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Originally posted by aldo5408
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In June 2012, they stood arm-in-arm — a picture of solidarity — on a stage at the Alamodome, vowing to revive boxing in San Antonio.
Oscar De La Hoya arrived in a limousine accompanied by a police escort. A mariachi band and a crowd of about 300 were there to greet him.
“Jesse” James Leija and Mike Battah announced a promotional partnership with De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, and for three years they succeeded in putting the Alamo City back on the boxing map.
But that alliance appears to be over, at least for now, KO’d by a string of money-losing events.
Sunday afternoon in Corpus Christi, the new “Premier Boxing Champions” series, televised by CBS, lands in Corpus Christi.
Leija/Battah Promotions is the local promoter. But Golden Boy is nowhere to be found.
Leija/Battah’s new partner is controversial manager/adviser Al Haymon, who in a short time has become one of boxing’s most divisive figures.
“I’m just trying to take the best opportunities out there, like any other businessman,” Battah said.
If you thought boxing was brutal inside the ring, it can be just as cold and callous outside it. The business of boxing is no place for the timid or the faint of heart.
Battah is neither of the above, but he is finding out just how unforgiving the sweet science can be. And Battah has never taken a single punch.
Figuratively, he’s taken several, however, which is why he and Leija have decided to go in another direction.
So what happened with Leija/Battah and Golden Boy?
The final, fatal break in the relationship came in May with the Canelo Alvarez-James Kirkland fight on HBO at Minute Maid Park in Houston. The bout was action-packed and drew a crowd in excess of 31,000.
But it lost big at the box office. Battah, the money man in Leija/Battah, while acknowledging the show finished in the red, declined to divulge numbers. But several sources say the losses reached six figures.
Battah wasn’t happy he had to pay De La Hoya $3 million for the live gate, a princely sum that would have made it hard for even the top promoters to turn a profit.
Battah, never one to back down from a challenge, paid the $3 million. But he feels betrayed.
Lester Bedford, a veteran regional promoter from Fort Worth who has managed the four biggest boxing events in Texas, questioned some of Battah’s marketing strategies, mostly in the area of ticket pricing.
Bedford said Battah is a tireless worker, but his inexperience cost him. He said Battah undercharged for tickets, considering the market was Houston and not San Antonio, where the fight originally was to have taken place.
“He charged $10 for the cheapest ticket when people would have paid $30,” said Bedford, a veteran of 34 years in the boxing business. “He left $100,000 on the table right there.”
Battah said he is open to working with Golden Boy again. Repeated attempts to contact De La Hoya went unanswered, but he can’t be happy about Leija and Battah’s new association with Haymon.
De La Hoya and promoter Bob Arum both have multimillion dollar lawsuits pending against Haymon, charging him with violating the Muhammad Ali Act, which prohibits promoters from doubling up as managers.
Haymon has gobbled up fighters — 200 by some estimates — from rival camps, including De La Hoya’s, in recent months. De La Hoya and Arum say Haymon is freezing them out of venues and fighters, creating a monopoly.
Battah said his deal with Haymon is a good one and gives Leija/Battah the best chance to make money moving forward.
He already has three events with Haymon booked for the fall in San Antonio.
So stay tuned.
Oscar De La Hoya arrived in a limousine accompanied by a police escort. A mariachi band and a crowd of about 300 were there to greet him.
“Jesse” James Leija and Mike Battah announced a promotional partnership with De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, and for three years they succeeded in putting the Alamo City back on the boxing map.
But that alliance appears to be over, at least for now, KO’d by a string of money-losing events.
Sunday afternoon in Corpus Christi, the new “Premier Boxing Champions” series, televised by CBS, lands in Corpus Christi.
Leija/Battah Promotions is the local promoter. But Golden Boy is nowhere to be found.
Leija/Battah’s new partner is controversial manager/adviser Al Haymon, who in a short time has become one of boxing’s most divisive figures.
“I’m just trying to take the best opportunities out there, like any other businessman,” Battah said.
If you thought boxing was brutal inside the ring, it can be just as cold and callous outside it. The business of boxing is no place for the timid or the faint of heart.
Battah is neither of the above, but he is finding out just how unforgiving the sweet science can be. And Battah has never taken a single punch.
Figuratively, he’s taken several, however, which is why he and Leija have decided to go in another direction.
So what happened with Leija/Battah and Golden Boy?
The final, fatal break in the relationship came in May with the Canelo Alvarez-James Kirkland fight on HBO at Minute Maid Park in Houston. The bout was action-packed and drew a crowd in excess of 31,000.
But it lost big at the box office. Battah, the money man in Leija/Battah, while acknowledging the show finished in the red, declined to divulge numbers. But several sources say the losses reached six figures.
Battah wasn’t happy he had to pay De La Hoya $3 million for the live gate, a princely sum that would have made it hard for even the top promoters to turn a profit.
Battah, never one to back down from a challenge, paid the $3 million. But he feels betrayed.
Lester Bedford, a veteran regional promoter from Fort Worth who has managed the four biggest boxing events in Texas, questioned some of Battah’s marketing strategies, mostly in the area of ticket pricing.
Bedford said Battah is a tireless worker, but his inexperience cost him. He said Battah undercharged for tickets, considering the market was Houston and not San Antonio, where the fight originally was to have taken place.
“He charged $10 for the cheapest ticket when people would have paid $30,” said Bedford, a veteran of 34 years in the boxing business. “He left $100,000 on the table right there.”
Battah said he is open to working with Golden Boy again. Repeated attempts to contact De La Hoya went unanswered, but he can’t be happy about Leija and Battah’s new association with Haymon.
De La Hoya and promoter Bob Arum both have multimillion dollar lawsuits pending against Haymon, charging him with violating the Muhammad Ali Act, which prohibits promoters from doubling up as managers.
Haymon has gobbled up fighters — 200 by some estimates — from rival camps, including De La Hoya’s, in recent months. De La Hoya and Arum say Haymon is freezing them out of venues and fighters, creating a monopoly.
Battah said his deal with Haymon is a good one and gives Leija/Battah the best chance to make money moving forward.
He already has three events with Haymon booked for the fall in San Antonio.
So stay tuned.
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