Mayweather vs Pacquiao: Todd duBoef on Floyd Mayweather Jr and Working With Golden Boy
by Scott Christ on Dec 15, 2011 5:10 PM EST
in Boxing News Analysis
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Though the chatter has quieted down some in the last couple of weeks regarding a potential May 5 fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao, Top Rank's Todd duBoef says that he feels the fight is a legitimate option, and had nice things to say about Floyd in an interview with Chris Robinson:
"In 1996 I signed him and took a very big interest in trying to help him out and develop him in his career. Because, those early years are the most important years because you have to trust somebody and we both trusted each other. I appreciated Floyd’s comments and inside of me I have a very sensitive place for Floyd. There’s a place in my heart for the growth that we both had together and I think it’s important, if the two of us have to sit down, I welcome it. I’ve always been there to listen to him, to whatever his issues are. I think he understands that I express myself to him and we understand each other very well."
During this most recent process, whatever it really is, even Bob Arum has said that he appreciates that Todd and Floyd can still speak with one another with no issues, and it seems like Arum believes that duBoef will be the go-to man if they are to truly talk turkey with "Money" Mayweather. Most likely, if a fight between Floyd and any Top Rank fighter happens, it will be duBoef at the wheel.
Then there's the Golden Boy issue. In all ways, it seems like that whole battle is back on, but duBoef is diplomatic there, too:
"We’ve had no issues with them. I think you saw that, in September, we used Daniel Ponce De Leon for [Yuriorkis] Gamboa, that was their fighter. We’ve offered them [Marcos] Maidana, [Lucas] Matthysse on separate shows in November. I don’t find any issue."
This is promoterspeak, of course. It's nice that he says this, that he doesn't "find any issue," but obviously there are issues. A good chunk of Oscar De La Hoya's life is now spent on Twitter complaining about Bob Arum in an attempt to convince everyone that he and Golden Boy are the white hats trying to elevate boxing while Mr. Grinch tries to steal away with the big fights and make sure they don't happen.
There are issues between the companies. Arum and Oscar are no more on good terms than Arum and Floyd. Richard Schaefer seems like he wants the companies to work together, and honestly I think Arum does, too, when it's the right deal, but Schaefer has a chip on his shoulder when it comes to Arum, too, and vice versa. Arum always pulls out that "Swiss banker" bit despite the fact that Schaefer has established himself in the boxing game. I think that pisses Richard off, and Schaefer is a guy who isn't going to take insults or shots lightly. He fires back.
But does anyone ever really say anything bad about duBoef? No. The whole game could change when Todd really takes over at Top Rank after Bob steps down. It's not that I don't think Bob Arum does anything right, and obviously the man can still promote an event.
The old beefs and grudges, though, do get in the way of business. Arum likes to point out that he'll work with Don King as some sort of evidence that he doesn't let personal rivalries gum up the works, but King is a third-tier promoter at this point, so it's not the same.
duBoef, as far as I know, has no serious axes to grind. As much as I'm not trying to too greatly dump on Arum here, or put too much faith into Todd, the day he takes over Top Rank could be like a parting of the cloud cover in American boxing.
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This has actually been a pretty bad year for Golden Boy fighters. The only guys I can really think of who survived the year and came out better than they did going in are James Kirkland, who raised his stock in a big way against Alfredo Angulo, and Canelo Alvarez, who was matched pretty damn soft all year.
Alvarez, Kirkland, Broner, Abner Mares, Anselmo Moreno, Seth Mitchell. They’re doing OK, really.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Dec 15, 2011 7:04 PM EST up reply actions
I'd add Ortiz too.
I mean, before this year, he was the busted prospect at 140 who everyone thought was a headcase. Now, he’s still a headcase, but he also beat Andre Berto in one heck of a fight in front of one of HBO’s best TV audiences of the year. I don’t know what the Mayweather debacle does for his career, but at least he’s well-known as “that guy”.
"Occasionally, there is a boxing match that, in its demonstration of skill, courage, intelligence, hope, seems to redeem the sport - almost. Perhaps boxing has always been a sport in crisis, a sport of crisis."
by Oli Goldstein on Dec 15, 2011 7:21 PM EST up reply actions
The best thing that can happen in boxing
Is for both Arum and Oscar to get out of the promotion game. Would it solve all of boxing’s problems? No. Would it make American boxing significantly better? Absolutely!
