Timothy Bradley gives thoughts on Cold War, Richard Schaefer leaving Golden Boy

Timothy Bradley gives thoughts on Cold War, Richard Schaefer leaving Golden Boy
Mark E. Ortega
BehindTheGloves.com
June 2, 2014


When Timothy Bradley accepted his Fight of the Year Award at the BWAA Awards in Las Vegas for his March 2013 bout against Ruslan Provodnikov, he also gave a message to the assembled attendants. It is time for the Cold War to end and for the best fights available to be made.

With members from HBO, Showtime, Golden Boy Promotions, and Top Rank all under one roof for the dinner that took place a few days before Floyd Mayweather would face Marcos Maidana, it was as good a time as any for a top fighter to be vocal about boxing’s Cold War.

Monday afternoon, it was announced that Richard Schaefer has left Golden Boy, the company he was the CEO to and an integral part of the southern California company’s success in recent years. Behind The Gloves reached out to Bradley and spoke with him briefly on his thoughts about the development and whether or not he thinks it will be a building block to making fights with his promoter Top Rank in the future.

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Larry Merchant’s quick reaction to Richard Schaefer leaving Golden Boy

Larry Merchant’s quick reaction to Richard Schaefer leaving Golden Boy
Mark E. Ortega
BehindTheGloves.com
June 2, 2014


Moments after the news broke that Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer would be leaving the company, I spoke with Hall of Fame boxing analyst Larry Merchant briefly about his thoughts on the development and what impact it will have on the sport moving forward. Here are Larry’s thoughts:

“Schaefer did a good job in helping to build Golden Boy virtually from scratch into one of the two major promotion companies,” Merchant said in a phone interview.

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Getting ready for Mayweather & Alvarez

Getting ready for Mayweather & Alvarez
Mark E. Ortega
Martinez News-Gazette
September 12, 2013


LAS VEGAS – If Tuesday’s grand arrivals are any indication of what’s in store later in the week, Floyd Mayweather Jr. didn’t know what he was signing up for when he agreed to face 23-year old Mexican superstar Saul Alvarez this Saturday at the MGM Grand.

Mayweather and Alvarez’s fight takes place on the weekend of Mexican Independence Day. Mayweather has a long history of fighting Mexican fighters, usually around the time of either that holiday or Cinco de Mayo.

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De La Hoya admits himself into rehab, will miss Saturday's fight

De La Hoya admits himself into rehab, will miss Saturday's fight
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
September 10, 2013


Oscar De La Hoya, President of Golden Boy Promotions, has announced he will miss the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Canelo Alvarez fight Saturday in Las Vegas because he will be in rehab.

De La Hoya has had ongoing problems with substance abuse. Alvarez is his company’s star attraction.

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Q&A: Sturm rooting for Geale (but not because he's a fan)

Q&A: Sturm rooting for Geale (but not because he's a fan)
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
August 14, 2013


An intriguing middleweight title fight will take place on Saturday night in Atlantic City when the incumbent Daniel Geale faces former title challenger Darren Barker on HBO.

There’s one observer who is particularly interested in the result, that being former middleweight titlist Felix Sturm, of Germany. Sturm lost his alphabet trinket to Geale in a unification fight and then lost a decision to Sam Soliman, which was later ruled a no-contest when Soliman tested positive for PEDs.

RingTV contributing writer Mark E. Ortega caught up with Sturm prior to this weekend’s showdown to discuss his recent victory and future plans, as well as his thoughts on Geale-Barker and Gennady Golovkin. (Translated by Wolfgang Schiffbauer.)

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Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame kicks off

Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame kicks off
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
May 3, 2013


LAS VEGAS -- Thursday night, the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame kicked off their first official fan event during the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Robert Guerrero fight week, and it was a major success, thanks in large part to the hard work of CEO Rich Marotta and his team.

The event took place at Diego’s Mexican restaurant inside the MGM Grand, which was across the way from the press room for Mayweather-Guerrero. Christened, “A Night with Boxing Legends,” in attendance were many prominent names from the sport’s past and present.

A number of those who were part of the inaugural induction class showed their support, including Oscar De La Hoya, Mike McCallum, Freddie Roach, as well as Michelle Corrales, the wife of the late Diego Corrales, and Hall of Fame trainer Eddie Futch’s wife Eva. Also in attendance was referee Joe Cortez, who was honored alongside them, as well as former Nevada athletic commissioner Marc Ratner and commentator Al Bernstein.

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Maidana's record improves, Morales' all-time status soars

Maidana's record improves, Morales' all-time great status soars

Mark E. Ortega

Leave-it-in-the-ring.com

April 9, 2011

In what can be considered one of the more impressive performances by a fighter who is long past his best, Mexican hero Erik “El Terrible” Morales silenced all of his critics as he made it to the finish line against Argentinian heavy hitter Marcos Maidana, losing a hard fought twelve-round unanimous decision victory at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada in a bout that many will tab as a candidate for Fight of the Year.

Humbled Kirkland on the rebound

Humbled Kirkland on the rebound

Mark E. Ortega

Leave-it-in-the-ring.com

March 23, 2011

The last time Austin, Texas' James Kirkland [27-0, 24 KOs] found himself in the midst of a meaningful bout against an able bodied opponent, this writer was ringside.

In a headlining bout as part of HBO's Boxing After Dark in San Jose, California, James Kirkland dismantled a game Joel Julio, ultimately finishing the Colombian in six rounds. It was the kind of performance that, if Kirkland was somehow not on your radar, after that March 2009 performance he most certainly had to be.

Arum, King reconciliation, hope for current qualms?

Arum, King reconciliation, hope for current qualms?

Mark E. Ortega

UndisputedFightMag.com

March 11, 2011

One of boxing's biggest rivalries is not one that took place between the ropes. It's not one where few, if any blows were exchanged. But it is one that helped fuel the sport for much of the last five decades.

Promoters Bob Arum and Don King, long the sport's most influential promoters worldwide, are winding down their personal careers and therefore have made amends over their tiff that crossed more than five decades.