There is a high scale game of finger pointing taking place in the after-math of failed negotiations for a bout between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Junior.
Pacquiao?s primary promoter Bob Arum and President of HBO Sports Ross Greenburg claims that their were negotiations that took place for the failed fight.
Floyd Mayweather?s representative Leonard Ellerbe and Golden Boy Promotion?s Chief Executive Officer Richard Schaefer deny that negotiations ever took place for the bout.
The face and founder of Golden Boy Promotions Oscar De La Hoya cannot seem to get his story straight.
On June 6, 2010, Oscar De La Hoya appeared on the Spanish language network Univision?s sport talk show Republica Deportiva (view the video below).
During that interview, he made the following statement regarding negotiations for a fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao.
“Of course, obviously it has been a difficult negotiation, for many reasons. But now, we are very, very close in finalizing these contracts. It has been complicated but both fighters realize that this fight needs to be made. It has to be made because the fans want this fight and it is the biggest fight in the world, for the boxing world. Its going to be a super big fight. I think we are really, really close in finalizing those contracts. I obviously cannot talk about the negotiations, but we are very close.”
Yesterday, while visiting a local boxing gym for a press conference, Oscar De La Hoya claims he lied during his appearance on Republica Deportiva.
As reported by Boxingscene?s Rober Morales, De La Hoya made the following statement:
?I think I said it because I get asked that question so many times that, obviously, I was fed up and tired of it and I just said like, yeah, yeah, its gonna get made.?
So which statement should we believe from De La Hoya? His public comments before millions of television viewers? Or his rebuttal in front of the boxing press.
Boxing promoters are prone to lying, but it is disappointing coming from De La Hoya. When he first launched his promotional firm one of his main tenets for Golden Boy was to improve the image of boxing and the way business is done.
Nine years later Golden Boy Promotions has proven to be just like any boxing promoter, willing to do whatever is necessary to make a dollar in the cut-throat industry.
Mr. De La Hoya is not above lying to fans, just to make his life a little easier when dealing with the press.