"The bell that tolls for all in boxing belongs to a cash register."
-Bob Verdi
Unfortunately Oscar isn’t even in his 40’s yet, so he’ll be promoting for a looooooooong time
Going to keep this simple: Texans = SUPER BOWL CHAMPS
by battle axe of doom on Dec 15, 2011 7:36 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
i agree that there will be reason for optimism if and when duBoef takes over top rank.
arum can still promote, but at this point i think he has so much baggage even southwest wouldn’t let his bags fly free.
i recently read an article by thomas hauser on deboef from 2010.
a few subjects touched upon in the article are:
-understanding the importance of new media
-learning from the ufc about putting on better events
-recognizing some of the major drawbacks of boxing today as limiting the products availability to customers by going from radio/broadcast tv, to premium cable, to ppv; by not having a more unified public relations plan and by demeaning the brand by promotors demeaning each others product. (Jerry Jones doesn’t say, ‘Don’t watch the Giants against the Eagles; that game sucks.’)
i don’t know that i’ve heard duboef speak negatively in the public about other promoters or other industry executives. hopefully if he takes over top rank, it will create an opportunity for the rhetoric to become more positive all around.
On new media, duBoef deserves a massive amount of credit. Golden Boy doesn’t even have a fucking YouTube account, for example.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Dec 15, 2011 7:02 PM EST up reply actions
i mean, you go to golden boy’s home page right now, and there are still details about ‘FRIDAY OFFICIAL WEIGH IN OPEN TO PUBLIC!!’ for the khan-peterson fight. scroll through the events, and there are pre-fight details for: mares-agbeko II, dawson-hopkins, and mayweather-ortiz.
goosen tudor has annoying music that auto-plays on their home page. scrolling across the top of the site is an ad for the may 14th fight between andre ward and arthur abraham. the site looks like they used a template from geocities. same thing for gary shaw’s site and di bella.
i get that boxing leans towards an older demographic, and that not everyone is “internet savvy” and all, but c’mon guys, it’s time to stop having your cousin be in charge of updating the site as an afterthought whenever they get around to it.
Arum and Oscar are promoters. They make noise and, for better or worse, we pay attention. They both have their place.
Oscar is the face of a big company and despite his wayward path recently, he still seems to be in control. Whether or not he has real deal making roles is another thing altogether. I suspect that is where Schaefer and his team (behind the scenes) comes in. Either way, they are doing a lot of things pretty well, hence the place of GBP in the pecking order.
Arum, for certain, has both a public role and a powerful deal making role at TR. He is a storied promoter who understands boxing and promotion. He is well trained lawyer who understands the business of boxing as well.
What he does not understand is how boxing can be promoted and marketed in the world of new media. That is where Todd comes in. And Arum, to his credit, defers.
duBoef knows that deals, almost all deals, are made based on relationships, most often long standing and respectful ones. To promote Boxing as a brand, which is his goal, it is critical that media deals are struck between two parties capable of working together.
Whether it be between networks, promoters, corporate sponsors, fighters, or whomever, loud talk is capable of doing more harm than good. And understanding the constantly changing landscape is of course critical. TdB gets both.
He and Floyd have had contact. Respectful texts and a bit more. They have no issues. Golden Boy is not, unless Floyd insists, involved in any negotiations and/or transactions……nor will TdB (and TR) be baited by them into including them.
If this fight gets made….and who doesn’t want it to be….it will be with Todd at the helm and Arum firmly behind. But it takes at least two to tango…and one of them is Floyd. And hopefully, whether he choses to work through GB or not, he will decide the time and money are right.
There are a hand full of crazy offers being thrown around, most of which will prove not to be real, but until that dust settles, it will be very hard to get anyone to agree to numbers. The net effect thus far is to suggest that a fight with Floyd and Manny fighting is worth untold fortunes; fortunes that may not quite be achievable. Inflating already huge egos is not exactly the best way to get two parties to be reasonable…and that is what ‘crazy’ money tends to do.
So let’s see what is real. And what happens.
"Silence is golden when you can't think of a good answer"
---- Muhammed Ali
Though the chatter has quieted down some in the last couple of weeks regarding a potential May 5 fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao
I think in this case. No news is good news. Probably means the two sides are talking to one another instead of sniping in the press (Looking at you Bob and Roger)
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