Calling A Spade A Spade 12.07.09: The 'Golden' Fleece

Posted by Ryan Bates on 12.07.2009

Behind some of the more nefarious points in boxing in 2009 stands one group of people. Was Golden Boy Promotions in the wrong place at the wrong time this year? Maybe... or maybe not.

I'm going to open this column this week with a little political allegory. Now, anyone who knows me knows I happen to be a very liberal-minded progressive. It's basically the center, then Democrats, then me, then Keith Olbermann and Randi Rhodes. But this is a boxing column, not a political forum, so if you don't like my leaning, just skip a few paragraphs.

For those of us who have been so... "lucky..." to live under eight years of Dubya (AKA the "Bush Reich") you remember the government operated by the Golden Rule. That is, he who has the Gold makes the Rules. And logic? Fairness? Explanations? Who needs 'em? If you need an explanation, it's because you're too dumb to get it in the first place, and therefore don't deserve an explanation. Thank God for term limits.

However, there are no term limits in boxing. And in 2009, one power in particular has been involved in some of the stickiest situations in boxing, with very little in the way of explanation or justification. And ironically, they, too, are living by the Golden Rule. Let's call a spade a spade...

GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS NEEDS A SQUEAKY CLEAN 2010 IN ORDER TO KEPT BEING TAKEN SERIOUSLY.



The common link between Victor Ortiz quitting, Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s weight limit and $600,000 advantage, Juan Diaz's "miracle" win over Paulie Malignaggi, and Joan Guzman's even more miraculous draw over Ali Funeka, is Golden Boy Promotions. Now I'm not accusing or pointing any fingers, but Oscar must know how suspicious all of this looks.

And, much like the Bush Reich, Golden Boy is giving little in the way of explanation. Regarding Ortiz's comments about not having to go out on his shield, GBP offered a little half-assed "Oh, he didn't think before he spoke." That's just treating the symptoms though, not the cause. As to everything else, they've either stayed tight-lipped or just saying "Well, that's the way shit goes."

Ask Tiger Woods what happens when you don't address issues when they first come out.

Here's one more fun fact for you: Golden Boy promotes about 80-85% of the fights that get shown on scheduled HBO boxing cards. So it's not like GBP can avoid scrupulous eyes.

I dunno. Maybe it's just me. Maybe it's a case of wrong place at wrong time. But in 2009, I, and other boxing fans that I commune with, have formed a negative impression of Golden Boy, feeling that they are not above "buying" fights, be it from immense mismatches or scandalous judges.

The most unfortunate part of all this is that Golden Boy has the richest stable of talent, from superstars like Shane Mosley and Bernard Hopkins to rising prospects like Danny Garcia and Carlos Molina. Top to bottom, their stable stands strong. Their only other rival in this is Top Rank, who definitely has a top-heavy stable of stars, but not as much in the way of prospects. But with GBP receiving the proverbial "stank eye" from the fans, the fighters are also unjustly perceived this way too. My impression of Juan Diaz has gone down some since the Malignaggi fiasco. This is not totally fair, and I realize this, but because he was not knocking down Oscar's door asking for a rematch to set things straight (if he really thinks he won the fight), it is a dark mark on him.



So how can Golden Boy recover in 2010?

1. Good fights, all the time. I know some fights look good on paper and then turn into total mismatches. I'm sure Oscar knows that as well, remembering from the lesson he got in December of 2008. That's fine. We can live with that. But if you're going to control 85% of HBO's boxing programming, it better be good fights all the time. Otherwise, not only are you hurting yourself, you're bleeding HBO too. Frankly, Showtime put on better fights this year than HBO, in my opinion. Fix that, and both Golden Boy and HBO gets a gold star – and forces Showtime to get even better. See how competition works when the system is running right?

2. Address issues quickly. If a shady scoring error happens, don't try to sweep it under the rug. Discuss it. As soon as the post-fight press conference, even. As long as Oscar or Richard Schaefer isn't pulling a Dana "Complete Douchebag" White and berating his fighters in front of the press and public, issues deserve quick and satisfactory answers. A whole mess of ill will could have been avoided in September if Golden Boy had just said, "Look, we know this isn't conventional, but here's the weight stipulations for Mayweather/Marquez..." It might even have put more pressure on Mayweather to actually make weight.

3. Don't fear the rematch. This goes out to all promoters as well. If a fight was closely contested, or if there was some question of judgment in the ring, or if Gale Van Hoy or Pierre Benoist was involved, the worst thing you can do is immediately take the rematch option off the table. If the first match was good or close, then that's exactly what the public WANTS to see. If there was a questionable or downright wrong scorecard, then let's make it official. Yes, we all know that Ali Funeka beat Joan Guzman. We, the boxing public know this, because anyone with more than six brain cells can figure that out. So let's get a rematch and put a W on Funeka's record that says, "Yes, I officially am victorious over Joan Guzman." Dodging a rematch or taking the option off the table just says, "We got away with another crime, and we're not about to press our luck."

Again, I may be completely off on this. Maybe it's simply Golden Boy being in the wrong place at the wrong time. But even then, one is judged on the company you keep. 2010 has the potential to bring boxing back into the limelight it richly deserves. As more eyes turn back to the sport, everyone, including Golden Boy, needs to do their part to keep it from becoming tarnished; to keep it... well... golden.