Schaefer Would Have Different Mayweather-Berto Pitch

By Rick Reeno

Las Vegas - Former Golden Boy Promotions CEO, Richard Schaefer, would have a different direction in terms of the marketing for tonight's Showtime Pay-Per-View event at the MGM Grand. The card is topped by what is claimed to be the final fight of Floyd Mayweather Jr., who defends his WBC/WBA welterweight titles against Andre Berto.

The PPV event is named "High Stakes" - a name that Schaefer disagreed with. During his long tenure with Golden Boy, Schaefer and his former associates co-promoted Mayweather's events for the better part of seven years.

Schaefer would have placed more focus on the fact that Mayweather is retiring after 19-years and more focus on the closely matched undercard. He would have also offered promotional discounts for people who have ordered the PPV early.

"I see in Floyd's fighting Berto, which I think when you look at the entire card, this is really not about 'High-Stakes,'" Schaefer said. "This is about entertainment. I think this can be one of the most entertaining Floyd Mayweather fights we have seen. The fight before (between Roman Martinez and Orlando Salido) is a fight of the year candidate. George Groves (vs. Badou Jack in a super middleweight title fight) is always in an exciting fight and then Jhonny Gonzalez — I mean this is about entertainment. This is not about 'High Stakes.'"

"And maybe for those people who would have ordered the fight up until a week ago, you would have told them as a thank you, we give you 50% off on the pay-per-view price. That's the kind of stuff you do."

 "This is not about 'High Stakes.' Maybe I would have called, it, 'Let's Celebrate,' whether it's his last fight or not — let's celebrate a great career."

As BoxingScene.com reported on Friday, Schaefer is currently evaluating his future in the sport. He's been on the shelf since leaving his post with Golden Boy last June. His non-compete expired last month. He plans to make a decision - one way or the other - in the next three to four weeks.