"FOR THE SAKE OF BOXING..."
By STEPHEN S. JOHNSON

(IB-January 25, 2009) There has been a major push for total domination in the sport of professional boxing.

Normally this type of conversation would be detailing the progression of one up-and-coming fighter who would seem to possess the necessary skills enabling him to become the next boxing SUPERSTAR.

The entity I'm speaking of is ready to monopolize the sport of boxing by controlling not only the fighters involved but all aspects either by written or participation in the sport. 

Golden Boy Productions and its' czar Oscar de la hoya are the culprit, and for the sake of boxing, he/they must be stopped or at lest slowed down.

We all should have seen this coming years ago when de la hoya proclaimed himself the messiah of pro boxing and promised to rid the sport of corrupt and greedy promoters like Don King and Bob Arum. We should have been able to see through the facade of de la hoya by his own self-serving deeds while still at the top of his own professional career.

Golden Boy Enterprises subsidiary, Sports and Entertainment Publications, LLC, whose principal shareholder is Golden Boy Promotions (Oscar de la Hoya) acquired The Ring Magazine, KO Magazine, World Boxing and Pro Wrestling Illustrated publications back in the early 90's.

De la hoya promised that no Golden Boy Enterprise would attempt to influence the "editorial direction or content" of any of the acquired publications.  

The problem with this journalistic monopolization is that whether GBP has actually ever interfered with what is published in ANY of the written information read, perception is reality. That perception, or reality, has laid the groundwork for what now seems to be a well thought out plan to control the sport of boxing by Golden Boy Enterprises and any/all of their subsidiaries.

The signings of any and all fighters that remotely seem to possess talent, is one red flag that GBP waves rather arrogantly in our faces. The opportunity GBP offers boxing talent cannot be denied by most fighters looking for that one huge payday and where it comes from is of no major concern by most.

After first proclaiming to "clean up the sport" by exposing unscrupulous promoters, de la hoya then decided that most fighters of Mexican descent were being denied the opportunity to showcase their talents in the United States. GBP would fix that problem by signing the top Mexican fighters to promotional contracts.

The problem is that de la hoya (GBP) has not invested the huge sums of money needed to DEVELOP boxing talent in Mexico or anywhere else. Developing talent should be mandatory for GBP to validate it's promise and ensure the sport of boxing never dies. Talent development would be the one aspect of GBP that de la hoya would personally oversee.

How would he personally develop talent? Since de la hoya had been beaten by only a handful of opponents in his career, why not enlist a couple of these former combatants (who he arbitrarily decided were worthy) as allies in the fight against corruption and greed in the sport? Surely there were "haters" of King and Arum who would join him, right?

Enter "Sugar" Shane Mosley and Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins.

Allowing these two former World Champions to partner up with GBP would...a) give credibility to the
GBP mission of developing new talent and b) silence any critics who might be inclined to make a racial slant towards GBP and its' inclusion or exclusion of some.

Apparently the phone lines to well respected promoters around the rest of the boxing world were down. 

Frank Warren, the English promoter who has developed such boxing talents as Joe Calzaghe, Ricky Hatton, "Prince" Naseem Hamed and the recently signed GBP newcomer Amir Khan, says he was never contacted by Oscar de la hoya in regards to a joint promotional venture. Not that he would have been interested, but just the same the call never came.

Was it easier to distance GBP from a seasoned promoting gentleman such as Frank Warren (who remains well-respected) and go after two obviously business savvy apprentices in Mosley and Hopkins? This newly consummated triumvirate would forge ahead with the names of all three supreme in boxing royalty. 

Bernard Hopkins and Shane Mosley would be assigned the East Coast and West Coast responsibilities of signing and DEVELOPING new talent for GBP. Oscar de la hoya would personally handle corporate and media affairs. 

De la hoya has maintained his position, but where have Hopkins and Mosley been? There are currently no "big fights" that includes a fighter GBP has "developed".  I am personally waiting to see the fighter that steps into the ring for a championship bout that, from day one, has been provided for by GBP. 

There are plenty they have signed, but developed?

Sure, they (GBP) gather fighters that have established themselves as possible "cash cows", but where have de la hoya, Hopkins or Mosley invested time and money in a raw fresh talent such as has been done by a Frank Warren and to be quite honest, both Don King and Bob Arum?

Boxing publications such as Ring Magazine, KO Magazine and the others GBP has included in their empire, will never give you the ammunition to question the integrity of what seems to be going on "behind the scenes", and why would/should they?

That would be termed "biting the hand that feeds you" and with this "cash cow" gaining in size, strength and power, why ruin that good thing?

