Lace Up History

Having been in the martial arts since as far back as he can remember, Amer Abdallah’s zeal for combative sports was apparent to everyone around him.  He loved the competition, preparation and excitement that an evenly matched bout encompasses. Stemming back to his early teen years, he used to organize boxing & wrestling matches at his parents home between his neighborhood friends and family.

In 1998, Abdallah opened his own gym “Abdallah’s KO Kickboxing & Boxing Club” in Lockport, NY and immediately began giving his students opportunities to perform in front of their hometown crowds. In November of 1998 at the age of 21 Amer Abdallah’s passion for promoting Kickboxing, Boxing and Muay Thai events became a reality as he hosted his first amateur boxing fight card dubbed “Fight Night” at the Holiday Inn in Lockport in front of a sold out crowd. Out of the 10 bouts on the card, 2 hometown fighters were matched and for the first time in over 15 years a local athlete represented his hometown. “I’ll never forget the electricity in the air when our hometown kids came out” Abdallah recalls. “The crowd just went crazy in supporting every step he took, every punch he landed and every shot he avoided.”

It was that feeling of fulfillment, excitement and hope that established the foundation of giving local athletes the opportunity to build their careers, gain fans, build a reputation and work their way to lifelong ambitions of championships. This was the driving force behind Lace Up Promotions slogan, “We. Build. Champions.”

Having promoted numerous champions such as Sam Stout, Jim Andrello, Mark Hominick, Chris Hordecki, Alexis Davis, Kim Andrello, Ed Burris, Kevin VanNostrand and even Amer Abdallah himself, Lace Up Promotions has become a well known name in the combative sports world.

“Nothing gives me more joy and satisfaction than seeing the athletes on our events make their lifelong dreams a reality and having memories we helped build shared with their families for the rest of their lives. I thank God everyday for allowing me this opportunity.”
– Amer Abdallah