Golden Boy Will Ruin The 140 lb. Division

by Paul Magno

There's a party at 168 lbs. with six of the division's best currently involved in a hotly-contested tournament that has captured the attention of fight fans from around the globe.

In a true win-win, these six world class elites are getting the exposure they deserve and making the money they want while giving the fans the quality match-ups they crave. The World Classic Super Six Tournament really should serve as the template for the entire sport.

Dropping 4 divisions to the South, we find a jr. welterweight division which is arguably even richer in depth than the aforementioned super middleweight class. But, while the 168 lb. crew hammered out their differences and got their act together to give the fans a treat, the 140 lb. division seems to be spinning its wheels and providing more excuses than quality encounters.

So, what's the deal?

Aside from the obvious weight difference, the only real distinction between the two divisions is that the super middleweights are free from Golden Boy and Top Rank fighters and that fact, alone, may be the difference between getting something done and just pushing around promises and reams of hype.

Golden Boy currently has its grip on three of the top 10 jr. welterweights in the world and we're already seeing the customary foot-dragging of a promotional giant looking to protect its investment at the risk of denying the sport's fans.

With Amir Khan and Victor Ortiz in their pocket, Golden Boy opened its checkbook and bought off the one fly in the ointment, Marcos Maidana. The Argentine slugger, who had beaten Ortiz into submission and had become the mandatory for Khan's WBA title, was offered a one year, three fight promotional contract by Oscar De la Hoya's promotional outfit in what many are saying is more "step aside" deal than real acquisition.

So, instead of Maidana-Khan, which was mandated and a legal necessity, we got Maidana-Victor Cayo. But wait, there's more...

After crushing Cayo, Maidana was lined up to fight current division top dog, Timothy Bradley. Outstanding match-up and a real consolation prize for those wanting Khan-Maidana, right?

Well, hold your horses...this is big time boxing. Maidana pulled out of the Bradley fight just as the promotional hype was to begin. Citing a back injury, Maidana decided to not go ahead with the plan...and why not? All he has to do is cool his heels for the next few months and he stands to make a mint of a payday with a still-mandated, more winnable shot at Khan.

Short-term problem solved for Golden Boy; Bye bye Marcos Maidana for the fans....and, just like that, one of the division's most exciting fighters has been muzzled and leashed.

Khan is now free to sit on Golden Boy's pile of cash while fighting division re-treads and smaller exports from the lightweight division. Rumor has it that Michael Katsidis is being talked about next.

Now, switch to Victor Ortiz, who played Rihanna to Maidana's Chris Brown last year and is still being shoved down the throats of the boxing public via Golden Boy's hypnotic hold on HBO.

No fights are being rumored for Ortiz, but you can bet that no real challenges are being batted about at Golden Boy headquarters.

With a division full of home run hitters, Khan and Ortiz, two of the division's brightest talents, are looking for batting practice with the bat boy.

Here's hoping that Golden Boy wakes up at some point and realizes the lesson learned from the super middleweight class; You can make more money by giving the fans what they want than by trying to manipulate them into buying the hype.

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Nothing Different From Dominant Ortiz

by Dafs117

Victor Ortiz won for the third time since Marcos Maidana handed him a heavy sixth-round technical knockout beating eleven months ago, and despite shutting out a cooked Nate Campbell, Ortiz showed no signs that he’s adapted his predictable style that came undone against a hungrier, less-skilled opponent.

His ferociousness has made him a marketable fighter, along with a backstory which will always make fans root for him. But when he fell short of the promise land, his bloodthirstiness deteriorated into a tentative boxer that lacks killer instinct, which normally are the first words associated with the Golden Boy prospect.

Ortiz’s profile will always be overshadowed by his infamous post-fight interview with Max Kellerman, where he let slip the worrying quote for any talented boxer “I don’t think I should get beat up like that.” There will always be a question mark over his mentality, which made some experts pick Nate Campbell to roll back the years and lure him into a testing brawl.

