Richard Schaefer, CEO of Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, on Tuesday dismissed in its entirety the rumor that De La Hoya was beaten up by Victor Ortiz during a camp sparring session last week in Big Bear Lake, Calif.
De La Hoya is preparing for his Dec. 6 fight with Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao. Schaefer said that Ortiz has been selected as one of De La Hoya’s sparring partners, but he said that there is no way Ortiz could have roughed up De La Hoya at this time.
For one thing, Schaefer said that he saw De La Hoya in person Sunday.
“I doubt it,” Schaefer said, laughing slightly when asked about the scuttlebutt. “The fact is, I actually spoke to him Sunday because I was honored as ‘Man of the Year’ and Oscar came down the mountain to present me with the award and I spent time with Oscar.”
Schaefer was honored by the White Memorial Medical Center Charitable Foundation. De La Hoya has contributed millions of dollars to the building of a children’s wing and a cancer wing at the East Los Angeles Hospital.
Schaefer indicated that not only did De La Hoya not appear to have been thrashed by anyone, that would have been impossible since De La Hoya had not sparred even one round as of Tuesday.
Schaefer said he had just spoken with Raul Jaimes, a Golden Boy executive in camp.
“I talked to Raul today and asked him how everything was going and if they had started sparring and he said they had not even started sparring,” Schaefer said.
Schaefer did say that Ortiz – like Pacquiao, a southpaw – is one heck of a fighter and that’s why he was selected by De La Hoya as one of his sparring partners.
“I think Victor Ortiz would give anyone problems between 140 and 150 pounds,” Schaefer said of the junior welterweight. “I think he is a terrific fighter.”
Ortiz, 21-1-1 with 17 knockouts, is promoted by Golden Boy.
Robert Morales covers boxing for the Los Angeles Daily News, ESPN.com, Long Beach Press-Telegram, and BoxingScene.com
