Schaefer: I have no interest in dealing with Bob Arum

By Boxing News - 04/24/2014 - Comments

schaefer2By Chris Williams: Earlier this week Golden Boy Promotions president and chief shareholder Oscar De La Hoya said that he has no problems working with Bob Arum of Top Rank, and that he’s interested in putting a fight together between Golden Boy promoted fighter Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Arum’s top fighter Manny Pacquiao.

Well, it looks like that’s not going to happen unless De La Hoya makes a move to convince Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer because he still has no interest in working with Arum. Schaefer is saying he runs Golden Boy unless Oscar wants to fire him.

It’s understandable where Schaefer is coming from though. He’s had a turbulent relationship with Bob Arum that has obviously soured him to the point where he feels there’s no way he can work with the 82-year-old promoter. De La Hoya forgives easily. Additionally, Arum was De La Hoya’s promoter during his career, so they already had a past working relationship together that was a positive one.

“I have no interest in dealing with Bob Arum,” Schaefer said to the LA Times. “Last I checked, I was CEO. Unless Oscar wants to change that. I’ve been running Golden Boy since the beginning. If he wants to change that, since he’s the majority shareholder, and decides he wants to fire me, I can’t stop that. I’m confident who who I am and what I’ve achieved.”

That’s disappointing that Schaefer is taking that stance, because it seems like he’s got his heels dug into entrenched position where he’d not willing to give so that bigger fights can be made between Golden Boy and Top rank fighters. It’s unclear if De La Hoya can simply act unilaterally by going over Schaefer’s head to make the fights he wants to make anyway. If not, then De La Hoya will have to decide whether he wants to continue with this situation with Schaefer not wanting to deal with Top Rank or let him go and find another CEO that is willing to work with Arum to put fights together.

It’s also interesting that Schaefer is willing to comment openly about him not willing to change his stance in dealing with Top Rank. It seems like he’s comfortable with whatever decision De La Hoya makes.

It would be surprising to me if De La Hoya makes any changes in terms of Schaefer being the CEO of the company. Schaefer’s under contract as the CEO of Golden Boy until 2018, according to the LA Times unless De La Hoya wants to make a move to change that.



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