Like Bigswa mentioned on his exceptional podcast, Golden Boy would not choose Campbell for Ortiz unless they were utterly convinced that he was shot. They are still in the re-mapping process with Ortiz, and were trying to get some rounds against a faded name fighter to re-build his status.

Campbell clearly has no business at 140 pounds, and had nothing in the ring. But what left me disappointed with Ortiz’s performance was his lack of desire to make a statement as he made no effort to chase the stoppage, a complete contrast to promotional light welterweight rival Amir Khan.

I just get the feeling that Richard Schaefer is waiting for Devon Alexander to drop one of his titles and gift-wrap it to Ortiz to hold hostage on HBO World Championship Boxing. After re-watching his performance, I can’t help but predicting that Ortiz will fold against anyone who offers a little bit of pressure, someone who holds a slight advantage in either speed or power.

There’s one fight that Victor Ortiz badly needs, and that’s a rematch with Maidana. Maidana stole Ortiz’s pride, taking away the lighthearted side that we saw a peek of when he whooped overmatched step-ups Jeffrey Resto and Mike Arnaoutis.

And until he defeats Maidana, I can’t see Ortiz competitive against any of the titlists. When he’s matched with any resistance, who knows how Ortiz will react. He has the talent to mix it up at the top, and he showed glimpses of it against Campbell as he perfected combinations with slick movement. But I don't think he knows it. Unless he finds that ruthlessness that made him an awkward opponent, or maybe even a simple change in setup, Ortiz will suffer in the shadows of Golden Boy's new blue-eyed boy, Amir Khan.

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Can Golden Boy Survive the Decade?

You could feel the tension in the air as the tide started turning against Golden Boy prospect, Victor Ortiz, this past Saturday at the Staples Center.

And, when Ortiz eventually caved in under the pressure of Marcos Maidana in the sixth, the frustration exploded as Shane Mosley gave Ortiz a few tense words, shortly followed by a second tongue lashing from Golden Boy boss, Oscar De la Hoya.

But you could hardly blame them for their frustration. The Ortiz loss was just the latest in a series of unfortunate turns for De la Hoya and his promotional company.

2009 began in outstanding fashion for GBP as Shane Mosley shocked the boxing world by easily handling Welterweight kingpin, Antonio Margarito.

Now, just about six months later, momentum has shifted away from the promotional company that, at one point, boasted veteran legends such as Mosley, Bernard Hopkins, Marco Antonio Barrera, Juan Manuel Marquez, Ricky Hatton and De la Hoya himself.

The Golden Boy of the recent past was on top of the world, snatching up as many veteran names as boxing headlines and brokering a deal with HBO which would essentially give them carte blanche to fill a lion's share of the available TV dates with fights and fighters of their choosing.

The boxing world, literally, was thrown at their feet and they most definitely had a plan for world domination.

Even with De la Hoya having been retired by Manny Pacquiao at the end of '08, the strategy would be simple: Mosley and Hopkins would build off of their remarkable wins against Margarito and Kelly Pavlik respectively while the entire promotion crossed its fingers that Ricky Hatton could somehow find a way to beat Pacquiao.

In the downtime between headline-grabbing fights by future Hall of Fame inductees, Golden Boy would satisfy the fans by highlighting their next generation of stars, all on the verge of greatness...or so they would have you believe.

Leading the GBP surge for future dominance were James Kirkland, Victor Ortiz, Robert Guerrero and Abner Mares.

Unfortunately, the boxing world is often not the most predictable and in a matter of just a few months, GBP would find the heavy-handed Kirkland behind bars for parole violation, Mares being nursed back to health following eye surgery and Ortiz and Guerrero being tagged with the label of being quitters in what was to be their "coming out" parties on HBO.

And to make matters worse, their "bankable" talents, Mosley and Hopkins, have not been able to find the type of fight they feel they need at this stage of their careers. Mosley has been desperately searching for a fight with an indifferent Pacquiao while Hopkins' only legit attempts at a fight were a half-hearted offer to Cruiserweight champ Tomasz Adamek and a rumored bout with the UK's Super Middleweight world champ, Carl Froch.

