On Sunday, June 8th, five division world champion and leader of the largest promotional outfit within the fight community Oscar De la Hoya was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame for his athletic achievements in the sport of boxing.
During his acceptance speech in Canastota, New York, the “Golden Boy” delivered powerful and resounding words which seemed to outline the directive and future path of Golden Boy Promotions and the fighters who compete on their fight cards.
“Ladies and gentlemen, boxing is wonderful,” declared the 41 year old, newly inducted Hall of Fame fighter. “But today our sport is not what it was at one time.”
“As many of you know, I have faced significant personal challenges in my life over the last few years. In short…I went through hell. When I was struggling with my own issues, the one constant I could come back to, besides my family, was boxing.” “We can, must, and will make boxing the crown jewel of the sporting world once again.”
“We must put aside the egos that have damaged our brand and sullied our reputation. We, the promoters, must stop carrying petty grudges that serve no purpose but to divide our sport. We must give the fans the fights that they want…and we will start today!”
Over the last several years, it became obscenely noticeable that Golden Boy Promotions seldom, if ever, made a conscious effort to work with other promoters in making popular divisional match-ups a reality. During 2013, Golden Boy flourished under the watch of former CEO Richard Schaefer by keeping efforts “in-house”, solely due to the vast amount of talent within the GBP stable.
But once the fan clamored Haymon vs. Haymon, or GBP vs. GBP match-ups materialized, observers began to see a steady decline in quality pairings on a regular basis during the first half of 2014.
The infamous Haymon showcase main events have now become the norm on Showtime Sports throughout the first six months of 2014, and Oscar De La Hoya has seemingly had enough. “You have my pledge, that from this moment forward, Golden Boy Promotions will double down on a very simple concept that we will strive to achieve every single day; putting on the best fights, at the best venues, for the best fans in the world.”
Fight fans everywhere hope that Oscar was being genuine when he gave his powerful acceptance speech at this weekend’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony. With events like Froch vs. Groves, Cotto vs. Martinez, and Pacquiao vs. Bradley being made on a regular basis through other promoters’ efforts, Oscar and GBP have very little choice but to stage the events that the public and paying customers want to see.
