When he quit three years later, at 25, to start his own software development firm, his blue-collar dad thought he was nuts. Segura’s first two customers sold hot dogs and tortillas; today, Vision IT has 850 employees worldwide, a roster of Fortune 500 clients (including Ford), and more than $100 million in revenue. “You get to a point in your career when you’ve had some success,” says Segura, “and you’re in a position to really impact someone else.”
Segura spends about 20 hours a month working with Dolton–helping book fights, manage a social media presence, and choose appropriate endorsements, among them clothier Detroit Vs Everybody. So far, he’s invested $35,000 in travel, training, and marketing, and he’s yet to see a return. But that could change. Champions fight for seven-figure purses and sign lucrative endorsement deals, and the manager takes a cut.
“You can’t cheat the grind,” Dolton says. Segura knows. Since he started hanging out with Dolton at Detroit’s legendary Kronk Gym (where icons Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns have trained) and shadowing Dolton’s brutal workouts, he’s lost 35 pounds. “It has transformed me physically,” Segura says, “and got me thinking more like a fighter thinks.”