In the meantime, HBO has been saddled with mostly luke warm events that generate mediocre ratings and cost a relative fortune to stage. With the exception of Mosley-Margarito and Golden Boy/Top Rank promoted Pacquiao vs. Hatton, you'd be hard-pressed to find any positive Golden Boy events on HBO.

Don't think this fact is lost on HBO executives and don't think it's lost on Golden Boy's promotional rivals, either.

“They [HBO] gave their dates to one promoter, who's stable has now been wiped out. They made a bad mistake. They are not evil people, and I can't blame Golden Boy for grabbing those dates, but it shows that it wasn’t the wisest thing for them to do,” said Bob Arum of Top Rank.

Another blow to GBP is the fact that, in order to make the marquee fights for their established stars, they will need the cooperation of the other promoters who, at this point, have been driven to resentment by Golden Boy's perceived status as HBO's pet promotion.

So, with their best and brightest pretty much taken out of the equation and legit future stars, Erislandy Lara and Danny Jacobs, still too far away to be a factor, questions about the immediate future of Golden Boy have to be raised.

Will HBO grow frustrated with the poor showings and make Golden Boy go back to booking dates on a fight by fight basis?

And if HBO does this, will GBP be able to compete with a company like Top Rank who has a much deeper roster and a keener matchmaking eye at this point?

Can Oscar's company survive the decade? Probably, but expect a major re-tooling of the promotion and a reluctant admission from them that they do indeed need to co-exist with the other promotional companies in order to stay afloat.

2010 will be an interesting year for the sport and a crucial one for Golden Boy.

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Fight Night Club Numero 1

by Charlie 21er

Today I had a rare day off, and decided to attend Golden Boy’s “Fight Night Club” at club Nokia, a nightclub venue located near the Staples Center. Tickets were $28, ticketmaster fees were around $10, parking was $5, and Budweiser was $8. So if you go to the next one, meet me in the parking lot for a pre-game.

Despite the unusual choice of venue, I was pleased to find that the place was small enough that there really wasn’t a bad seat (or spot, since the cheap tickets were standing room only), and when I found myself in a bad spot, I just moved a few feet over for a better view. The ring was located on the main stage, and the pit area is located a few steps lower than the surrounding floor, allowing us in the back to get a good view of the action. Security was tight, so I am not sure if the balcony seats are worth the $60, but I can’t imagine they were any worse than being on the ground floor. Overall, I was very satisfied with the view.

The turnout was also pretty good, and only got better as the night went on; considering there was a Lakers game going on simultaneously, I was surprised at how many people made it out, true fight fans. By the end of the night, the place was comfortably filled: plenty of people without feeling crowded.

Those of us who were there were treated to five fights, and a chance to see Bernard Hopkins in person (I left before he came out).

In the first bout, Ricky Lopez 4-0 (2) took on Rufino Serrano 1-1 in a decent four rounder. The first thing I noticed was that Lopez is SHORT, but it didn’t matter much. Lopez was quick to get on the inside behind an accurate right hand lead in the first two rounds, and landed good hooks when he was close enough to his man. Lopez slowed down a little in the third and was on the back foot for most of the round as Serrano came forward and fired away; nothing landed of note, really, from either guy, but I gave it to Serrano for the aggression. Round 4 was a recap of the first two rounds with Lopez countering Serrano’s looping punches. The judges scored it 40-36, all for Lopez. BTBC had it 39-37 for Lopez.

