Golden Boy Promotions'
2011 Year Review
December 30, 2011
STILL THE KING - GBP
President Oscar de la Hoya may be retired from active duty in the ring,
but he's still the king when it comes to the Guinness Book of World
Records as it was announced during the WBC's 49th Annual Convention in
Las Vegas in December that the "Golden Boy" holds world records for the
highest Career Pay-Per-View Sales by a Boxer ($696 million) and the
highest Selling Pay-Per -View Boxing Match (2.4 million buys for his
fight against Floyd Mayweather in May of 2007).
B-HOP MAKES HISTORY AGAIN
Also joining De La Hoya in the Guinness Book of World Records in 2011
was future Hall of Famer Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins. Following
his controversial December 2010 draw with Jean Pascal, Hopkins bounced
back in May with a clear-cut 12 round decision win over his Canadian
rival, winning the WBC and Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight World Titles
and becoming (at 46 years, 126 days) the oldest boxer to win a major
championship in the history of the sport.
THE RETURN OF "EL TERRIBLE"
Having already cemented his place in the Boxing Hall of Fame, Mexican
legend Erik "El Terrible" Morales stunned boxing insiders in 2011 when
his comeback after a nearly three-year layoff kicked into high gear with
a stirring 12-round battle against Marcos "El Chino" Maidana in April in
a Fight of the Year candidate. That impressive performance set the stage
for Morales' 10th round technical knockout win over Pablo Cesar Cano
that earned him the WBC Super Lightweight World Title and a place in the
record books as the first Mexican fighter to win world championships in
four different weight classes.
CANELO CONTINUES TO DOMINATE
Boxing's breakthrough star of 2011, Mexico's Canelo Alvarez skyrocketed
from prospect to world champion, and he did it with the style and
charisma that has made him a star both at home and in the United States
at just 21 years old. In March of 2011, Alvarez made his first statement
by defeating Matthew Hatton for the WBC Super Welterweight World Title,
but knockout wins in title defenses against Ryan Rhodes in his hometown
of Guadalajara in June and Alfonso Gomez in Los Angeles during Mexican
Independence Day weekend only added to his ever-growing resume. In
November, Alvarez closed out the year with a technical knockout win over
former World Champion Kermit Cintron in Mexico City, setting the stage
for an even bigger year in 2012.
ORTIZ EMERGES AS LEGIT STAR
"Vicious" Victor Ortiz also had a year to remember in 2011. On April 16,
Ortiz captured his first world title when he rose from the canvas twice
to send then WBC Welterweight World Champion Andre Berto down twice
himself en route to a 12-round decision victory in a slugfest that
earned praise as one of the top fights of the year. Ortiz wasn't done
yet, facing pound for pound king Floyd Mayweather in a September
mega-fight which ended in controversy. The Kansas native will get a
chance to clear his name with an early 2012 rematch against Berto.
ANOTHER BIG YEAR FOR THE KING
The fighting pride of Bolton, England, Amir "King" Khan kept the
momentum going from his stellar 2010 campaign with a win over unbeaten
Paul "Dudey" McCloskey in April and a fifth round knockout over Zab
"Super" Judah in July to unify the 140 lb. division. Although he ended
2011 with a controversial decision loss to Lamont Peterson which is
currently under multiple appeals, expect to see the wrath of "King" Khan
unleashed on the boxing world in 2012.
KIRKLAND'S BACK
After two years away from the game, many wondered whether James
"Mandingo Warrior" Kirkland would be able to recapture the form that
made him "must see TV" for fight fans around the world. In 2011, the
fiery Texan made plenty of noise once again, flying out of the gate with
two quick knockout wins before an upset loss to Japan's Nobuhiro Ishida
in April. Undeterred, Kirkland teamed back up with trainer Ann Wolfe and
got back to work, winning three straight bouts, including a brawl for
the ages against former World Champion Alfredo "El Perro" Angulo in
November that saw Kirkland get off the deck and come back to floor
Angulo in a "Round of the Year" candidate first round en route to
scoring a sixth round technical knockout victory.
THE SPORT OF BOXING IS ALIVE AND WELL
The fighters and staff at Golden Boy Promotions are known for not taking
any days off and tirelessly working to bring the best of "the sweet
science" to a global audience. There were no exceptions to this rule in
2011 as over the course of the year, the company was involved with the
promotion of 103 live events on 12 television networks in eight
countries on five continents.
GOLDEN BOY'S FIRST HOMEGROWN KING IS
CROWNED
A Golden Boy fighter since his pro debut shortly after the 2004
Olympics, Abner Mares became the company's first homegrown World
Champion in 2011 when he decisioned Joseph King Kong Agbeko in August to
win the IBF Bantamweight World Title as well as SHOWTIME's Bantamweight
Tournament.
