Comments Thread For: Insider Notebook: Donaire-Mares Stuck in The Cold War

[BIGPOPPAPUMP]

By Robert Morales - Frank Espinoza does not have the reputation of a trouble-making manager. He's not the type who goes around making promoters miserable for no good reason. But judging by the conversation we had with Espinoza this week, it sounds like he's mad as hell and is not going to take it anymore, to steal a phrase from the 1976 film "Network."

It was Monday, a very hot day at MacArthur Park in Los Angeles. Filling the park were what appeared to be dozens upon dozens of homeless, mostly men. Near the boathouse was a boxing ring temporarily erected for a workout that day with the fighters participating in Saturday's Golden Boy Promotions card that will feature Abner Mares defending his super bantamweight belt against Anselmo Moreno (on Showtime).

Spotting Espinoza, we took him aside and asked him about the absurd notion that Mares may not be able to get a title unification bout with Nonito Donaire because Mares is promoted by Golden Boy and Donaire by hated rival Top Rank Inc.

It was Top Rank chairman Bob Arum who recently told BoxingScene.com that if Mares wants a fight with Donaire, he has a choice to make when his contract is up in 2013. Arum said the two companies can't work together on this fight because Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy, "is owned by Showtime." [Click Here To Read More]

[Simply Zyzz]

sounds like mares's manager is getting pretty cozy with arum and top rank....

i dont know why bob arum does get any **** for what he said, when he was first asked about the fight he responded with "when is his contract up"... instead the media like always just jumps at golden boy

[ShoulderRoll]

Let's say that Mares wins this Saturday (which is not a given by any means, Moreno will be tough.) And let's say that Donaire beats Arce.

How is Bob Arum going to justify it if Nonito doesn't fight either Rigondeaux or Mares next?

[Doctor_Tenma]

The fact that Mares went quiet when asked if he would be willing to leave Golden Boy to make the Donaire fight, the way his expression was described, that sort of tells me he would. I wouldn't think any less of him though, only that I expected him to say no as GBP have done very well by his side.

[spoonwars]

Mares likely gets a shot at Rigo and Donaire if he leaves Golden Boy and their hypocrisy. If Mares wins his next fight, Golden Boy don't have much else to give for his legacy.

[The Tase]

i dont understand why for profit companies like showtime, hbo, or espn dont just eliminate the need for boxing promoters and just become promoters themselves.

Why wouldnt they? WTF is really the need for promoters? Its the networks that show fights on tv/cable/ppv. they have the bank roll and capability to put up fights, sign fighters to big money bonuses and purses. They own other channels that can be used to promote fighters and a much better job at it than the actual promoters of boxers. I mean boxing promoters only promote their fighters when they have fights. If networks ran fighters they can promote them year round.

Hire a boxing guy to handle the fighters and make a boxing division and boom, the days of arum, golden boy, don king, gary shaw, al haymon and all this promotional cold war preventing great fights from happening are over.

[Cállate!]

i dont understand why for profit companies like showtime, hbo, or espn dont just eliminate the need for boxing promoters and just become promoters themselves.

Why wouldnt they? WTF is really the need for promoters? Its the networks that show fights on tv/cable/ppv. they have the bank roll and capability to put up fights, sign fighters to big money bonuses and purses. They own other channels that can be used to promote fighters and a much better job at it than the actual promoters of boxers. I mean boxing promoters only promote their fighters when they have fights. If networks ran fighters they can promote them year round.

Hire a boxing guy to handle the fighters and make a boxing division and boom, the days of arum, golden boy, don king, gary shaw, al haymon and all this promotional cold war preventing great fights from happening are over.

very interesting post. you should make a thread about this imo

[v.cassiusali@ya]

first there was pacman-chicken floyd and now there is mares-donaire...top rank and gbp denied boxing fans the fight they deserve to watch because of their greed...

may the talibans get rid of these people...

[Dr Rumack]

i dont understand why for profit companies like showtime, hbo, or espn dont just eliminate the need for boxing promoters and just become promoters themselves.

Well think of it this way, if you think the HBO nut-huggery is bad now, can you imagine what it would be like if they were the actual promoters of a fighter?

[AnKhang]

Based on their demeanor, there's a good chance they'll move to TR to make the Donaire fight happen. I'm not saying it's a bad thing though. Who wouldn't want to see the best in their division go at it.