By Rick Reeno

Back on January 27th, Golden Boy Promotions President Oscar De La Hoya had advised BoxingScene.com that he planned to begin immediate negotiations for a unification between WBC super bantamweight champion Leo Santa Cruz (29-0-1, 17KOs) and WBA/WBO champion Guillermo Rigondeaux (15-0, 10KOs).

"For Leo Santa Cruz, I want to start talks and reach out to Rigondeaux's people. That's the fight that Golden Boy Promotions wants to make. That's the fight Leo wants," De La Hoya had told BoxingScene.com last month.

Santa Cruz was one of the few remaining Al Haymon fighters who was being promoted by Golden Boy.

In early January, Golden Boy and Haymon reached an undisclosed financial agreement where the influential manager walked away with an army of boxers who were fighting under the Golden Boy banner. Those fighters were not contractually bound to Golden Boy. Santa Cruz, who had an actual promotional agreement with Golden Boy, was one of the few who remained.

Santa Cruz had a buyout clause in his Golden Boy contract. When De La Hoya made good on his promise, by beginning negotiations for a fight between Santa Cruz and Rigondeaux - Santa Cruz's management, led by Haymon, executed the buyout clause - which immediately removed the boxer from Golden Boy's stable.

"I was negotiating with Rigo's people on making Leo Santa Cruz vs. Rigondeaux - because that is the fight that the fans want to see and that's the fight that apparently, or supposedly, that Leo Santa Cruz had been asking for. We had a buyout clause in our contract with Leo Santa Cruz. And what happened? They executed the buyout and they bought us out - because they don't want that fight to happen," De La Hoya explained to BoxingScene.com.

"I'm going to continue saying this - I want to put on the best fights, the most competitive fights. Unfortunately on the other side that's not the case."

The departure of Santa Cruz was surprising, because the boxer told BoxingScene last month that he planned to remain with both Golden Boy and Haymon.

"Golden Boy and Oscar De La Hoya have also been really good to me. I wouldn't want [leaving Golden Boy] to happen. [Golden Boy and Haymon] have both brought me to this level and I owe it all to them," Santa Cruz stated less than a month ago.

Santa Cruz will have no shortage of televised opportunities. Haymon's company recently announced television deals with NBC and Spike TV. Haymon also works closely with Showtime.