McLEAN, Va. ? The fight the world has begged for since they were, well, much younger ? Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao ? remains faintly on Oscar De la Hoya’s radar.
The Hall of Fame boxer and founder of Golden Boy Promotions, who runs the day-to-day operations of the company named for the former Olympic gold medalist, has handled most of Mayweather’s fights since the two fought in 2007.
That fight, won by Mayweather by split decision, sits in De La Hoya’s craw. He’s never wavered from the belief that he won.
He’s still optimistic Mayweather-Pacquiao will eventually happen, especially now that he has “ended boxing’s cold war” and made up with his former promoter and nemesis Bob Arum, chairman of Top Rank Promotions, which handles Pacquiao.
“Like every fan out there, I’m waiting patiently,” De La Hoya told USA TODAY Sports Thursday. “But my patience is starting to run out and now I’m smiling over Cotto-Canelo, which I know can fill that void.”
Cotto-Canelo is a matchup De La Hoya and Arum are working to put together for next year ? middleweight champion Miguel Cotto (39-4, 32 KOs) vs. former junior middleweight champ Canelo Alvarez (44-1-1, 32 KOs).
Maybe the biggest chapter in the rich Puerto Rico vs. Mexico rivalry.
“When Cotto-Canelo gets made, I see no reason why it can’t come close to the two million mark in pay-per-view buys,” De La Hoya said. “Yes, you have to give credit to Miguel Cotto, he’s a great fighter. But you bring in the Canelo factor and it brings pay-per-view fights to a whole new level.”
Alvarez, Golden Boy’s meal ticket, recently signed with HBO, a major move for the promotion, which had been all but banned from the network and had worked almost exclusively with Showtime in recent years.
Alvarez, whose loss to Mayweather last year was the highest-grossing fight of all time at more than a $150 million, wants to fight on Cinco de Mayo and Mexican Independence weekend.
As long as Mayweather is fighting for Showtime, those dates are reserved for him. Canelo asked to move to HBO, and De La Hoya made it happen, assuring his 24-year-old star remains happy.
De La Hoya isn’t sure his company will handle Mayweather’s last two fights with Showtime, even though he says it would be great.
“But if we never promote Mayweather again, well, you live another day,” De La Hoya said. “We are proud to be promoting the present and future of boxing, and that’s Canelo Alvarez.”
De La Hoya touched on a number of issues during a wide-ranging interview:
On ending boxing’s cold war: “There’s exciting fights to be made and we have a lot of work to do. But the fact that we’ve knocked on the door, and the door has opened, with HBO, with Bob Arum, there’s no more cold war going on. We’re now on speaking terms with Bob. It’s a great start. Rome wasn’t built in one night, but I’m confident and optimistic we can start making these big fights and finally granting the fans’ wishes for these mega-fights.”
On Deontay Wilder (32-0, 32 KOs) one of Golden Boy’s top fighters, on getting a title fight with heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne: “(The fans) want to see a guy who knows the value of being heavyweight champion. We know he can fight. The thing is, is he a nice guy. That’s what America wants to see, nice guys succeed.”
On working with legendary Don King, who promotes Stiverne: “I remember calling him to start negotiations with Stiverne. I called him and said, ‘Hello Don?’ I didn’t speak for the next 20 minutes. He talked about Emiliano Zapata, he talked about different regions of Mexico, he mentioned how much he loves tortillas. That’s Don for you. It’s been a fun struggle to get things done. But I’m very optimistic we can get this done because it’s very important for boxing. Don wants to see this fight happen, we want to see this fight happen, so I think we can make it happen.”
On light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins, who stood by De La Hoya after former GBP CEO and Hopkins friend Richard Schaefer resigned earlier this year: “Bernard Hopkins is my partner 100 percent. He’s in my corner, I’m in his corner. We understand the game. We not only understand what it takes to be a fighter, but how to deal with change in boxing. And change in boxing can be very scary … We understand the goals we have set for each other. If you take care of the fighter and get him the fights he wants, everybody wins.”
On welterweight Amir Khan’s chances of securing a fight with Mayweather: “I believe it will happen. I’ve been talking to Amir. He wants the fight. He believes he has the style, the ability to surprise Mayweather. Amir is a guy who is already an icon in the U.K. He throws a lot of fast combinations and he moves. He’s quick, he has youth behind him, we feel it could be a very good fight. It’s a matter of when and where.”
On Schaefer leaving the company earlier this year and the court battle over that departure: “Look, he resigned on me several months back. I have a binding contract that runs until 2018. So there’s a little dispute but things can be worked out. I’m not going to keep anyone from making a living, but at the same time, I’m going to protect what I believe is right.”
On the rumored move of Schaefer to Mayweather Promotions: “My sole focus is on Golden Boy Promotions and the fans. As long as we can focus on our business, it doesn’t matter what Bob Arum is doing, or Don King is doing, or what Mayweather Promotions is doing. As long as we make the fights that fans want to see, we’re going to be OK. My business philosophy is to focus on the work at hand and don’t worry about anyone else. I wish them all the best ? whoever wants to make the best fights. Just make sure you put the fans first. That’s the most important thing.”
On how he’s feeling since going through rehab for his addictions, comparing it to athletes who have been injured and go through a rehab process: “I’m telling you the best thing that ever happened to me in my life was going get that help. The best thing I could ever do in my life was to admit that I am hurt, that, yes, my ankle does hurt and my elbow was in pain. Let me go and make sure it’s strong, and wow, my life today is just amazing. I feel great, I feel strong, I feel motivated, I feel as if I’m training for the Olympics once again, for that gold medal. That was the ultimate. And for me to have that experience once again, I feel like nothing can stop me. . . . I feel happy, I feel that passion once again for the sport. This is my life, this is what I love doing.”
On Hall of Fame hopes a second time, as a promoter: “This is what I love doing, being involved in boxing and being part of the growth of the sport. My ultimate goal today is to become a hall of famer as a promoter. And the way I’m going to get there is by making the fights the fans want to see.”
