Everyone wants to fight for Golden Boy. Well, almost everyone. One fighter who does not want to fight for Golden Boy, or no longer wants to fight for Golden Boy, is former WBC welterweight champion Robert ?The Ghost? Guerrero.
Since fighting and losing to Floyd Mayweather in May 2013 for a career-high $3 million, Guerrero has sat on the shelf. He?s not happy about it. Neither is his management. In response to the unhappiness, Guerrero?s lawyers have been unleashed in an attempt to free The Ghost from any and all contractual obligations to Golden Boy Promotions.
When BoxingScene.com asked Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer why Guerrero would choose to leave Oz, he was allegedly ?speechless.? The alleged speechlessness, however, did not last long.
?I am proud of what we have done for him,? said Schaefer, ?and there are a lot of interesting fights for him. Fight Thurman. Fight Maidana. Fight Broner. There are so many names that he could fight. I don?t understand it.?
It wasn?t long before the ?speechless? Schaefer let rip with some complaints of his own.
?He hounds me to get him a Mayweather fight,? Schaefer continued. ?You need to get Mayweather, you need to get Mayweather. Everybody wants Mayweather. I get him Mayweather and then he gets pissed off at me when they lose.?
Is Guerrero pissed off at Schaefer? That?s possible. He wouldn?t be alone. It?s also possible that it?s not about Schaefer at all. Maybe Guerrero wants to take his career in a direction that runs counter to Golden Boy?s blueprint for boxing?s future.
But nothing is ever as it appears in the fight game, as Schaefer?s cloak and dagger mindset reveals.
?I think that maybe there is someone else whispering in his ear. I?m not going to say any names. I think there is another promoter whispering in his ear, promising him this and promising him that. First he needs to be free. I?ve been down that road before. The fact is, we have a valid and enforceable contract. I will continue to do a great job with Robert Guerrero and get him big fights. I tell all of the fighters, I can?t help you win the fight. I can only get you the big fights. It is up to you to win.?
According to Schaefer, he offered Guerrero a fight with Keith Thurman on the Broner-Maidana undercard, a fight which went to Jesus Soto Karass instead.
?You take a fighter like Keith Thurman, like a Lucas Matthysse, Marcos Maidana, Adrien Broner, Danny Garcia, Abner Mares or Bernard Hopkins. I could go on. I know I?m missing some names, but these guys never say no to anybody. Sure they negotiate the numbers, but they never say no to anybody. Look at Andre Berto. There is another guy who never says no to anybody. He discusses the amount that he?s getting and says ?where do I sign.? Look at Victor Ortiz. He could have taken an easier fight but instead he goes against Luis Collazo and that?s a dangerous fight. Keith Thurman and Guerrero was a great fight. I don?t know who?s going to win that fight.?
Schaefer may not know who?s going to win that fight, but the rest of us do and it?s not Robert Guerrero. Is it possible that The Ghost doesn?t want to be relegated to the untenable role of designated opponent? Maybe he doesn?t want to be cannon fodder for the money fighters on Golden Boy?s roster.
?I think [Guerrero will] fight anybody,? said Schaefer. ?I think that maybe his manager is overly protective. But sometimes you have to roll the dice. When you are overly protective, you are not going to get to the top. You have to roll the dice and believe in your fighter?s capabilities. You take those fights and then you go and prepare and train and then you win.?
It should only be as simple as Schaefer suggests. And as far as being ?speechless? is concerned, I don?t know what to say.