The second bout had Charles Huerta 11-0 (7) against Noe Lopez Jr. [until tonight, undefeated, but currently 4-1 (3)] in a featherweight scrap. Both fighters were cautious in the first round, with some good exchanges, but nothing of particular note landed. In round 2, Lopez went down and the referee ruled it a slip. From my position I couldn’t see a punch landed so it seemed a reasonable call, but after Lopez got up, he wasn’t the same. Huerta jumped on him and began landing the hard stuff until the bell ended the round. In the third, Huerta continued where he left off and landed a teeth-exploding right hand that resonated throughout the club (the crowd responded appropriately) and dropped Lopez. Lopez beat the count, but when the pressure was turned on again, he took a knee without being hit. After he got back up, Huerta jumped on him and knocked him down again, causing the referee to call an end to the fight at 1:03 of the third round.

Luis Ramos took it to Baudel Cardenas in a lightweight 6-rounder that didn’t go the distance. Ramos looked the best of all the fighters on the card with his smart, accurate, punching, and steady bodywork. In the first round, he nailed Cardenas with a straight left to the stomach that put him down. Cardenas gamely got to his feet, but his body was a consistent target throughout the fight. In the second, Cardenas 18-17-2 (6) showed his experience as he bullied his opponent and worked him on the inside. Ramos tied up when necessary and landed solid blows to Cardenas’ head, knocking grease into the audience. Cardenas took it rather well. This continued for the next two rounds: Cardenas doing solid work on the inside, Ramos getting his distance and rocking Cardenas’ brain and mixing it to the body. Round five looked like a repeat of the last three, until the last minute when Ramos backed Cardenas against the rope and fired a quick 1-2 upstairs that dropped Cardenas along the ropes to the canvas. Cardenas looked out of it as his mouthpiece fell out of his mouth and he crawled to all fours. The ref waved it off at 2:26 and Ramos advanced to 11-0 (6)

In the main event, another six rounder, David Rodela 13-1 (6) and Juan Garcia 14-3 (5) went at it for the coveted “Quakerstate Durability Championship Belt,” the same one you could get a picture taken with in the corner (along with two HOT-T-T ring card girls). Despite the belt on the line, the fight was pretty good. The first two rounds went to Rodela as he used his jab smartly and worked Garcia to the body. Round three went to Garcia as it seemed that Rodela abandoned his jab in favor of powerpunches. Garcia avoided a lot of them and found his range, staggering Rodela at the end of the round. Rodela decided not to hang on, and instead fired back until the bell. Good stuff. In round 4, Rodela hit Garcia with a bomb that caused him to bend over at the waist against the ropes. It looked like he was going down, and Rodela backed off…until Garcia decided that he wouldn’t go down and Rodela jumped on him again with uppercuts. It reminded me of Jack Dempsey hovering over Jess Willard, except in this version Willard comes back, and Garcia recovered, somehow, and continued to exchange until the end of the round. In the last two rounds, Rodela kept looking for a knockout and Garcia just got in close and countered the wild punches from Rodela. Rodela was awarded a split decision. BTBC had it a draw. Judges Ray Corona and Alejandro Mapula were on drugs with the ridiculous score of 59-55 for Rodela.

After the cameras turned off, we were treated to the last bout between Ramon Flores 3-5 (3) and Jose Roman 4-0 (3). Flores knocked Roman down in the first round, but Roman recovered quickly and boxed smart. Flores was clearly the cruder of the two, and frequently missed wide punches, hooks from the outside and Darchinyan uppercuts that weren’t accurate in the least. In round two, I wrote down “ZERTUCHE-PAVLIK!!! GOTZ-DAMN!” in my notebook, because Roman clocked Flores along the ropes and put him to sleep on his feet. Flores turned off like a robot and teetered forward for a second before Roman went to town and put a few hard uppercuts and hooks into his head for good measure. Flores was done-for, and lay on the canvas for a solid 5 minutes before they had him up on a stool. A stretcher was used to extricate him from the premises, and just as well, because that guy was on queer-street, and will probably be there for a few days still.

Overall, a good time. $28 is a solid price for the fun of watching a live card with excited fight fans. Apparently there was a $1000 bonus for the two fighters who put on the best fight, this may have influenced the fighters, because all 5 bouts were pretty action packed. There will be a “Fight Night Club” once a month for the next 3 months. Check it out, and drink in the parking lot.

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