By Robert Morales
Promoter Gary Shaw is not one to mince words. It was no different this week when he took a shot at Golden Boy Promotions and some of its fighters regarding a junior welterweight tournament Shaw said he recently pitched to HBO executives. The tournament could feature the likes of champions Timothy Bradley, Devon Alexander, Amir Khan and, perhaps, Juan Manuel Marquez should Marquez beat Juan Diaz in a July 31 rematch. Shaw - who promotes Bradley - said HBO big-shots like his idea, but that Khan and Golden Boy - which promotes Khan and Marquez - are not interested.
Shaw said he was in New York last week continuing a month-long sales job to HBO.
"The problem is, Amir Khan obviously doesn't like the idea and I would assume Golden Boy doesn't like the idea, too," Shaw said. "But we would do it and Devon Alexander would do it. And you can confirm it. It's just a call. I'll give you Richard Schaefer's number if you want it.
"You call him and ask him if Amir Khan will fight Tim Bradley, or (Marcos) Maidana will fight Tim Bradley. Or Marquez will fight Tim Bradley. You'll get your answers direct."
(Maidana, also under the Golden Boy banner, was not mentioned specifically by Shaw for the tournament. Maidana is an interim champion. His addition would require a sixth fighter. But Shaw's biggest concern was that Bradley, Khan and Alexander be in the tournament).
We had Schaefer's number, no thanks to Shaw, and he was not thrilled about Shaw's comments. Schaefer spoke in detail about his thinking regarding Khan, and basically suggested Shaw should not be advising him how to handle the Golden Boy stable.
First off, Schaefer told BoxingScene.com that Khan will be in attendance at Mandalay Bay when Marquez and Diaz tangle and that a decision will be made after that fight as to which direction they are going to go.
"I'm saying that is a possibility," Schaefer said of a fight between Khan and the winner of Marquez-Diaz. "Right now, I don't know who he (Khan) is going to fight. That is a possibility, and Maidana is a possibility. Maybe (Michael) Katsidis is a possibility."
Secondly, Schaefer said that in his mind a fight between Khan and the winner of Marquez and Diaz is more attractive than what Bradley and Alexander would bring to the table.
"We are basically making plans with our fighters and, I'm sorry, I think Bradley and Alexander are great fighters, but a potential fight between the winner of Diaz and Marquez is a bigger fight than fighting Bradley or Alexander," Schaefer said. "I think down the road a fight with Alexander and Bradley are going to be big fights, but that time is not now."
Finally, Schaefer suggested Shaw should keep his nose out of Golden Boy business.
"If someone wants to criticize Amir," Schaefer said, "let's be honest, if Amir is going to continue to fight the big names and the exciting fights, then it is our decision. It's between Khan and Golden Boy and (Khan trainer) Freddie Roach who the opponents are. I'm not telling Gary Shaw about (Alfredo) Angulo, who he should fight. I'm not going to criticize Gary.
"For example, we wanted to do a fight between Angulo and (Erislandy) Lara. They didn't want to do it. It doesn't mean one has to get all nasty. He should go have Bradley fight Alexander and I think the winner of that fight is going to come out a bigger name. I understand Alexander would love that fight, so what is Gary Shaw waiting for?"
Bradley, who owns one of the 140-pound belts, will fight at 147 pounds against Luis Carlos Abregu on July 17. Alexander is defending his two 140-pound titles against Andriy Kotelnik on Aug. 7.
Schaefer on Maidana Episode
Shaw also wasn't crazy about the way Maidana pulled out of two fights with Bradley. He blasted Maidana, his manager Mario Margossian and Golden Boy, saying Maidana should be punished for lying about having a bad back. It has been well-publicized that Maidana never had a bad back. Rather, Maidana said, he had a falling out with his manager.
Schaefer said no one outside Maidana's camp knew the real story.
"We talked to his manager, Margossian, and even HBO's Kery Davis had a conversation with Margossian and his manager confirmed to us we had the fight," Schaefer said. "And then somehow their story changed, we don't have the fight, that he had some back issues. We were told that by Margossian. We weren't told that by Maidana.
"All along we didn't know there was something between fighter and manager."
Schaefer said Maidana should not be taking any heat for this because all of the dealings were between Margossian and Golden Boy and that Golden Boy was never told of an outside-the-ring battle.
"He has an issue with his manager," Schaefer said. "We expressed that to him and told him he is going to have to sort out the managerial dispute. Maidana wasn't the one who lied. We decided to stay out of this. It's not a promoter's dispute."
Five Year Ago, A War For The Ages
It was five years ago last month that Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo engaged each other in a fight that will go down as one of history's greatest because the finish had a comeback to end all comebacks.
Down twice in the 10th round, a battered Corrales scraped himself off the canvas and proceeded to beat Castillo senseless on the ropes, Corrales winning via spine-tingling technical knockout. Spine-tingling for fans, and for reporters who, after filing their stories, could be seen still shaking their heads in disbelief.
Joe Goossen was the trainer for Corrales that May 7, 2005 night at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. The next day, Goossen said via telephone that Castillo must have thought Corrales was big-screen boogeyman Freddy Krueger the way he kept coming back.
Corrales looked a little like Krueger after the punishment he absorbed.
Goossen on Tuesday spoke in animated and sentimental tones regarding the incredible journey he took that night with Corrales, who on the two-year anniversary of the legendary fight, was killed in a motorcycle accident.
