By Lem Satterfield
An emotionally-charged Golden Boy Promotions CEO, Richard Schaefer, shared his thoughts on a number of things with BoxingScene.com on Wednesday, including the status of his contracts with WBO and WBA lightweight titlist, Juan Manuel Marquez and WBO and WBC bantamweight king, Nonito Donaire, and his ongoing rivalry with Top Rank Promotions CEO, Bob Arum.
The 79-year-old Arum could not immediately be reached for response, since he is in Bagio City, Philippines, where his eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 knockouts), is preparing for a May 7, WBO welterweight belt defense opposite Shane Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs) that will be contested at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Schaefer, meanwhile, had some reactions to statements made by Arum regarding Pacquiao's Filipino countryman, Donaire (26-1, 18 KOs), who announced last week that he was leaving Top Rank and signed a promotional agreement with Golden Boy.
A legal battle has ensued between Golden Boy and Top Rank over the contract of Donaire, whom Arum recently ripped, along with his wife, Rachel, before reporters in the Philippines. Arum chided Rachel Donaire's comments about clothing worn by Pacquiao's wife, Jinkee Pacquiao, among other things.
"I don't think the Filipino people like [Donaire.] And that is largely because of [Rachel]. She criticizes the way Jinkee dresses and she is all tarted up...Jinkee dresses like a lady," said Arum of the wife of Donaire, who is coming off of a Feb. 19, second-round stoppage of former over WBO and WBC bantamweight king, Fernando Montiel (44-3-2, 34 KOs).
"Facts are facts. [Donaire] is not a pay per view fighter. Filipinos don't support him. When we put him on pay per view, we did no buys," said Arum. "When he fought [Fernando] Montiel, it was all Mexicans [at Mandalay Bay]. He has not connected with the Filipinos."
In the meantime, Schaefer is said that he will meet next week with the 37-year-old Marquez (52-5-1, 38 KOs) in the fighter's native Mexico in an attempt to retain him as a client, this, in response to the reported expiration of Marquez's contract with Golden Boy.
Schaefer said that he has a 30-day window to resign Marquez as well as the right, through Feb. 27, 2012, to match the best offer that Marquez receives from an opposing promoter.
A three-division champion, Marquez is seeking a third bout with Pacquiao, with whom he battled to a disputed draw, and, through a split-decision loss, respectively, in May of 2004, and, March of 2008.
Paquiao is promoted by Top Rank Promotions.
Below are more of Schaefer's responses to Arum.
On Nonito Donaire and Rachel Donaire:
The bottom line is that Golden Boy Promotions is very happy and really excited to have the opportunity to work with and to work for Nonito Donaire and Rachel Donaire. They are first-class people and they come across very well. And, you know, the people who have met them and who know them see how sweet and nice that they are.
They really don't deserve the sort of vicious and uncalled for attacks from Bob Arum. I mean, Bob Arum may be angry that they left him, and that they decided not to renew their contract, but, you know, such is life.
There is no reason for these idiotic comments. Again, as I said before, Bob Arum's true colors came out, and they always will. That's just the kind of person that he is.
On the status of his contract with Nonito Donaire:
Of course. Of course. I mean, we have the attorneys dealing with it, but the facts are the facts, and I'm sure that the facts will come out. You know, Bob Arum realizes that he has nothing with Nonito Donaire, and that's why he is making those comments.
If he can't have the fighter, or if he loses something, this is the way Bob Arum reacts. Again, this is not the first time. Bob Arum trashes people like there is no tomorrow because he knows he has nothing.
If Bob Arum thought that he still had something with Nonito, and he was making these comments, then wouldn't that make him an even bigger idiot after making these sorts of comments?
Either way, you just don't say these kinds of negative things. You don't need to go and attack people and to say these sorts of things. It demonstrates that he does not think very highly of Nonito Donaire.
On the irony in the fact that Nonito Donaire has looked to leave his Golden Boy Promotions and that Juan Manuel Marquez -- once a Top Rank fighter who came to Golden Boy -- may be looking to return to Top Rank?
We are convinced that Nonito Donaire will become one of the biggest attractions in the sport. Nonito Donaire actually reminds me a little bit of Juan Manuel Marquez. Because, you know, Top Rank and Bob Arum never believed in Juan Manuel Marquez.
They never gave him an opportunity, and, in fact, made him go and fight in Indonesia for $30,000 against Chris John, and, Marquez lost. So, Marquez finally had had enough and realized that in order to be appreciated that he had to team up with a real promoter and a company which will give him the opportunities which he deserved, and look what we've done for Marquez.
On promotional free agency:
That's the beauty of it, as I said before. It is the beauty of free agency. If you are a free agent, then that means that you are free to pursue what you want to pursue. That's a good thing. Is it a good thing for a promoter? Maybe not.
If you have an emerging star and a talent and big money-maker and the guy is suddenly free, do you like it? No, but you shouldn't really be afraid of it either because if you have been fair with the athlete, then, most likely, the athlete is going to re-sign with you.
On what he feels Golden Boy Promotions has done for the career of Juan Manuel Marquez:
Well, if you look at what we've done with Juan Manuel Marquez, you know, he has become a pay per view star, and he has been making millions of dollars, and he has become one of the sport's best, pound-for-pound fighters.
So, I think that we know that there are certain kinds of opportunities that we can give to our fighters and that we are able to develop them into attractions as we have shown and demonstrated again, and, again, and again.
On the departure of Shane Mosley to Top Rank Promotions in order to make his fight with Manny Pacquiao:
When Shane Mosley became a free agent and decided that he wanted to pursue the Manny Pacquiao fight on his own without Golden Boy Promotions, it obviously had reprecussions on him as it relates to his partnership with Golden Boy Promotions.
But that was his position. But did I get all bitter about it? Did you read about me trashing Shane Mosley? After everything that we had done for Shane Mosley, was I disappointed?
Yes I was disappointed. But you know what? Life goes on. That doesn't mean that I'm going to go in public and trash Sugar Shane Mosley. I'm just not going to do that. I mean, that's just a low-life who does that. And that's what Bot Arum really is.
