AEG, De La Hoya's Golden Boy to be partners The combined ability of the arena giant and his promotion company to stage major events means 'good things . . . for boxing,' Oscar De La Hoya says. By Lance Pugmire Los Angeles Times Staff Writer 11:32 AM PDT, May 8, 2008 AEG has purchased a minority percentage of Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions, it was announced today, creating a partnership expected to help replenish the promoter's aging stable of boxers while expanding the worldwide reach of the sport at AEG venues. "This has to rank as the most important deal we've done when you think of the components," De La Hoya said this week at AEG offices in Los Angeles. "The good things this means for boxing and the exciting things this means for a fighter . . . for years to come, it's a good time to be a fighter." Golden Boy, currently connected to an estimated 50 annual boxing events, is in need of younger stars. De La Hoya is promising to retire the end of the year, and veteran former champions Bernard Hopkins, Shane Mosley and Juan Manuel Marquez are all coming off losses in their most recent fights. "The idea behind this was the need to develop the next generation," said Richard Schaefer, chief executive of Golden Boy. "If you're a young and talented fighter and you see what Golden Boy now offers . . . no other promoter can offer as much to the young kid wanting to become a big star." AEG Chairman Tim Leiweke said discussions of a possible union have been going on since De La Hoya fought Mosley at AEG's Staples Center in 2000. Schaefer said those negotiations intensified in the last few years. Earlier this year, De La Hoya bought a piece of Major League Soccer's Houston Dynamo franchise from AEG. And last week, it was announced that a seven-foot-tall bronze statue of De La Hoya would join those of Wayne Gretzky and Magic Johnson outside Staples Center. Leiweke celebrated the Golden Boy deal not only for the addition of De La Hoya to a sports-entertainment empire that includes Kobe Bryant and David Beckham but also because of his own enthusiasm for the sport. "We had to have faith in the future of boxing to do this deal," Leiweke said. "The future of boxing is bright." De La Hoya's victory over Steve Forbes at AEG's Home Depot Center on Saturday in front of an announced crowd of 27,000 proves the point, Leiweke said. "Look at what Oscar did here Saturday night," Leiweke said. "Anyone who believes this sport is headed in a negative direction is incorrect. . . . What got us excited is [Golden Boy's] tremendous vision to grow their fighter stable, and have them maximize their careers." Golden Boy officials said Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz's multinational company acquired a double-digit percentage of the L.A.-based boxing promotion company for an undisclosed sum, making it second only to De La Hoya in ownership of Golden Boy. The boxer from East L.A. established his company in 2001. AEG, in addition to owning the Kings hockey team and the Galaxy soccer franchise, owns or is affiliated with more than 65 arenas and stadiums and a total of nearly 100 venues, such as the Nokia Theatre, that are capable of hosting boxing events, Leiweke said. He also said there are plans to double that list of AEG arenas in the next few years, with major ones in Beijing and Berlin ready to open. The Golden Boy stable consists of more than 50 fighters, and AEG's financial backing and global facilities strengthen plans for an intense recruitment of 2008 Olympic stars and other free-agent prospects, Schaefer said. AEG could pitch a first pro card for Chinese Olympic boxers in Beijing, or offer the same to English boxers in London, Leiweke said. Schaefer and De La Hoya said they envision future promotions that will include a pay-per-view broadcast with bouts on three continents, and multi-fight contracts that will take boxers to AEG venues from "Berlin to Hamburg to London to Sydney, and to Los Angeles," Schaefer said. "This deal was done for boxing, for the future of boxing," De La Hoya said. "When it comes to big fights and big events, bringing Golden Boy and AEG together means bigger events for the sport." Already, plans are in place to put world cruiserweight champion David Haye's first bout as a Golden Boy fighter at AEG's O2 Arena in London later this year, Schaefer said, and that venue is also set to be the site of what he called a "super fight" next year featuring recent Golden Boy addition Ricky Hatton of England. Ringside at De La Hoya's fight on Saturday, Dan Beckerman, AEG's chief operating officer, said his company was "definitely in conversations" to have Staples Center host a fourth fight between Golden Boy-promoted world super-bantamweight champion Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez, sometime between November and the end of February. Other likely AEG boxing destinations in the U.S. are the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, the Target Center in Minnesota, Kansas City's Sprint Center and the Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Ariz., Leiweke said. The AEG-Golden Boy partnership could also change the complexion of boxing in Las Vegas, which in recent years has seen MGM/Mirage dominate the fight game at its MGM Grand Garden Arena and Mandalay Bay Events Center. AEG is prepared for a Las Vegas groundbreaking this year on a 20,000-seat arena to be completed in 2010, which could also ultimately become home to an NHL or NBA team or both. De La Hoya cautioned that it was not a "slam dunk" to predict that all major Golden Boy fights are destined for the Las Vegas AEG arena. Trade laws will require Golden Boy to offer a fair site-bidding process for its fight cards, and Leiweke said he backed Schaefer's stance that he was most concerned with his "fiduciary responsibility to the fighter to maximize his revenues." "We're seeking the best fight in the best market that's the best for the boxers," Leiweke said. However, Schaefer said he is excited that AEG venues will provide weeks of advertising for a fight at other arena events, and offer built-in sales of corporate suites and season-ticket packages. Leiweke said AEG can further promise fighters maximized profits from ticket sales by working with Ticketmaster to develop a legal ticket-resale program. Asked about the impact of the Golden Boy-AEG deal in Las Vegas, Richard Sturm, president of sports and entertainment for MGM/Mirage, said: "We have a great relationship with Golden Boy Promotions, and we look forward to many years of hosting successful events." De La Hoya, who is expected to fight his Sept. 20 rematch against Floyd Mayweather Jr. at MGM Grand, said his final bout appears destined for an AEG facility. "What about making your last fight the first professional fight in China, at the new AEG arena?" Schaefer asked De La Hoya. "We'll talk . . . ," De La Hoya said. "More than anything, I'm excited for the sport." So excited that he'll continue fighting at several international locales? "No, that's not going to happen," De La Hoya said. "I'm done after 2008."
AEG (Anschutz Entertainment Group) runs a whole bunch of venues that includes the Staples Center, and the Home Depot Center. Apparently, they're going to be building an arena in Las Vegas - near the strip - which they supposedly want to use for fights for hotels who don't have a big enough venue (in what I guess would basically be an alternative to the Thomas & Mack).
