Hall of fame publicist insists switching sides is not a change of heart
Boxing publicist Bill Caplan, who spent more than 20 years working for Top Rank Promotions CEO Bob Arum, has been hired by rival promotion company Golden Boy Promotions. Caplan’s new boss, Oscar De la Hoya, was once a fighter he helped to promote under Arum.
"Working with Bob for 20-plus years was a great experience. I love the man. And I'm sure that I always will," Caplan said in reflection of his Top Rank time. "He's obviously a brilliant man and a brilliant promoter. I'll always have great memories of all
of those years with him."
Caplan capped off his Top Rank career in June with the Miguel Cotto-Yuri Foreman fight, which he helped to promote.
He explained the promotional move. "I didn't leave [Top Rank] by choice. Officially they didn't let me go. But they felt that they didn't need me anymore. So, I'm just so happy that Golden Boy feels that they do need me."
Under the Golden Boy banner, Caplan will be a public relations consultant.
"We came to a parting of the ways with Bill in June," Arum said. "But he's a terrific guy, and he's a good P.R. guy, and he should do very well over there. I wish him all the best."
Though the move from Top Rank to Golden Boy for Caplan is innocuous, it comes at a time when the two companies couldn’t be less amicable towards each other. Last month, Golden Boy filed a second lawsuit against Top Rank, alleging that Arum weaselled them
out of millions of dollars in certain Manny Pacquiao fights. Golden Boy is entitled to a percentage of Top Rank’s profits off of Pacquiao.
Caplan was willing to disclose a bit on the matter. "Rivalry is one thing, but lawsuits, that's another thing, and that part makes me sad. My thought is that I'm very sorry that that is happening, but I'm not going to let it rain on my parade because I'm
excited and happy about the new challenge."
In an increasingly evolving boxing world, Caplan stands out as a bygone figure, having stood over the major events in the sport for decades and working with a plethora of fighters.
"In the 48 years that I've been doing boxing, I've worked with virtually every name fighter that you can name. My first boss was Joe Louis, who is my hero," Caplan reminisced happily.
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