"Athlon"
Athlon comes from the Ancient Greek ἆθλον (athlon), meaning "(sport) contest", or "prize of a contest", or "place of a contest; arena". Athlon Entertainment is the true evolution of the combat “sports” world. It’s Athlon’s goal to brand its style of combat as “Sweet Violence or Cus D’amato’s famous phrase: “Bad Intentions” as opposed to “Sweet Science.” Athlon promotes events that have a closer resemblance to the entertainment of a major concert rather than a traditional boxing event. Join us for the “Athlon” experience!
ABOUT
Joe Kelly
Joe Kelly has been promoting boxing and mixed martial arts events since the age of 24. A promoter with over 20 years experience, Mr. Kelly has promoted televised events for Showtime, HBO, ESPN, Fox Sports Net, CBS Sports Network, AXS TV, HDNet, Triller Fight Club, and FITE TV. Kelly’s accolades include being the youngest promoter to promote a show with ESPN and SHOWTIME. Kelly was also the first promoter to promote an International Show for ESPN as he took ESPN Wednesday Night Fights to Nassau, Bahamas.
Joe Kelly also managed the historic Memorial Hall in Kansas City for four years for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County, a 3,500 seat arena and event space that holds all types of entertainment, meetings, and special events each year.
Joe Kelly holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Drake University in Political Science and a Minor in World History. After completing college Kelly went on to get two Master’s in Business Administration Degrees in Entrepreneurship and General Management from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. His work-related experience beyond his own endeavors includes serving as a Vice President/General Manager of Ringside/Combat Sports, Vice President of Live Events for M-1 Global, Executive Vice President of Operations for Bellator MMA, and Executive Consultant for the World Series of Fighting. Joe Kelly is widely considered one of the best known and most experienced executives in the combative sports universe and has promoted over 300 televised combative sports events worldwide.
Joe Kelly also owned and operated ProteinHouse KC a healthy restaurant concept with multiple locations in Kansas, Missouri, and Iowa. Upon becoming a partner in the brand, he took his knowledge of health and fitness and created all meal prep, catering, and daily special designs and pricing for the entire corporate structure of the Protein House global corporate brand. Kelly also used his expertise as a sports agent and promoter to become the athlete food provider for Sporting Kansas City, Kansas City Chiefs, Kansas City Royals, and KC NWSL.
Doug Ward
Doug Ward’s journey in boxing began in 1980 with an amateur career that set the foundation for more than four decades in the sport. Since then, he’s worked in almost every corner of the boxing world — twenty-one years in the gym as a trainer, sixteen as a fight manager, twenty-five in the equipment industry, and more than ten years promoting both amateur tournaments and professional events. Through it all, Doug has remained a passionate advocate for the sport and its athletes. His deep involvement across every level of boxing has given him a rare, 360-degree understanding of the game — from the ring to the business side and everything in between. Whether across a boardroom table or in the opposing corner, Doug has earned a reputation for always putting FIGHTERS FIRST — because he WAS A FIGHTER FIRST. And when the final bell rings, that’s what it should always be about.
Amber Ashworth
Amber Ashworth is a brand and marketing strategist who leads the growth of Athlon’s professional brands and strengthens human-to-human engagement across the company’s social media, content, and podcast platforms.
With more than a decade of experience building and operating a successful clothing brand and e-commerce platform, Amber brings a proven track record of entrepreneurial leadership. She strategically expanded her expertise into the sports entertainment and health and wellness industries, applying a versatile skill set to drive brand visibility and audience connection.
In sports entertainment, Amber directs comprehensive marketing initiatives and oversees live event execution, coordinating all setup and teardown for globally televised events. In the health and fitness sector, she served as a co-owner of the ProteinHouse restaurant concept, where she managed key brand partnerships with organizations such as Sporting Kansas City, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Kansas City Royals, and KC NWSL.
Amber specializes in driving conversions, increasing recurring revenue, subscription-based growth and expanding affiliate partnerships while building lasting customer loyalty. She believes sustainable success comes not from chasing marketing trends, but from authentically connecting with audiences and clearly communicating value.
Amber holds a Bachelor of Science in Education from Avila University. She is a lifelong advocate for health and wellness, an avid supporter of alternative medicine, and has completed yoga studies through the Siddhi International School of Yoga in India.
