De La Hoya speaks up on Pacquiao-Floyd fight

LAS VEGAS, Nevada – Golden Boy Promotions president Oscar De La Hoya is willing to work with Top Rank chief executive Bob Arum to put together and promote a bout between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather – potentially the richest fight in the history of the sport.

Mayweather finally spoke out in an Showtime interview last weekend and said he is ready and willing to fight Pacquiao on May 2, 2015.

"I know he is not on my level. The fans would love to see the fight, and of course, I want to go out with a bang," said Mayweather, who also claimed that Arum is to blame for the collapse in negotiations.

De La Hoya, in an exclusive interview with ABS-CBN North America, said he has long dreamed of witnessing a Pacquiao-Mayweather showdown.

"Obviously, this fight should've taken place five years ago," said De La Hoya. "A lot of people say that they're not the same fighters they once were."

"Obviously, five years ago they were younger, they were faster, they were stronger. But the fight is still intriguing, even at this point, because you have the best against the best," he added.

"Manny Pacquiao is a tremendous, tremendous champion, a global superstar, and Mayweather is a guy who brings a lot to the table."

De La Hoya even said he is open to working with Top Rank's Arum – his longtime rival – to promote the fight next year.

"I would love to work with Bob and promote that event, absolutely," he said. "There is something that I bring to the table, obviously the Hispanic factor, which we know is probably the biggest fan base that generates tons of numbers. It's something to think about."

Arum, for his part, claimed that Showtime network executives are pressuring Mayweather to accept the fight.

"It's pushing, you know, but it takes a lot to push Mayweather because he is not anxious to fight Manny," Arum said. "I know why – Manny figures not only to win, but to knock him out."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Roach compares Algieri to De La Hoya

American boxer Chris Algieri claims he is a different fighter than the other men that Filipino ring icon Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao has fought and beaten, and insists his style will pose problems for the former pound-for-pound king.

Algieri is the underdog against Pacquiao in their November 22 showdown for the WBO welterweight championship in Macau, despite his considerable size and reach advantage over the "Pacman."

"The physical advantages are obvious," Algieri told Tha Boxing Voice recently, but he quickly added that this would not be his only edge over Pacquiao.

"The biggest advantage that I don't think they have given a thought about is that I'm an athlete," he said. "I'm different than the other big guys that Manny has fought. I'm an athletic guy, and I am a smart guy in the way that I fight."

"I think of all these things that are going to play a huge role in this fight," he added.

Pacquiao made a name for himself by beating – and indeed dominating – much bigger opponents, including Oscar De La Hoya and Antonio Margarito.

Algieri is confident that his fight against Pacquiao will play out in a different way, however.

"Night and day in terms of styles," he said when comparing himself against the other "big men" that Pacquiao fought. "Those guys stand right in front of you, and will take three punches to land one."

"They have to be set and fight you and look to get into exchanges and scraps. I'm a master boxer. I'm going to be out there using my length and my size and my range and my foot work," he added.

Pacquiao's own trainer, Freddie Roach, had made a comparison between Algieri and De La Hoya in a separate interview with Tha Boxing Voice, and insisted that the former "Golden Boy" was a "much better fighter."

"Algieri is still young and he has a long way to go," said Roach. "They both have good left hands. Oscar was left-handed, and he had a great jab and a great hook."

"This guy (Algieri) has a good jab and his hook is okay, but he has some similarities. They are about the same height," he added.

Pacquiao thoroughly dominated De La Hoya when they fought in December 2008, battering the former world champion for eight rounds and forcing De La Hoya to quit on his stool before the start of the ninth round.

Against Algieri, Pacquiao will defend the WBO welterweight belt that he won from Timothy Bradley last April.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

De La Hoya seeks Pacquiao-Canelo fight

Former boxer-turned promoter Oscar De La Hoya sought out Top Rank Inc.’s Bob Arum in an effort to arrange a fight between Manny Pacquiao and Mexican star Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.

De La Hoya returned to the helm as president of Golden Boy Promotions seven months after checking himself into rehab for substance abuse.

He is now making peace with his former promoter for a possible superfight between the Filipino superstar and the Mexican junior middleweight.

“Anything’s possible,” De La Hoya said in Lance Pugmire’s report to LA Times. “That’s one of the reasons I was extending the olive branch. The fans want to see these kinds of fights.”

Arum, for his part, said he is willing to settle his differences with De La Hoya, who rose to boxing superstardom while fighting under Top Rank.

“I’d be happy to talk to Oscar about any subject in boxing he wishes to talk to me about,” he said.

“All this baloney about a cold war has never really applied to Oscar and myself. We can talk about any subject in boxing rationally. … We might disagree on a particular point, but we can talk. I hope we’ll get together and have some significant meetings in the near future.”

The proposed Pacquiao-Alvarez bout could turn out to be a lucrative fight as Canelo enjoys a huge following in Mexico.

The weight, however, is expected to become a sticking point.