Meticulously and methodically, GBP has established itself as the hierarchy in boxing supremacy without any pressure applied from...ANYWHERE!  

No government intervention or congressional hearings. No late night talk-show host telling jokes regarding GBP and Oscar de la hoya running roughshod over the sport. No ESPN reporter taking on the task of finding any disgruntled former boxing prospect of GBP that would detail some of the promises and outright lies told or made by Oscar de la hoya and Golden Boy Productions to them.

Is there no such boxer out there? Could it be that Golden Boy Enterprises has delivered on all it's promises and I have been under the influence myself of some type of illegal performance eradicating substance?

There is absolutely nothing wrong with GBP and specifically Oscar de la Hoya, Shane Mosley and Bernard Hopkins making a good living off the sweat and work of upcoming boxing talent. It's just the fact that each know the way things SHOULD be done to ensure the sport of boxing continues developing and making financially secure the fighters crucial to its' prosperity.

As things stand this very minute, Oscar de la hoya and GBP are not being held accountable for neither their actions or their reckless attempts at controlling boxing by ANYONE except us boxing fans. 

Every business has some form of regulatory commission they must conform to. There exists no such regulatory commission for boxing promoters. Promoters are (in the publics' eye) sleazy back room organizers that one would normally not associate with in the light of day.

There are small-time promoters in every city, every state and every country around the world that is attempting to bring good quality boxing entertainment to the public. For the most part, these are boxing business people that want to see the sport survive. Giving the neighborhood fighter the forum to show his talent, while making a small profit, is what a pro motor does. This exposure sometimes helps the fighter gain the popularity and name recognition associated with the opportunity to possibly become a World Champion.

Take these small-time promoters out of the equation and eventually the BGP empire will successfully destroy our sport. GBP must be stopped or at least controlled from making boxing their own personal game of monolopy.

Oscar de la hoya and GBP are currently on the campaign trail of mandatory drug testing for PEDS (Performance Enhancing Drugs). On the surface, not a bad idea. The problem is that this procedure of testing would be costly on the local level. Most boxers come from meager means. The sport is economically feasible to anyone of any background interested in beginning because of the relative minute costs involved.

The costs associated with testing both blood and urine (Olympic style) could be devastating for the local boxing pro motor This devastation would in turn be passed down to fighters who have no ability to pay these costs themselves.

Most local promoters absorb costs fighters cannot afford themselves. It's part of what we commonly refer to as "the cost of doing business". Should there be no local boxing promotions, the sport WILL die.

The Olympic games come around once every four years and from that pool comes your most recognized names as pro prospects. Where do these future stars get their indoctrination into the professional ranks? Your local neighborhood promoters provide the "entry level opponents".

Oscar de la hoya and GBP are not interested in "entry level opponents" as their clients. These fighters would need...DEVELOPING.

Taking away the opportunity for any prospect that just needs the proper training and guidance to make a decent living, by local promotion, is something that GBP should not be allowed to do. 

I would love to believe that GBP and Oscar de la hoya had not anticipated the overall impact the blood testing debacle could possibly have on the sport, but they figured out everything else, right? 

Having family and friends come out to show their support for an athlete who could possibly further his dream is what the neighborhood "Friday Night Smoker" is all about, right? 

Along the way to building his own personal financial empire, Oscar de la hoya and all his subsidiaries have seemingly forgotten where they came from. Just because he's forgotten doesn't mean we have to, nor should/will we.

To be fair, GBP and Oscar de la hoya have been generous in their community involvement. Recreation centers, boxing facilities and educational promotions have been exemplary and motivational. There are many in the boxing community that will not take GBP and Oscar de la hoya to task for just this reason.

I, on the other hand, believe there was an ulterior motive from the very beginning with Oscar de la hoya and Golden Boy Enterprises seeing an opportunity to move in and take complete control of a sport that had no one, in particular, in charge.

The fact remains that for all the community activity, all the good deeds done education wise and the many generous other sponsorships provided, the bulk of Oscar de la hoya and Golden Boy Enterprises' interests involve boxings' control and direction.  

"Old-School" drug dealers used to capitalize on their immediate community by seemingly spreading their wealth around the neighborhood when they were actually sucking the life out of it with their controlling business involvements.    

When that wealth-spreading facade no longer worked because of competition, "strong-armed" tactics were employed. Is the next step we can anticipate from GBP and Oscar de la hoya?

If we cannot stop Oscar de la hoya and Golden Boy Enterprises from gaining total control of boxing, we should at least attempt to slow them down now, before it's too late.

"FOR THE SAKE OF BOXING", lets hope for the intervention...

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