Kellerman: Golden Boy Has Right Approach For Boxing

By Victor Salazar

Carson, California- When Golden Boy Promotions entered the mid-way point of this year, their three flagship fighters - Lucas Matthysse, David Lemiuex, and Saul "Canelo" Alvarez - were all coming off very good victories.

Now with Matthysse suffering an unexpected knockout loss last Saturday night, it could signal the possibility of their three best fighters getting beaten before the year is over. Lemiuex is a heavy underdog against Gennady Golovkin on October 17th. Although Canelo is the favorite against Miguel Cotto, many experts consider it a 50-50 fight on November 21. Should both of them get beaten, a lot will be said regarding the future of Golden Boy Promotions

But HBO’s Max Kellerman finds no reason for concern - even if Canelo and Lemieux taste defeat - because Golden Boy's lack of fear in placing their top boxers in dangerous fights is the right approach.

“Main Events back in the day had this approach,” Kellerman told BoxingScene.com. “We’re going to sign who we think are the best fighters and put them in tough. Main Events didn’t have the same connections as Don King and Top Rank but that’s the approach they had."

"People forget when they had Meldrick Taylor and before he fought Chavez Jr, he fought everybody. Pernell Whitaker, they would put him in tough, and Evander Holyfield didn’t duck anybody."

In the opinion of Kellerman, Golden Boy will eventually thrive more for taking the same approach as Main Events once did.

“That’s the same approach Golden Boy is taking, they’re not afraid to put their guys in tough,” Kellerman said. “They’re not afraid to work with anybody. No good deed goes unpunished because sometimes your guy loses. But over the long run, after you sign enough good guys you’ll win those fights.”

Kellerman feels Golden Boy President Oscar De La Hoya, a six division world champion, is using his own career as the business model for his own company - by always fighting the best.

“Golden Boy is taking the approach of De La Hoya. When he was with [Bob] Arum, he was doing the smart thing for De La Hoya. He was protecting him and guiding him right. He was so careful. People had Oscar in the pound for pound over Roy [Jones]. But Oscar’s a real fighter and when he heard about [people saying] he’s not fighting everybody - he took control of his own career and fought everybody. People will underestimate Oscar’s career because of all his losses but that’s what happens when you fight everybody," Kellerman said.