Although Pacquiao briefly held the WBC junior middleweight (154 pounds) title, he currently campaigns as a welterweight (147 pounds). The Filipino fought Antonio Margarito for the WBC crown at a 150-pound catchweight in 2010.

Just recently, boxing coach Freddie Roach announced that he wants Pacquiao to return to 140 pounds.

Alvarez last 12 fights, on the other hand, all took place in the junior middleweight division.

The last time he went lower than the junior middleweight limit was when he fought -- and lost to -- Floyd Mayweather Jr. at a catchweight of 152 pounds in 2013.

Meanwhile, De La Hoya refused to answer questions regarding the supposed Pacquiao-Mayweather superfight.

“I don’t speak for Mayweather,” he said.

 source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

De La Hoya wants to patch things up with Arum

Golden Boy Promotions founder Oscar de la Hoya plans to reach out and make peace with his former promoter, Top Rank Inc.’s Bob Arum.

The two have been at odds since figuring in several acrimonious lawsuits over the promotional rights of Manny Pacquiao. Several high-profile fights, including the supposed Pacquiao-Mayweather bout, failed to materialize due to their differences.

De la Hoya, however, said he wanted to end the conflict for the boxing fans.

“Look, all the animosity, all the bad words that have been going back and forth; there's no need for it. Boxing is a sport that I love dearly and we're both adults. Bob Arum did a lot for my career and I really appreciate it. I can honestly say that I love the guy because he's someone who did a lot for my career ad really catapulted my career and did a tremendous job in promoting my career. He's a master at what he does,” the former boxer-turned promoter said in Boxing Scene.

De la Hoya said he plans to sit down with Arum and have a heart-to-heart talk with his former promoter.

“I will meet with Bob Arum one day and I will sit down with him and I do hope things get worked out and patched up because that's what the fans need. The boxing fans want to see all these great fights happen. So Hopefully one day it'll happen," he said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

De La Hoya expects Canelo to KO Floyd

MANILA, Philippines – Former world champion and now Golden Boy Promotions president Oscar De La Hoya believes Mexican prodigy Saul “Canelo” Alvarez will not just beat Floyd Mayweather, but knock him out cold as well.

In an interview with Boxing Scene, De La Hoya expressed his confidence that the 22-year-old Alvarez can stop Mayweather, the premier defensive fighter of his generation. [http://www.boxingscene.com/de-la-hoya-i-beat-mayweather-canelo-ko-him--69043]

“If he doesn’t knock Floyd out in less than eight rounds, I will be very surprised,” De La Hoya said.

Boxing pundits believe that Alvarez’s youth and punching power make him a threat against Mayweather, but the unbeaten American is still the favorite, thanks to his edge in experience and skills.

But De La Hoya thinks Alvarez can pull off the upset.

“Canelo is so calm and mature. Nothing gets to him,” he said. “He is focused. I tell him to stay focused, and keep pumping your jab. That is the key.”

What De La Hoya is guaranteeing is that the Mayweather-Alvarez clash will be a “good fight.”

“You have the two biggest names in boxing facing each other,” he said. “There will be fireworks. You will see a good fight, a solid fight.”

“You have the guy with the torch, and the guy who is going to get the torch – and everyone knows it,” he added.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

HBO splits up with Golden Boy

MANILA, Philippines – American cable giant HBO is splitting up with Golden Boy Promotions after the promotional firm’s biggest attraction, Floyd Mayweather Jr., signed a multi-year deal with CBS’ Showtime.

ESPN’s Dan Rafael reported that HBO’s relationship with Oscar dela Hoya’s Golden Boy has deteriorated in the past year when the company’s output deal with the cable firm has not been renewed since 2011.

Since 2012, most of Golden Boy’s stars, like as Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, Danny Garcia, Amir Khan, Victor Ortiz, have been fighting on Showtime.

The last straw for HBO was Mayweather’s multi-fight contract with CBS’ Showtime, whose sports division chief is headed by former Golden Boy chief counsel Stephen Espinoza.

"In order to achieve our goal of the best fighters in the most compelling matchups we've decided to focus our efforts and resources on those strategic relationships where we better share common goals and business philosophies," HBO sports division president Ken Hershman said.

Golden Boy chief executive officer Richard Schaefer said he was not surprised by HBO’s announcement, noting that he hasn’t spoken with HBO Sports since November last year.

“It is clear that in the aftermath of the biggest names in the sport, Floyd Mayweather and Canelo Alvarez, leaving HBO for Showtime that HBO is obviously upset at [Mayweather adviser] Al Haymon and me, and this is their way of getting back at us,” he said.

The Golden Boy executive added that HBO’s move will hurt the cable company’s subscribers.

"I think it's an ill-advised strategy because the only ones that are getting hurt are the HBO subscribers, which were used to seeing the best fighters on HBO. That will obviously no longer be the case. Having said that, I wish HBO well. They're a terrific company, and life goes on. For us, it's business as usual," Schaefer said.

source: abs-cbnnews.com