The gloves have come off in the battle between One Punch Productions CEO Terry J. Trekas and Executive Director of the Florida State Boxing Commission Tom Molloy.

Enraged by what he perceives as unwarranted threats by Mr. Molloy to suspend Trekas' license and/or make it more difficult (if not impossible) for him to operate in the State of Florida, Trekas issued a full court press on the issue, sending the attached scathing letter to Molloy, One Punch Productions attorney Josh Dubin, Florida Boxing Commission Chair Ramiro Ortiz, and numerous high level Florida State executives and media outlets.

The battle appears to have begun when comments Trekas made about Molloy considering a position with the Seminoles Boxing program made their way back to Molloy, which resulted in Molloy allegedly threatening One Punch Productions matchmaker Pete Fernandez.

"What happened here is Molloy got upset because I said that if he didn't want the Executive Director's job anymore, then he should step down, because it's too important a position to be held by a lame duck sitting around waiting for the Florida Governor's election results in November to see if he still has a job" said Trekas.

"This whole circus is just bad for Florida boxing because there are so many really good people at the operational level of the commission. The inspectors, the officials, the doctors, timekeepers, etc are all truly stand-up people who do what they do out of pure dedication to the sport. They are good people, and fantastic to work with. But unfortunately there appears to be a major disconnect once you get to the executive level of the commission."

"You have a couple of people there who make up the rules as they go along, and threaten you with fines and/or suspensions for supposedly violating rules that don't even exist in the first place. The whole thing makes me want to throw up in my mouth, and I'm just sick of it. I'm sick of these people walking around like they are some kind of gods that everyone needs to bow down to. The fighters deserve better, and the sport deserves better. And if I have to fall on the grenade to expose this clown show for what it is, then so be it. It isn't like these events are putting any groceries in my fridge anyways. I do these events because I love this sport, I'm fortunate enought to be in the financial position to keep doing the events, and I feel my events contribute to the general welfare of boxing."

"And whoever gets elected as the new Governor in November needs to know what is going on here. I have violated no rules. Unless of course a new rule requiring me to kiss the ring of the Executive Director has been implemented without my knowledge. But if Molloy does decide to suspend me anyway, then he damn well better be able to back it up, or he risks exposing the State to considerable damages. I run clean shows, and have never been accused of doing anything improper, illegal, or unethical, by any commission in the country. Ever. And even those that don't care for my personality would begrudgingly tell you that I do in fact run good shows, treat people fairly, and am not about any foolishness or impropriety."

"So if Molloy truly wants this fight, he can get it. We can go scorched earth if that's how he wants it. But he's going do have to do it with the lights on and everybody watching, because Florida boxing deserves a level of honesty, openness, and integrity that it's currently not getting at the executive level."

BoxingScene.com has obtained the below letter that was exchanged between One Punch and the Executive Director of the Florida Commission.

Disclaimer: This correspondence is being copied to Mr. Joshua Dubin (Counsel of Record for One Punch Productions), Mr. Tim Lueckenhoff (President of the Association of Boxing Commissions), Mr. Ramiro Ortiz (Florida State Boxing Commission Chair), City of Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio, the Office of Governor Charlie Crist, the Office of Lt. Governor Jeff Kottkamp, the Office of the Attorney General of Florida Bill McCollum, Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, and the Office of Interim Secretary Charlie Liem.

Mr. Tom Molloy

Executive Director

Florida State Boxing Commission

1940 N. Monroe St.

Tallahassee, FL  32399 

 

Dear Mr. Molloy,

 

I am writing this letter to you to inquire as to the status of my promoters’ license in the State of Florida. I have 3 remaining reserved dates with the commission (July 16, Sept. 17, Nov. 12) prior to the November Governor's election, and need to know the immediate status of my license. I'm making this request due to comments made to me by numerous personnel and officials of the Florida State Boxing Commission as well as my duly licensed matchmaker Peter Fernandez, that indicated to me during my event that took place on May 21, that you intend to "find a reason" to suspend my promoters license, or otherwise "make it impossible" for my company to continue our operations in the State of Florida due to comments I made regarding your interest in the Seminoles Boxing director position. 

