Manny Pacquiao
OSCAR DE LA HOYA STARTED A NEW BOXING WORLD
Floyd Mayweather
Newark, NJ- – Over the past decade a new trend has developed in the boxing world. Fighters being tired of seeing the profits they earned in sweat and blood go to their promoter’s have decided cut out the middle man. Oscar De La Hoya established Golden Boy Promotions in 2002. Other big name fighters such as Shane Mosley and Bernard Hopkins saw the value in that route and partnered with De La Hoya. Floyd Mayweather Jr. started his own promotional company and grossed about $78 million for the Victor Ortiz fight. These fighters all continued to ply their trade as fighters and wear the new hat as businessmen.
WHAT SEPARATES THE FIGHTER FROM THE PROMOTER?
Where do we draw the line and can fighters coexist as fighters/promoters? Once fighters start signing other fighters and own interest in their opponents doesn’t that constitute a conflict of interest? When De La Hoya fought Manny Pacquiao in December 2008, he owned a percentage of Pacquiao’s fights due to an arbitration agreement with Top Rank. this as a result of both companies claiming the rights to promote the Pacman. De La Hoya hasn’t fought since that night, but he’s still cashing in on the Pacquiao bandwagon that started that night after he quit on his stool. If De La Hoya beat Manny (which was next to impossible at the catch-weight imposed of 147 lbs), then Oscar would have been in a win, win, win position, collecting coinage from three entities and then continuing his career. Since that night Pacquiao has become a household name and generated millions of dollars for Top Rank and Golden Boy.
WHAT WAS THE STORY WITH OSCAR & MANNY?
Did De La Hoya come to win? Well that answer depends on which De La Hoya showed up that night: The fighter or the promoter? If De La Hoya the promoter showed up that night he’s still laughing every time he checks his bank statement. If the fighter showed up, I’m sure he will regret being gangster slapped by a one time mini flyweight (108 lbs). But the promoter side of Oscar, sans the cocaine, wearing ladies panties and bras, will smile each and every time and a Manny Pacquiao check shows up.
HERE IS THE $64,000 QUESTION
Manny Pacquiao is a Congressman and an iconic sports figure in his native Philippines. Is it that Manny Pacquiao is naive, dare I say stupid, to realize that giving these promoters almost half of what he makes him look like a Philippine trick being pimped off by Bob Arum and Oscar De La Hoya? I mean, isn’t there somebody smart enough to take Manny down the “Money” route that Floyd Mayweather put himself on? Or is he just too naive, dare I say dumb to count that high?
R.A. Tabb