By Rich Mancuso
According to Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, there are no differences with Bob Arum. In fact, Schaefer who presided over the Bernard Hopkins-Chad Dawson return bout press conference, Wednesday in New York City, intended to meet Arum later in the day.
Arum is in New York for the second of a three-city tour Thursday announcing the welterweight title bout between Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley Jr. The fight will be televised on HBO Pay-Per-View, June 9th from the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.
Schaefer will be holding court in the Big Apple the next few days. As a liaison for Floyd Mayweather Jr, he will be at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem, next Tuesday, when the May 5th Miguel Cotto-Mayweather welterweight title fight is announced also to be held at the MGM Grand.
So, the two major promoters of the sport, Golden Boy and Top Rank have invaded New York City for a media fest. They bring with them, perhaps five of the premiere fighters in the sport. And that does not include Dawson, and to many, he has a good chance of dethroning Hopkins for the light heavyweight championship April 28th at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
“Once and For All” has been titled for the Hopkins fight. However, can it be once and for all that Schaefer and Arum work together? For the sport and the fans, the two money makers of the sport have to be on the same page even if it means they are competitors. They have not had that unity for the past two years, primarily caused from friction from the on- again and off- again and never seen Mayweather-Pacquiao fight.
It is unfair to say that Richard Schaefer is a shrewd businessman. He does most of the business for Oscar De La Hoya, and he has become the primary spokesperson for potential money making fights out of the Golden Boy Stable He is a smart talker, some would say he has learned the sport from De La Hoya, and because of the association with Mayweather, Schaefer always seems to be the bad guy
“We have to work together, we need to work together,” said Schaefer Wednesday regarding Arum, this after Hopkins the oldest fighter to hold a championship had his stare down with Dawson. “It is what we need to do for the best interests of the sport,” he says. However, there is no telling how long this so-called feud with Schaefer and Arum will last.
Schaefer said, “Sure there have been differences,” when asked about the Mayweather and Pacquiao talks that have been going in different directions. They are considered the two powerful promotions in the sport. Last year, Top Rank and Golden Boy co-promoted a few shows. They had to, because of title unification bouts with their respective fighters and there seemed to be a good working relationship that fueled optimism that Pacquiao and Mayweather would finally meet.
Remember though, Mayweather is his own promoter. Schaefer, as he says, is the middleman for the WBC welterweight champion. And it was Golden Boy and Mayweather that co- promoted the fight last September that saw Victor Ortiz, a Golden Boy fighter lose the title to Mayweather.
Hopkins is a different situation because he is promoted by Golden Boy, and at one time had a financial interest in the company. And this so-called major feud with Arum and Schaefer may all be coming from Mayweather the noted adversary of Arum. Reportedly, Mayweather made the last offer to Pacquiao and Arum which called for a 60/40 split of revenue for the fight.
To that Schaefer says, “There never has been money put on the table. Mayweather is looking like the bad guy here but there have been no figures discussed for pay-per-view revenue.” Arum surely will be asked that question again when Pacquiao meets the media Thursday in New York.
In the meantime, Schaefer and Arum will reportedly meet at a private location. Is this a truce or a way to renew interest in the much talked about and potential all-time mega fight for the sport? Rumors have been a part of the Mayweather-Pacquiao drama and Schaefer put one to rest.
“There never were financial figures put on the table,” said Schaefer in regards to the split of revenue. “If and when the time comes we will tell you. But first Floyd has to get by Cotto and wait until the 90-days are over before anything happens,” he said.
The reference of course is to the 90-days of incarceration that Mayweather will begin in June after copping a plea for a domestic violence assault. Schaefer also denies rumors that he influenced the judicial system in Las Vegas to postpone the Mayweather sentence in order to keep the May 5th date.
“It was I the best interests for Floyd to fight and keep the commitment,” he said The MGM venue had been booked well in advance. Of course the speculation was rampant that the opponent would be Pacquiao, until Arum said otherwise.
In the meantime, Hopkins was his usual self. He wants to continue a legacy that was temporarily stopped when the unexpected happened in the first fight with Dawson back in November. A loss and title going to Dawson was overturned to a no-contest, and the championship was back with Hopkins. The return bout was mandated by the WBC after they got involved in the theatrics and controversy.
“I absolutely want to prove that I can beat Chad Dawson, said Hopkins. Time will tell if Schaefer and Arum can get Mayweather and Pacquiao together at some point this year.”
This post is sponsored in part by Bay Club Bayside & Pro Wrestling Blog
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