Oscar De La Hoya vowed the best is yet to come for Golden Boy Promotions despite the resignation Monday of longtime Chief Executive Officer Richard Schaefer.
A few hours before Schaefer released a statement announcing, “it’s time to move on,” De La Hoya was sounding confident of his company’s future even without Schaefer.
“I’m extremely happy and proud of what we’ve done,” De La Hoya told The Post, “but I haven’t even scratched the surface. There’s a long way to go.”
De La Hoya didn’t directly address Schaefer’s departure, but added, “There’s a lot of work to be done. But I’m focused 100 percent. I have my eye on the prize, and that prize is to make the best fights happen for the fans.”
Schaefer had been with Golden Boy Promotions since De La Hoya, a 10-time world champion and Olympic gold medal winner, hand-picked him to run the company when it was founded in 2002. With De La Hoya’s star power and Schaefer’s background in banking, the two built Golden Boy into one of the top boxing promotional companies in the world.
The stable of fighters who box under the Golden Boy umbrella now includes Canelo Alvarez, Adrien Broner, Danny Garcia, Bernard Hopkins, Danny Jacobs and Amir Khan. Floyd Mayweather has used Golden Boy as his chief promotional company since 2007.
But reports began to surface months ago that Schaefer and De La Hoya were at odds over the direction of the company. De La Hoya, who recently emerged from a second stint in rehab for alcohol and substance abuse, is reportedly concerned about the influence of manager Al Haymon and also is encouraging an end to cold wars with rival Top Rank promoter Bob Arum and HBO.
“After more than ten years with Golden Boy, it is time to move on to the next chapter of my career,” Schaefer said in a statement. “This decision has required a great deal of personal reflection, but ultimately I concluded that I have no choice but to leave. I have succeeded in banking and I have succeeded in boxing, and I look forward to the next opportunity. I am proud to remain a shareholder, so I have a strong interest in the continued success of the company. I am proud of what we have accomplished at Golden Boy, but I now look forward to new challenges.”
It’s uncertain whether Schaefer will remain in boxing. There has been speculation he might join forces with Floyd Mayweather and align with Mayweather Promotions or somehow leverage his associations with Haymon and Showtime vice president Stephen Espinoza.
De La Hoya clearly is ready to take control of his company and end the feud with Arum and Top Rank that kept them from matching their best fighters. At odds since De La Hoya sued for his release from Top Rank in 2001, he and Arum shared dinner recently in Las Vegas and since have talked over the telephone.
Arum will promote Saturday’s middleweight championship fight at Madison Square Garden between Sergio Martinez and Miguel Cotto then take a private airplane on Sunday to attend De La Hoya’s induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, NY. De La Hoya, who retired in 2009, will be enshrined along with Felix Trinidad and Joe Calzaghe.
“It means a lot to me,” De La Hoya said. “It’s a special moment, and obviously Bob had a lot to do with it early on in my career. It’s going to be special to see a person like Bob, who basically launched my career. I’m going to really appreciate that.”
No word if Schaefer will attend.