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LAS VEGAS – Richard Schaefer, the eloquent CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, also served as Oscar dela Hoya’s mouthpiece Tuesday.
As Dela Hoya saved his words for Wednesday’s final press conference, Schaefer sat down with Filipino scribes at the spacious main press center of the MGM Grand.
Of course, he knew what to say, what the scribed wanted to hear.
“If you fight the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, it’s not going to be a walk in the park,” he said facing a line of tape recorders.
The best pound-for-pound fighter in this case is Manny Pacquiao who goes up against Dela Hoya, the bigger, older fellow, on Saturday at MGM.
Schaefer knows Pacquiao too well, having worked with him in a previous promotion, and in fact had come close to signing the shining superstar.
“They call him Pacman because he keeps coming and coming and coming. He’s like the energizer bunny. You can’t stop him. You can’t pull the batteries out,” said Schaefer.
“And they call him Pacman.”
Schaefer said Saturday’s “Dream Match” could match, surpass or come close to the all-time record in pay-per-view sales of 2.4 million buys – the one featuring Dela Hoya against Floyd Mayweather last year.
Ticket-wise, it’s another one for the books.
“This is going to be the second highest grossing gate in Las Vegas for a boxing event and that’s remarkable for the global recession and economic turmoil we are experiencing,” he explained.
”And this will make Manny Pacquiao much bigger,” he continued.
Saturday, he said, is going to be a star-studded fight.
Hollywood stars scheduled for attendance include Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Mark Anthony, Jennifer Lopez and Russel Crowe, each one of them hoping to catch a blockbuster like no other.
Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank are also putting their great champions on parade.
Schaefer said Dela Hoya is eager to get the fight going.
“He feels extremely strong with the 8-ounce gloves. And now he’s at 143.8 pounds. He’s very light. He said ‘I’ve never felt like this before. I feel so much quicker, I feel stronger. When I put on those 8-ounce gloves and punch the mitts, I haven’t felt that strength,’” said Schaefer.
He said Dela Hoya, dropping down to 147 from as high as 160 just to face Pacquiao, has been getting tips from Bernard Hopkins and Shane Mosley.
“Sometimes they would be there in the gym giving Oscar some tips like ‘Pacquiao does this’ and things like that,” Schaefer told the scribes.
Dela Hoya, he added, told him very recently, “I feel strong, I feel light, I feel fast.”
Dela Hoya feels that Pacquiao beating up the great Mexican fighters will end on Saturday, and that “this is the day the Mexicans will get their revenge.”
Schaefer also guaranteed that Dela Hoya, as predicted by some experts, will not tire out in the middle rounds or so.
“I really don’t think Oscar’s going to tire after the sixth round,” he said, almost assuring the Philippine media that Dela Hoya would knock Pacquiao out.
“And if Oscar’s not going to knock Manny in the fifth round, then he’s going to knock him in the sixth round,” Schaefer closed out.
LAS VEGAS – Richard Schaefer, the eloquent CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, also served as Oscar dela Hoya’s mouthpiece Tuesday.
As Dela Hoya saved his words for Wednesday’s final press conference, Schaefer sat down with Filipino scribes at the spacious main press center of the MGM Grand.
Of course, he knew what to say, what the scribed wanted to hear.
“If you fight the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, it’s not going to be a walk in the park,” he said facing a line of tape recorders.
The best pound-for-pound fighter in this case is Manny Pacquiao who goes up against Dela Hoya, the bigger, older fellow, on Saturday at MGM.
Schaefer knows Pacquiao too well, having worked with him in a previous promotion, and in fact had come close to signing the shining superstar.
“They call him Pacman because he keeps coming and coming and coming. He’s like the energizer bunny. You can’t stop him. You can’t pull the batteries out,” said Schaefer.
“And they call him Pacman.”
Schaefer said Saturday’s “Dream Match” could match, surpass or come close to the all-time record in pay-per-view sales of 2.4 million buys – the one featuring Dela Hoya against Floyd Mayweather last year.
Ticket-wise, it’s another one for the books.
“This is going to be the second highest grossing gate in Las Vegas for a boxing event and that’s remarkable for the global recession and economic turmoil we are experiencing,” he explained.
”And this will make Manny Pacquiao much bigger,” he continued.
Saturday, he said, is going to be a star-studded fight.
Hollywood stars scheduled for attendance include Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Mark Anthony, Jennifer Lopez and Russel Crowe, each one of them hoping to catch a blockbuster like no other.
Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank are also putting their great champions on parade.
Schaefer said Dela Hoya is eager to get the fight going.
“He feels extremely strong with the 8-ounce gloves. And now he’s at 143.8 pounds. He’s very light. He said ‘I’ve never felt like this before. I feel so much quicker, I feel stronger. When I put on those 8-ounce gloves and punch the mitts, I haven’t felt that strength,’” said Schaefer.
He said Dela Hoya, dropping down to 147 from as high as 160 just to face Pacquiao, has been getting tips from Bernard Hopkins and Shane Mosley.
“Sometimes they would be there in the gym giving Oscar some tips like ‘Pacquiao does this’ and things like that,” Schaefer told the scribes.
Dela Hoya, he added, told him very recently, “I feel strong, I feel light, I feel fast.”
Dela Hoya feels that Pacquiao beating up the great Mexican fighters will end on Saturday, and that “this is the day the Mexicans will get their revenge.”
Schaefer also guaranteed that Dela Hoya, as predicted by some experts, will not tire out in the middle rounds or so.
“I really don’t think Oscar’s going to tire after the sixth round,” he said, almost assuring the Philippine media that Dela Hoya would knock Pacquiao out.
“And if Oscar’s not going to knock Manny in the fifth round, then he’s going to knock him in the sixth round,” Schaefer closed out.