One of the things Goossen recalled was that many figured Corrales - about three inches taller than Castillo - would stay outside. That, of course, never happened as the fight was contested in close quarters. Goossen said no one really knew how well Corrales could fight inside.
Besides, Goossen told BoxingScene, "You don't get away from Castillo. If (Floyd) Mayweather (Jr.) couldn't get away from him, Diego wasn't going to get away from him. His nature was to come forward. I knew it was going to be a clash of warriors right there in the middle of the ring."
As the fight progressed in hard-hitting fashion, Goossen intimated he knew the recipe was there for something unforgettable.
"Nothing was for sure in that fight," Goossen said. "The tug of war there was so ... the determination in both guys, it was hard to ever tell what the outcome was going to be. It would look like one guy was doing good for a few rounds, then the other guy was doing good. The dramatic shift back and forth, since the first fight I ever went to in the '60s at the Olympic Auditorium, I have never seen anything like it up close and personal."
Goossen remembered he told everyone at the final news conference to expect a pay-per-view type of fight.
"I knew what was coming," he said.
He said he also knew that Corrales was capable of withstanding a lot - more than most - even if others didn't share that confidence in the fateful round.
Goossen said that when Corrales went down for the second time in the 10th - he spit out his mouthpiece after the first knockdown and took it out after the second to gain recovery time - there were people nearby yelling at him to stop the fight. And who could blame them? Corrales appeared done.
"Concerned associates and family," Goossen said. "A few people who were close by shouted, 'Hey, Joe, stop the fight.' I remember looking at this group of people maybe a row or two to my left and I just said, 'No.' I knew what we had done in the gym. I'm convinced that if we had missed one day of training, it would have been what we needed to win that fight. That was how important every day of training was."
Goossen said Corrales had the sense to immediately spit out his mouthpiece after the first knockdown, which took place only 27 seconds into the round. He said that when Corrales got up, his legs were steady and not wobbly. But it did appear he was trying to
surmise his whereabouts, especially as he was rising.
"And I don't think the second (knockdown) hurt him as much," Goossen said of Corrales going down again less than 30 seconds later. "You know the saying, sometimes another shot can wake you up. There's a little bit of truth to that. He got up on good legs."
As Goossen again reinserted Corrales' mouthpiece, Goossen told him, "You gotta f**king get inside on 'em now."
Corrales - who lost a point after taking out his mouthpiece - didn't look very awake, though, which made his ensuing assault on Castillo difficult to believe to this day. A right at just about mid-round and a left hook about 10 seconds later were the beginning of the end. By the time Corrales got done, Castillo looked almost asleep on the ropes as referee Tony Weeks stepped in at 2:06 of the round.
Five years later, Goossen still can hardly believe what transpired. Corrales may have been leading on two of three scorecards entering the 10th round of the lightweight title unification fight, but once he tasted the canvas twice it didn't seem possible he would finish the round, let alone come back and win the way he did.
"Bert Sugar, who goes back to the roaring twenties, he was at the fight and somebody asked him, 'Was that the greatest fight you've ever been to?' " Goossen said. "He said, 'That is the greatest fight I've ever seen.' Now that is Bert Sugar. You hear about certain things in sports that live on. You never go into a fight thinking anything like that is going to happen, that it's going to be one of the greatest fights ever.
"I feel very fortunate and very proud of the fact that I was involved in that fight with Diego. He was one of the strongest-minded fighters I have ever met. Once he was in that ring, he was so single-minded, it was scary."
Goossen was asked what his best memory of that fight was. His answer was understandable.
"There were so many dramatic things," he said. "The fact that we actually won that fight when everything was said and done, was my favorite part of the fight. That I was able to pick him up as the winner."
To this day, Goossen said he is approached by other trainers and queried about his experience.
"They say, 'What was it like to be involved in a fight like that?'" Goossen said. "I'm kind of stunned sometimes. Like, 'What was it like going to the moon?.' "
Castillo's promoter, Bob Arum, was on the losing side. But Arum nonetheless had quite a thought on a memorable evening.
"That fight, more than anything, justified how great boxing is and how dramatic it is," Arum said Tuesday. "It was a wonderful night for boxing that will live through the ages."
How Long Will Arum Wait?
Arum and Schaefer continued to refuse to say anything of substance regarding a fight between Manny Pacquiao and Mayweather for November. When asked if he had anything at all he could offer about negotiations, Schaefer answered, "No." He wouldn't even confirm there are actual talks taking place.
Arum - Pacquiao's promoter - was asked how long he will wait before going in a different direction, which presumably would go the way of Antonio Margarito.
"I'm not going to answer that because I don't want to put anyone under that kind of pressure," Arum said to BoxingScene. "But Manny Pacquiao is going to fight in November, whether it's against Mayweather or somebody else."
Which means Arum will have to get something done with someone by late next month.
Would Bradley Be a Good Option?
Miguel Cotto is another fighter who could face Pacquiao in a rematch should something not get made for either Mayweather or Margarito. One thing's for sure, Arum is not interested in a fight between Pacquiao and Bradley. When asked if there was any real money in that fight, Arum responded quickly.
"No," Arum told BoxingScene. "Bradley is an excellent fighter, but nobody's ever heard of him. Very few people have heard of him. It has nothing to do with his abilities. He's a very able guy. But he hasn't been promoted so that he's like a household name where he could be a viable pay-per-view opponent."
Robert Morales covers boxing for the Los Angeles Daily News, Long Beach Press-Telegram and BoxingScene.com
