Golden Boy CEO aspires to revolutionize boxing
No more mister nice promoter.
Golden Boy CEO Oscar DE la Hoya confirmed recently that his company wishes to pry boxing from the clasps of promoters of yesteryear and evolve with modern day concerns. The company offers nothing short
of a professional boxing revolution.
In an interview with Ben Grossman of TV trade publication,
Broadcasting & Cable, De la Hoya put his cards on the table following recent jabs thrown his way by Top Rank chief Bob Arum and an ongoing lawsuit between the two companies.
"The Don Kings and Bob Arums have had a chokehold on this sport for the last 40 years. They've been able to put great fights on, they've been able to promote the sport, yes, but I believe the days are
long past of the way they promote. Now, we have to think outside the box; we have to think like the NBA and MLB and have one commission and one major promoter in the sport,” said De La Hoya, responding the problem of organization and the fact that boxing lacks
one encompassing sanctioning body and commissioner.
In line with the thought of reason, De la Hoya praised Dana White for his systematic management of the Ultimate Fighting Championships, the world's largest mixed martial arts promoter which controls virtually
all the top MMA fighters. He said that boxing would like to “do the right thing,” in a similar vein, but repeated that the fundamental problem was promoters Don King and Bob Arum.
The solution, then, according to the Golden Boy himself, is to replace them.
“We need to sign all the talent and get all the TV dates; then you can have your own agenda and have a schedule for the fans and the sport,” De la Hoya said. “You can do a monthly PPV, a bi-weekly HBO
fight, you can have the best fighters fight each other. When you have five or six promoters, it's very difficult."
Finally, De la Hoya was adamant about expanding Golden Boy to be a lifestyle-brand company. He expects the company to soon become involved with fashion and cologne.
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