets used in ...

'' The Contender''.

Early life

Kallen was raised in a middle-class Jewish family in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

, Michigan, United States.

Career

A show business journalist for a magazine in the 1970s, Kallen interviewed the Rolling Stones, Frank Sinatra,

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

and countless others. In 1977 she was assigned to interview a boxing prospect from the

Kronk gym Kronk Gym is a boxing gym located in Detroit, once led by trainer Emanuel Steward. It was run out of the basement of the oldest recreation center of the City of Detroit, and became a household word in the sport of boxing and its gold shorts a magn ...

in Detroit, Michigan,

Thomas Hearns Thomas Hearns (born October 18, 1958) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1977 to 2006. Nicknamed the "Motor City Cobra", and more famously "The Hitman", Hearns's tall, slender build and oversized arms and shoulders allowe ...

. Kallen became fascinated with sports and began working as a sports journalist specializing in boxing. Kallen spent a decade as Hearns' publicist as Hearns went on to face

Sugar Ray Leonard Ray Charles Leonard (born May 17, 1956), best known as "Sugar" Ray Leonard, is an American former professional boxer, motivational speaker, and occasional actor. Often regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time, he competed professional ...

in two championship fights. In the process she became well known around Detroit's boxing circles but met with

sexism Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but it primarily affects women and girls.There is a clear and broad consensus among academic scholars in multiple fields that sexism refers pri ...

along the way. Kallen made her managerial debut with heavyweight Bobby Hitz in 1988. She managed her first champion in 1991,

James Toney James Nathaniel Toney (born August 24, 1968) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2017. He held multiple world championships in three weight classes, including the IBF and lineal middleweight titles from 1991 to 1 ...

knocking out

Michael Nunn Michael John Nunn (born April 14, 1963) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1984 to 2002. He is a two-weight world champion, having held the IBF middleweight title from 1988 to 1991, and the WBA super middleweight title ...

in eleven rounds to win the

IBF The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Counci ...

world Middleweight title. Another Kallen fighter, Bronco McKart, won the WBO world Jr. Middleweight title in 1996. Her business relationship with Toney was controversial but allowed her to gain celebrity among boxing's hard-core fans. She was featured in ''

Ring Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...

'' and ''

KO Magazine ''KO Magazine'' was a popular United States boxing magazine. It was first published in 1980, to compete with '' The Ring''. It was founded by Stanley Weston, long-time publisher of numerous boxing and pro wrestling titles. ''KO Magazine'', nickn ...

''. Kallen referred to Toney many times as someone she loved like a son. Kallen was diagnosed both with

heart The heart is a muscular organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide to t ...

disease and

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

starting in the year 2000, but after multiple surgeries she recovered and is enjoying good health. Kallen is the author of two books - "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" and "Between the Ropes". She is also the subject of Peter Mann's book "Against the Odds: The Jackie Story." Kallen makes appearances nationwide as a motivational speaker and currently lives in the Detroit area and manages three professional boxers, including Mykquan Williams and Sam Rizzo. In December 2021, it was announced that Kallen is producing ''The Legend of Jack and Diane'', a feature film described as a female-led revenge thriller directed by Bruce Bellocchi and starring Tom Sizemore, Lydia Zelmac, David Tomlinson,

Robert LaSardo Robert LaSardo is an American character actor. Early life LaSardo was born in Brooklyn, New York. He began his career studying at the High School of Performing Arts in New York City where he became an honors student, before attending the St ...

, and Carlo Mendez. Rick Geller is executive producer of the film. Filming began in Los Angeles on January 17, 2022 in Los Angeles.

Personal life

Jackie was married to Gary Kallen from 1966-1997.

References

External links

EastSideBoxing Interview

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kallen, Jackie 1946 births Living people Businesspeople from Detroit American boxing managers 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American Jews

Early life

Career

Personal life

See also

References

External links