Reed Harris Blog - Hittin' the Road

(WEC founder and General Manager Reed Harris will provide an exclusive blog to WEC.tv. Once a week, fans will have the opportunity to take a peek inside the life of the man who co-founded the WEC in 2001.)

By Reed Harris

By the time you read this, I’ll probably be in the air headed to Youngstown. It’s going to be a busy week. For the next three days, “Cowboy” Cerrone and I will be embarking on a media tour in Youngstown, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh to promote the Sept. 2 show at the Covelli Centre.

Wednesday should be the most interesting day. We arrive in Youngstown around 2 a.m. and have our first media interview scheduled at 5 a.m. I usually can’t sleep on a plane, but I’m going to do my best to catch a few hours while traveling to Youngstown from Las Vegas. Otherwise, I’ll be drinking as much coffee as possible.

Right after our 5 a.m. television appearance, “Cowboy” and I will jump on our horses and head an hour and a half away to Cleveland to do some more press. Cleveland has always been a great sports town, so I’m looking forward to seeing that city again. After we finish up in Cleveland, we’ll head back toward Youngstown for some drive-time radio and evening news shows. We also have dinner planned with some great reporters in Youngstown and I’m sure the road trip will have given both Donald and I quite the appetite.

Thursday morning will be a lot of fun, too. “Cowboy” will be hosting an open workout for media at famous boxing trainer Jack Loew’s South Side Boxing Club in Youngstown. Jack was nice enough to open the doors of his gym for Donald and we expect a good response from media.

In case you didn’t know, Jack is the man who crafted the career of middleweight boxing champ Kelly Pavlik. Simply put, Kelly is a great, great fighter. A big puncher with a bright personality, Kelly actually reminds me of Donald a bit. Both are tall and lanky, both hit hard, and both have those championship intangibles that are hard to come by. We know Kelly has been busy, but here’s hoping that he stops by the gym on Thursday.

On Friday, it’s back to Vegas for some more press and all of the excitement of UFC 100. We’ll turn our attention back to Aug. 9 on Friday morning when we hold an in invite-only media breakfast featuring our guests-of-honor, Miguel Angel Torres and Brian Bowles. Torres and Bowles will talk to the nation’s top reporters about their highly-anticipated fight next month. I’ve had a chance to chat with both guys and they are fired up. I know I’ve said it already, but this fight is going to be a lot of fun for the fans.

After breakfast ends, Torres, Bowles, and I will head over to the UFC Fan Expo for autograph signings and appearances. If you are coming to Vegas this weekend, don’t miss the Fan Expo. For two straight days, you’ll have a chance to meet your favorite fighters and personalities, not to mention be a part of the historic UFC 100 festivities. I’m getting goosebumps just typing about it…

I’m hoping the emotional-high of UFC 100 carries over to Sunday. That’s when Miguel Torres and I head to LA for another three-day media tour. With Aug. 9 rapidly approaching, there is clearly no time to slow down now!