(SEPT 1) WBAN has had great discussions lately among the boxing community about the Do's and Don'ts of women boxers taking great risks and fighting out of the country.  WBAN asked boxing manager Brian Cohen to help us with some of his experience about negotiating fights out of the country, and sent in the following: The list is NOT in any particular order:

10.	DON'T incur any unnecessary expenses. Make sure the promoter pays for your bags that you have to check. Some countries charge, and some do not.   Check before you go.

9.	DON'T stay in a "roach" motel. Make sure your accommodations are not in a noisy part of town that will not allow you to get any rest.

8.	DON'T spend a day in the air. When you get your flight info,  check and see if you have six hour layovers,  and if you have to change planes more than three times tell the promoter to find a more direct route to get you there.

7.	DON'T get sick. When you arrive to a new country please know what your ordering before you eat it.

6.	DON'T get stranded. Put in your contract that you have to be driven to and from the gym at the promoters expense.

5.	DON'T embarrass yourself. Keep in mind when you travel to another country you are not only representing yourself as a professional,  you are also representing your country. Conduct yourself in a professional manner.

4.

DON'T deal with undesirables. Make sure you are dealing with a quality promoter. You want to make sure you get paid. It is not unusual to ask for half the money up front and the other half at the weigh in. [WBAN keeps info on Promoter Alerts.  If you have never heard of a particular promoter, contact WBAN wban100@aol.com and see if there are any alerts on promoters that you are not familiar with.]

3.	DON'T get shipwrecked. Make sure you have a return flight. This is self-explanatory.

2.	DON'T get robbed. If you are the champion make sure there are neutral judges and referee. This is very important to have you or your manager negotiate this with the promoter.

1.	DON'T treat fighting out of the country as a time away from home and being on vacation or a honeymoon.  It is extremely important to take the proper people, such as a trainer, and cutman. If you lose the fight because of a bad corner you cannot be mad at anyone but yourself.