No More Mr. Nice Guy

No More Mr. Nice Guy

By Steve Kim, MaxBoxing (Oct 8, 2010) Special to Doghouse Boxing

A familiar pattern has developed in the past few months. Oscar De La Hoya, the figurehead of Golden Boy Promotions, will make comments and that will raise more than a few eyebrows and then cause quite the stir within the boxing business. Afterward, the CEO of the company who oversees the day-to-day operations, Richard Schaefer, has to come in and clean up the mess created by the man whose silhouette is the company’s logo.

It happened once again as “The Golden Boy” gave a recent interview to BroadcastingCable.com that suggested that their company should basically become the sole promoter in the United States with all the boxers and television dates under their auspices.

This, of course, meant that the Swiss banker would be asked about those rather bold statements.

"I read about these comments and am I being asked about it? Yeah, I'm being asked about it and I think that it really is the word to, like, 'control' boxing or something like that," said Schaefer, last Thursday afternoon at the Congo Room at LA Live. "I don't think that's really the right word. I think what it is, is what we have discussed [which is] a model which has worked for us and it's not the UFC model. Because the UFC model is really not the model where you empower fighters and you compensate fighters. You look at the kind of pay-per-view numbers they claim they do and then you look at the payout sheets, how much the athlete makes. It's not really a good model in what we stand for.

"A good model is when you empower the fighters and you compensate the fighters based on their performance, based on their pay-per-view [figures] and ticket sales and so on.” continued Schaefer. “That's the Golden Boy model we want to continue to."

And Schaefer makes no bones about it; they will go all George Steinbrenner in adding to their vast stable of boxers.

"I mean with that, any and all free agents- and emphasis on ‘free’- any and all free agents who feel like that they want to follow in that model, which has obviously made so many fighters from Mayweather to Ricky Hatton to Bernard Hopkins to Shane [Mosley] to Oscar to [Juan Manuel] Marquez and so on and on, not only wealthy- but rich. Y' know, fighters that are interested in that model, then people know where to find us.

"And that's what he meant, that we are going to continue to aggressively pursue free agents, just like it's common in other sports,” added Schaefer. “You see it with the Yankees; you see it with Real Madrid; you see it with Manchester United. You see it with these famous franchises in other sports. They're not shy about it. They're not shy about spending money and getting the best talent and I like that philosophy and there's nothing wrong with it."

Realistically, a monopoly or anything of that sort will never become a reality. And Showtime's bantamweight tournament (which involves several promoters) is another example that what this business really needs is more collaboration and cooperation between the powers-that-be.

Does Schaefer agree with this?

"One word- yes," he stated. But it was here that the normally amiable and mild-mannered Schaefer showed his obvious irritation at being targeted by rival promotional companies." And, y' know, it is really sad that this animosity and these things exist within boxing. Those who know me, I've reached out to so many promoters; I've worked with them; I've treated them nice and with respect and yet I keep on getting attacked by everybody and everybody's talking sh*t about Golden Boy. So y' know what? At one point, these people are really trying my patience and if they want to treat me like that, then OK. I don't need to be nice."

(Yes, Schaefer just dropped a “talking sh*t” - and he isn't finished taking the gloves off.)

"And I'm just getting tired, honestly; I'm getting tired of being nice. You want to keep on attacking Golden Boy and talking sh*t (See? There's another one) about Golden Boy, then y' know what? Be my guest.

"But don’t- DON'T- expect kindness in return."

It's no more Mr. Nice Guy for Schaefer and Golden Boy.

FRIDAY FLURRIES

Golden Boy prospects Frankie Gomez and Gabino Saenz have been added to the October 15th show at the Fantasy Springs Casino near Palm Springs. The main event that night on “Solo Boxeo” on Telefutura will be a bout between Eloy Perez and Dominic Salcido for the NABO 130-pound belt...Be honest, outside of the general principle, who really wanted to see Ward-Dirrell?...Hey, it's a good thing that Haymon doesn't advise any college basketball programs, isn't it?...Paulie Malignaggi told me on Thursday, while he was hanging out a bit at the Wild Card Boxing Club, that he might be making his Golden Boy debut on the Bernard Hopkins-Jean Pascal show on December 18th...So what does Joe Tessitore do when he's not ringside for ESPN2? He covers college football and here he is breaking down the Heisman Trophy race: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=5652452 ...Speaking of which, the Hurricanes will take care of business at home against FSU, right?...Raj, who was ejected a week ago on “Hell's Kitchen” might have been the most bizarre individual I had ever see on that show....

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