 

For the record, the comment I made was that there has been a dramatic change in your actions and attitude since you did not get the Seminoles position. It has appeared to me (and to others) that you no longer want the position you currently hold as Executive Director of the Florida State Boxing Commission. Calls to you go unreturned for weeks, and important time-sensitive issues are left to your woefully inexperienced office staff (with the noted exception of Ms. Lina Hurtado). Numerous commission personnel, as well as countless licensees across the State of Florida have echoed this sentiment to me. I stand by my comment. I firmly believe that if you no longer want this position, then you should step down and allow someone who actually does want it to assume the role. The position of Executive Director is a vital one to our sport, and needs to be filled by someone who is committed to the position, and not by someone who appears to be marking the days on the calendar until the results of the coming November elections are known. And as the most currently active boxing promoter in the State of Florida (having promoted more boxing events year to date and having more boxing events scheduled for the remainder of the year than any other boxing promoter in the State of Florida) I have every right (and an obligation) to question the actions and activities of your position.   

 

You may take that as a personal insult if you wish, however I am simply stating a fact. Your personal feelings are of minor importance to me. During the past few years I have extended you every respect, kindness, and courtesy possible. But this sport isn't about you, and it isn't about me. It's about the athletes that performed in front of a sold-out crowd at my event last Friday night in Tampa, and the $60,000.00+ that I pump into the local economy every time I stage an event. I pay thousands of dollars in State fees, and invest tens of thousands of dollars of my own money in every event that I host, and I conduct my activities with respect and fairness with everyone I deal with. My reputation speaks for itself. I gladly challenge anyone who might indicate otherwise to review any event that I have ever been involved with in any capacity dating back to the inception of One Punch Productions in 2001, and I challenge you to find so much as one fighter, cornerman, official, manager, matchmaker, television network executive or network personnel, or anyone else that would tell you publicly or privately that I have ever treated anyone unfairly or did anything illegal, unethical, or against the best interests of the sport. That's not how I operate, and never has been. I have coordinated events broadcast on ESPN, Showtime, HBO, and HBO PPV, and have interacted with commissions across the country including the New York State Athletic Commission, the Nevada State Athletic Commission, the California State Athletic Commission, and the New Jersey Athletic Control Board, and have never once had a single allegation of impropriety levied against me. Furthermore, since I have violated no rule, law, or regulation, I would sincerely hope that you are aware that suspending my license without just cause, or unjustly interfering with my ability to conduct lawful business in the State of Florida does in fact expose the State of Florida to considerable damages. As a resident of Florida, and being well aware of the State’s current fiscal situation, I must say that this course of action would be extremely unwise and detrimental to our State.

 

In addition, I personally don't care one iota that Commissioner Jurado was offended when I told her she was out of line with her personal crusade against round card presenters, and her singling out the sole African-American presenter for critique. She was in fact out of line. And the fact that she happens to sit on the Commission doesn't make her any less out of line. I don’t know Ms. Jurado well enough to state with certainty that there was a racial component to the issue, however the presenter certainly felt that there was, and expressed those concerns to myself as well as my staff.

I myself do not play politics. I do not work for you, and I do not work for Ms. Jurado. I work for the athletes who participate in my events, and the spectators who value our events enough to spend their hard-earned money on admission tickets. That's who I work for. I have attempted to maintain good relations with you, however that is not a licensing requirement that I am aware of. I can find no reference to it in Chapter 548, Title XXXIII of the Florida Statutes. I am flattered though that of the countless things that could potentially be wrong with a professional boxing event, that round card presenters are the only area that Commissioner Jurado felt warranted comment. That in and of itself speaks volumes to the thoroughness, competitiveness, and professionalism of my events. 

 

In closing, I truly enjoy producing my events in Tampa, Florida, and sincerely wish to continue doing so, without unjust and unwarranted interference from you. There are however numerous other States that would welcome my business, and I am quite capable of hosting my events elsewhere. That prospect however does a grave disservice to the Florida based fighters, vendors, and spectators who participate in our events, and is counter-productive to the general welfare of boxing and the economy of the State of Florida. I therefore encourage you to put your personal issues with me aside, and allow me to continue doing what I do best, which is producing the most well-executed boxing events in the State of Florida.

Should any party copied on this correspondence need additional information, please feel free to contact me directly or if you prefer you may contact my counsel of record.

Respectfully, 

 

Terry J. Trekas

Director of Boxing Operations

One Punch Productions