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What drives promoter David Higgins

David Higgins has put on some of the biggest sporting events in New Zealand, helped promote huge boxing contests overseas and brought a range of big names outside of sport to these shores.

Here, he outlines the drive behind his business, his love of his Samoan connections, music, and what’s in store for more.

You seem to ‘‘think big’’ with projects. What’s your philosophy?

An over-arching philosophy is that you’re a long time dead. It sounds a bit macabre, but you might as well give life a go. Bob Dylan has a line in Like A Rolling Stone that says ‘‘when you ain’t got nothing, you got nothing to lose’’. I found starting with nothing quite liberating. The worst that can happen is you end up back at square one. So you have a go, and you get used to risk. It was a bit nerve-wracking at first, but the more risks you take, the more relaxed you become.

Who is the most interesting person you’ve met along the way?

I’ve met fascinating people like Bill Clinton, Richard Branson, Gordon Ramsay, Nigella Lawson, Andre Agassi . . . the list goes on. But if I were to sit down and have a long lunch with someone, it would be American boxing promoter Bob Arum. He’s nearly 100, he was Muhammad Ali’s promoter in the 60s, he’s done a lot more than Don King, and he’s still going strong. He was at our recent world title promotion in Melbourne, walking unaided across Federation Square, it was like the eighth wonder of the world. His career has taken him to every corner of the earth, he has a lot of war stories and tells them well. Honourable mentions to Tyson Fury as the most largerthan-life character, and Bob Geldof who just tells it like he sees it.

How does a skinny white guy have such an affinity with giant Samoan-Kiwis like Joseph Parker and Dave Letele?

We all started off a bit underprivileged for want of a better term, so there’s a bit of a kindred spirit involved. I’ve found Samoan people, in particular, to be very forgiving and very loyal. I’ve tried to live the same – I’ve helped them out, and they’ve helped me out. A few thanks must also go to some Samoan bouncers who have probably saved my life at various times.

Tell us about diversifying into music.

Synthony is a fusion of dance music with live orchestra and vocals that immerses visuals. We see it having global prospects, a music version of Cirque du Soleil, if you like, the way that has put acrobatics with music. We ran shows in Sydney and Singapore on the same night, proving how quickly we’ve grown. We have several set lists now. The next major show is Synthony In The Domain in Auckland on April 1 that will feature a new set list. It will be a boutique music festival in the park.

You mentioned Bob Dylan and I know you’re a huge fan. What do you think his take on dance anthems being mixed with an orchestra would be?

Dylan has been experimental, he has given everything a go. He let British DJ Mark Ronson remix his 60s classic Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I’ll Go Mine). He has approved some of his most iconic songs for TV commercials, he has let his music be used in Broadway shows and countless movies. So he has allowed his music to be adapted. I think he would be a fan of Synthony, and we have an open invitation for Bob Dylan to come along and see a show.

Your T20 Black Clash has become a summer staple. How hard was it to convince All Blacks to play cricket?

Not that difficult. A lot of them are very competitive, love cricket and a lot of them were very good at cricket. When they were offered a chance to have a bit of fun and help the Players’ Association, they jumped at it. Credit to TVNZ and our sponsors for backing it, because it was an ‘‘out-there’’ idea. Now it’s done record-breaking TV numbers and our fifth edition returns to Christchurch in January.

Back to Joe Parker. How can such a nice guy be so good at such a brutal sport?

The key to boxing is to hit and not get hit. It’s about having high skill levels and courage under fire, and Joseph has all of that, he’s proved it by being WBO heavyweight champion. He’s only 30 now, and they reckon heavyweights are in their prime at 35. Forget this tallpoppy crap of people saying he should retire. The reality is Joseph is probably not quite the best in the world, but he is top-five, and he has a good five more years.

Got any new tricks up your sleeve for 2023?

Coming out of Covid, I think high-level type speaking events will make a comeback. Boris Johnson would be an intriguing speaker. With such big movements in climate, energy and cryptocurrency, there are all sorts of subjects that could be tackled in a forum or summittype event.

NEWS

en-nz

2022-11-27T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-11-27T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://fairfaxmedia.pressreader.com/article/282711936040376

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