Report: Floyd Mayweather Jr. will no longer use Golden Boy to promote his fights

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Photo by Associated Press

It didn’t take long for the other shoe to drop. Only hours after Richard Schaefer announced Monday he was resigning as CEO of Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, Floyd Mayweather Jr. declared through the CEO of Mayweather Promotions – Leonard Ellerbe – that he will no longer use Golden Boy to help promote his fights, according to a report on ESPN.com

Mayweather had been using Golden Boy to promote his past nine fights on a handshake. But it was not surprising that Ellerbe told ESPN.com that Mayweather will “absolutely not” use Golden Boy any longer.

Mayweather and De La Hoya have never liked each other much. To the contrary, Mayweather and Schaefer and Ellerbe have solid relationships.

Richard Schaefer resigns as CEO of Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions

Posted on June 2, 2014 by Robert Morales

To the surprise of probably no one, Richard Schaefer – CEO of Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions – on Monday afternoon handed in his resignation after some 12
years with the company that was founded in 2002.

“After more than 10 years with Golden Boy, it is time to move on to the next chapter of my career,” Schaefer said in a statement. “This decision has required a great
deal of personal reflection, but ultimately I concluded that I have no choice but to leave. I have succeeded in banking and I have succeeded in boxing, and I look forward to the next opportunity. I am proud to remain a shareholder (in Golden Boy), so I have a strong interest in the continued success of the company. I am proud of what we have accomplished at Golden Boy, but I now look forward to new challenges.”
Schaefer has been De La Hoya’s right-hand man, and then some. The financial brains of the outfit, the former Swiss banker helped build De La Hoya’s company into a monster in the industry, taking a back seat to virtually no one.

Along the way quite a bit of animosity materialized between De La Hoya’s former promoter – Bob Arum of Top Rank Inc. – and De La Hoya and Schaefer. The ongoing beef resulted in what boxing insiders referred to as “The Cold War” as the companies refused to do business with each other.

When De La Hoya recently got out of a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center for the second time, he went on record as saying he wanted to patch things up with Arum
and again begin doing fights with Arum’s high-powered company.

By this time Schaefer had gone on record as saying he would never do business with Arum ever again. Schaefer would not say much on top of the statement during a telephone interview with this newspaper shortly after he resigned. He did provide some hints.

“I can’t really say anything on the advice of my attorneys,” he said, when asked about his main reason for leaving. “I’m just going to leave it at this; the statement pretty much says all it needs to say.”

Schaefer was asked if, because his attorneys advised him not to talk, that means there is impending litigation.

“No, not necessarily,” he said. “I just gave my resignation today; I don’t have all the answers.”

Schaefer, however, did say something that intimated De La Hoya’s change of heart toward Arum was part of why he left.

“I’m sure guys involved in boxing saw what was going on and probably figured out that sooner or later something like that was going to happen,” Schaefer said.

De La Hoya, as of late Monday afternoon, had yet to issue a response to Schaefer’s departure. De La Hoya, of East Los Angeles, will be inducted into the International
Boxing Hall of Fame on Sunday in Canastota, N.Y.

Oscar De La Hoya throws his hat into Clippers’ ring

Posted on April 30, 2014 by Robert Morales

Lots of potential buyers of the Clippers have come out of the woodwork since NBA commissioner Adam Silver on Tuesday brought down the hammer on current owner Donald Sterling, who was caught on tape making several racist remarks about African-Americans. Not only is Sterling banned for life, Silver said he is confident he will get the 75-percent vote of the rest of the owners to force Sterling to sell the team.

Six-Division world boxing champion Oscar De La Hoya released a statement Tuesday evening saying he would love to buy a piece of the Clippers. Interestingly, another boxer – Floyd Mayweather Jr. – has said he would like to purchase the team.

“The league has made it known that it wants more minorities involved, and as a proud Mexican-American, I will bring a different perspective to the NBA in general, and the Clippers in particular,” De La Hoya said. “I was born and raised in Los Angeles, I know what it takes to run a successful sports entity and nothing would make me happier than to bring an NBA Championship home to Southern California sports fans.”

De La Hoya weighed in on Silver’s action on Sterling.

“I applaud NBA Commissioner Adam Silver for his quick and decisive action regarding in the Donald Sterling situation, and his forward thinking will push the league toward a positive future,” said De La Hoya, 41, who last fought in December 2008. “There is no room for racism and unfair treatment in any professional sport, or in life in general. I hope to be a part of positive change for the league.”

It’s doubtful De La Hoya and Mayweather would ever join forces to purchase the Clippers as they really don’t seem to like one another much.

Richard Schaefer won’t comment on rumors of discord with Oscar De La Hoya

Posted on March 14, 2014 by Robert Morales

Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, on Friday morning said he would not address in any way, shape or form the rumors that he and his boss, Oscar De La Hoya, are on the outs.

Some of the gossip has gone so far as to suggest that Schaefer was about to either resign or be pushed out of the company he has helped grow into a monster.
“I’m actually trying to get to the bottom of those rumors as well, and the sources,” Schaefer said via telephone. “I am not going to comment on it. I’ve never really been one to comment on rumors, and I’m not going to start now.”

Oscar De La Hoya stoked about his induction into Hall of Fame

Posted on December 5, 2013 by Robert Morales

Oscar De La Hoya of East Los Angeles has had difficulty keeping his personal life together the past couple of years as he has twice checked himself into rehabilitation centers for treatment of substance abuse. But De La Hoya was stoked to hear Wednesday that he has been inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and will be enshrined June 8 in Canastota, N.Y.

