Meetings & Commissioners

Mike Bower began his boxing career in 1973, participating in Amateur Golden Glove Boxing with Heath Boxing Club. In 1981 Mike began boxing on the Toughman circuit, winning the  Oklahoma State Toughman Championship in 1981 and 1983. Since that time he has continued his involvement in boxing, serving as a sparring partner, manager and corner man before his appointment to the Oklahoma Athletic Commission in 1999 by Governor Frank Keating. Mike has served four terms on the commission under three governors. Mike spent 31 years in the fire service and was chief of the Midwest City Fire Department for 16 years. Since retiring from the fire department in 2004, Mike has served as the emergency management director for the City of Midwest City for the past eight years.

Terry Smith has been a martial arts instructor in Oklahoma City for over 40 years. He has trained thousands of people in karate, kickboxing, jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts. He fought in and promoted karate and kickboxing events in the United States, Mexico, the Soviet Union and Uzbekistan. He served as vice president of Chuck Norris’ United Fighting Arts Federation and was promoted to 6th Degree Black Belt by Mr. Norris. He founded the Oklahoma Karate Association in 1985 to promote fighter safety and unified fighting rules. In the 1980s he was a boxing judge and referee, and also promoted Professional Kickboxing Association events in Oklahoma City.

Dr. Larry T. Lovelace is a physician certified in emergency medicine and trauma. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma in three years, then attended Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery. He served in the US Army for eight years and achieved the rank of major. Dr. Lovelace did his residency in Emergency Medicine at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. He is also certified in ringside medicine; treating professional fighters as well as future olympians on the US Olympic Boxing Team. His father was an Army officer and a Golden Gloves champion, so Larry naturally became involved with the U.S. Army boxing team. He has served as a ringside physician for over 30 years and was elected as the national Ringside Physician of The Year in 2006. He is considered an expert in ringside medicine and was recently elected as a board member of the Association of Ringside Physicians (international association). Dr. Lovelace has trained emergency medicine physicians, PAs, interns, residents and paramedics for over 30 years. He won the award Preceptor of the Year at Oklahoma University College of Medicine - PA school four times, and was selected as the keynote speaker at the graduation ceremony in 2010. Doc Lovelace has lectured nationally and internationally on Ringside Medicine and Safety, and considers the health and safety of the participants to be his highest priority. He has been an attending physician at OU Medical Center/Trauma 1 Center in OKC for the last 12 years, and has a family practice in Moore.

Mike James is originally from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. After finishing school in 1983, he joined the team at Enterprise Rent-A-Car. In 1989 he made the move from Ft. Lauderdale to Tulsa with Enterprise to develop the Enterprise footprint in eastern Oklahoma. In 1998, his career with Enterprise brought him to Oklahoma City to assist in overseeing and developing rental operations across Oklahoma. It was his move to OKC that opened the door for him to become involved with the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame and Jim Thorpe Association. Since 1999 Mike has served as a volunteer for the association, a board member, and a seven-year stint as chairman. After 32 years with Enterprise, Mike moved on and now serves as president and executive director of the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame. Mike has two daughters, Alexa and Olivia. He has a bachelor's degree in business administration from Pacific University. His wife, Anne, is in her 29th year of teaching school in the Edmond Public School District. Mike and Anne reside in Oklahoma City.  

Biography to come soon. 

Biography to come soon. 

Michael Stopp is CEO and principal of SevenStar Holdings, a company created to assist in economic development in Indian Country. He is the former Chief of Staff for U.S. Representative Markwayne Mullin, where he handled commmunications, external affairs and constituent relations. He is also a veteran of the U.S. Army. His proudest personal achievement is co-founder for the Native American Heritage Forum as a cadet at West Point. The forum was established to recruit American Indian cadets, create a community for Native cadets while attending the U.S. Military Academy, and to expose cadets and faculty to Native American culture while at the academy. This program thrives today. It has subsequently been adopted by both the U.S. Naval Academy and U.S. Air Force Academy, which stands as a testament to its success. When he was a board member of the 7G Foundation, a 501c3 dedicated to mentoring and coaching young Native Americans, Mike was key in negotiating 7G’s relationships with the NFL, Minnesota Vikings, MLB and the Atlanta Braves. These relationships produced all-star, all-Native football and baseball games that have resulted in most of the participants earning placement on collegiate teams. Stopp was appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate as a commissioner in 2020. Notably, he is a board director with the Atlanta Braves Native American Working Group and Leadership Oklahoma. He is a member of Leadership Oklahoma Class 32, Leadership Native Oklahoma Class 2 and Tahlequah Leadership Class 16. A community man with a volunteer heart, Mike has donated his time to multiple organizations including the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Foundation, American Indian Merit Award, Help-In-Crisis and other service and education programs.