Due to a lack of opportunities for his own students to compete, promoter William Varner, started the very first King of the Ring on February 16th 2001 in a ballroom at the Surfside Inn hotel. The event was a huge success among local fighters and fighting fans. With some fighters coming from as far away as Costa Rica, KOTR has grown steadily, now trying to fill a basketball area at a local university. KOTR averages fifteen bouts in a regulation size boxing ring.