“I am honored and appreciative to be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, and I thank everyone who has been a part of this journey with me,” De La Hoya said Thursday in a statement. “This is the dream of everyone who puts on a pair of gloves and steps between the ropes, and through the good and the bad, you always hope that when all is said and done, you put on good fights, entertained the fans and will be remembered for what you did in the ring. To know that I will be in the Hall of Fame with the greats of this sport is humbling. But it has also put a smile on my face that isn’t coming off anytime soon.”

De La Hoya, now 40, won titles in six weight classes. He went 39-6 with 30 knockouts fighting from 1992-2008.

Oscar De La Hoya to be inducted into International Boxing Hall of Fame

Posted on December 4, 2013 by Robert Morales

Oscar De La Hoya of East Los Angeles will be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame on June 8, the Associated Press reported. De La Hoya won world titles in six weight classes and compiled a record of 39-6 with 30 knockouts from 1992-2008.

Also to be enshrined in Canastota, N.Y. are Felix Trinidad Jr. and Joe Calzaghe. Trinidad won a somewhat controversial majority decision over De La Hoya in a welterweight title unification bout in 1999 in Las Vegas. Trinidad, of Puerto Rico, had a record of 42-3 with 35 knockouts.

Calzaghe, of Wales, finished undefeated at 46-0 with 32 knockouts. He was a super middleweight champion from 1997-2007.

Golden Boy matchmaker Eric Gomez bummed about Oscar De La Hoya’s plight

Posted on September 11, 2013 by Robert Morales

Eric Gomez, matchmaker for Golden Boy Promotions, is typically a happy-go-lucky guy. But he was bummed out Tuesday night hours after his childhood friend and boss – Golden Boy president Oscar De La Hoya – had for the second time checked himself into a rehabilitation clinic because of substance abuse.

De La Hoya will not be on hand Saturday when his fighter – Saul “Canelo” Alvarez – takes on Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a junior middleweight championship mega fight at MGM Grand in Las Vegas (on Showtime pay-per-view.)

“It’s a little hard, it’s a little tough,” Gomez said via telephone from Las Vegas. “It was something that was very important that, you know, there’s nobody that would want to be here more than him. And for him to do this, at this time, it was serious. And all we can do is support him and love him and give him all our support.”

De La Hoya previously checked himself into a rehabilitation clinic in 2011.

Kenny Bayless draws the assignment to referee Mayweather-Alvarez

Posted on September 4, 2013 by Robert Morales

Kenny Bayless, one of the top referees in boxing, has been named to referee the Sept. 14 junior middleweight title fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez at MGM Grand in Las Vegas (on Showtime pay-per-view).

The three judges will be Dave Moretti, C.J. Ross and Craig Metcalfe.

Interestingly, Bayless was the third man in the ring when Mayweather won a split decision over Oscar De La Hoya in May 2007 at MGM Grand. De La Hoya is Alvarez’s promoter.

Oscar De La Hoya says Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez can do what he couldn’t

Posted on September 3, 2013 by Robert Morales

Oscar De La Hoya squared off with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a junior middleweight title fight in May 2007 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, the same venue where Mayweather will tangle with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez on Sept. 14 in a junior middleweight title fight (on Showtime pay-per-view).

De La Hoya did very well in the first half of the fight, but he stopped using his jab and Mayweather emerged with a split-decision victory. De La Hoya believes that Alvarez will do what he and other great fighters of Mexican descent – namely Jose Luis Castillo, Juan Manuel Marquez and Chicanito Hernandez – could not do, defeat Mayweather.

“For one thing, youth is on his side,” De La Hoya said of Alvarez, who is just 23; Mayweather is 36. “But the real advantage will be the intelligence. People will also be surprised with his speed.”

Alvarez said he first began following Mayweather fights in 2001 and 2002 when he fought Diego Corrales and Castillo, respectively. He apparently watched De La Hoya-Mayweather with great interest.

“Oscar, of course,” he said, when asked for whom he was rooting. What else was he going to say? De La Hoya’s his boss.

Mayweather is 44-0 with 46 knockouts. Alvarez is 42-0-1 with 30 knockouts.

Oscar De La Hoya raves about Saturday’s main event at StubHub Center

Posted on August 22, 2013 by Robert Morales

Abner Mares of Hawaiian Gardens has become one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world. The Artesia High graduate has won titles in the bantamweight, super bantamweight and featherweight divisions and Saturday will defend his featherweight belt against former featherweight champion Jhonny Gonzalez of Mexico at StubHub Center (on Showtime).

At Thursday’s final news conference, Oscar De La Hoya spoke highly of this main event.

“For the boxing fans in L.A., this is what boxing is all about and this is what they deserve,” said De La Hoya, president of Golden Boy Promotions. “Abner Mares is a special talent that we are witnessing in our era. He’s a talent that doesn’t come around very often. He’s fought nothing but the best. We all know Gonzalez. He’s a machine who is a tough puncher and a very calculated puncher. Jhonny knows this is his opportunity. Everybody knows that.”

Mares, who recently bought a house in Downey, is 26-0-1 with 14 knockouts. Gonzalez is 54-8 with 46 knockouts. Gonzalez lost his belt to Daniel Ponce De Leon in September 2012. Mares in turn took it from De Leon in May in Las Vegas.

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