AND THE TITLES KEEP COMING
Joining Abner Mares on the Golden Boy world championship roster in 2011
with brand new world title belts were the legendary Bernard "The
Executioner" Hopkins and Erik "El Terrible" Morales as well as Canelo
Alvarez, Marcos "Chino" Maidana, Adrien "The Problem" Broner, Robert
"The Ghost" Guerrero and "Vicious" Victor Ortiz. Other standouts on the
Golden Boy roster who wore championship gold this year were current
champs Chris "The Dragon" John, Anselmo "Chemito" Moreno and former
world titleholders Amir "King" Khan and David "Hayemaker" Haye making it
clear that, without question, the best fight here!
MORE CHAMPIONS ARE BROUGHT ON BOARD
In 2011, Golden Boy signed another stellar group of former World
Champions that are major players in their respective divisions and
primed for big fights in 2012. Former Junior Welterweight World Champion
Devon "The Great" Alexander and former Lightweight World Champion
Humberto "Zorrita" Soto were signed via co-promotional agreements with
The Great Promotions and Baja Boxing Promotions respectively. Also
joining the Golden Boy team this past year were former Junior
Middleweight World Champion Alfredo "El Perro" Angulo and former
Welterweight World Champion Luis Collazo, which will help set the stage
for a 2012 to remember.
SEPTEMBER TO REMEMBER
September 17, 2011 is a day that will be long remembered in the history
books as the first ever split site HBO Pay-Per-View broadcast. Golden
Boy and co-promoter Mayweather Promotions pulled off a feat many deemed
impossible as they presented a single broadcast, dual site event
emanating from Las Vegas and Los Angeles. In Vegas at the MGM Grand
Garden Arena, Floyd "Money" Mayweather scored a knockout victory over
"Vicious" Victor Ortiz, Erik "El Terrible" Morales halted Pablo Cesar
Cano in an exciting brawl and Jessie Vargas decisioned Josesito Lopez.
Fans at LA's STAPLES Center saw Canelo Alvarez stop Alfonso Gomez in six
rounds along with a full undercard and concert to end the night. By all
accounts, it was an amazing night no matter where you watched it.
GLOBE-TROTTING IN APRIL
Golden Boy hit the friendly skies on the weekend of April 16-17 with
three world championship fights in two days in three countries and on
three continents. First up, Amir "King" Khan defended his WBA Super
Lightweight World Title with a technical decision win over unbeaten Paul
"Dudey" McCloskey in Manchester, England. A few hours later, "Vicious"
Victor Ortiz won his first world title by decisioning Andre Berto for
the WBC Welterweight World Championship in Mashantucket, Connecticut.
Not to be left out, longtime WBA Featherweight World Champion Chris
"Dragon" John defended his belt for the 14th time when he decisioned
Daud Yordan in his home country of Indonesia.
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
If you're wondering about the future of the sport, to assuage your
fears, look no further than Golden Boy's roster of young talent, which
includes standouts such as Manuel Avila, Alfonso Blanco, Sharif "The
Lion" Bogere, Randy Caballero, Pablo Cesar Cano, Jermell Charlo, Omar
Figueroa Jr., Danny "Swift" Garcia, Eddie Gomez, Frankie "Pitbull"
Gomez, Danny "The Golden Child" Jacobs, Jamie "The Nuisance" Kavanagh,
Erislandy Lara, Jorge "El Nino De Oro" Linares, Lucas Matthysse, Craig
McEwan, Seth "Mayhem" Mitchell, Carlos Molina, Ivan Morales, Antonio
Orozco, Eloy "Prince" Perez, Michael "The Artist" Perez, Marco Antonio
Periban, Peter "Kid Chocolate" Quillin, Luis Ramos Jr., Ronny Rios, Gary
Russell Jr., Leo Santa Cruz, and Deontay "Bronze Bomber" Wilder.
"SÓLO BOXEO" ROLLS ON
The most beloved weekly series in boxing, TeleFutura's "Sólo Boxeo
Tecate," completed another successful year in 2011 which not only
featured a varied array of former champions, challengers and top
prospects, but also allowed fans to relive some of the sport's most
memorable matchups through its "Classics" editions.
THE NEW KID IN TOWN IS A HIT
Golden Boy partnered with Mexican television giant Televisa to present
the "Sabados De Corona" series in 2011 and it was an immediate hit with
fight fans around Mexico thanks to compelling cards featuring some of
the sport's premier international talent. Thanks to AT&T's U-Verse,
viewers in the United States were also able to get in on the action
whether watching on TV, the internet or on their mobile devices.
LOS ANGELES' HOT SPOT IS STILL "FIGHT NIGHT CLUB"
If you're a Southern California fight fan, then you know that the only
place to be on Thursday nights in 2011 was Club Nokia at L.A. LIVE for
Golden Boy's and AEG's "Fight Night Club." Continuing to set the bar
high for local fight action in a club-like atmosphere, "Fight Night
Club" was just as exciting in the ring as outside of it, with local
heroes Jessie Vargas, Frankie Gomez, Ramon Valadez, Jamie Kavanagh and
Alfonso Blanco fighting in front of celebrity fans such asOscar de la
Hoya, Amir Khan, Victor Ortiz, Abner Mares, Sergio Mora, Daniel Ponce De
Leon, Paulie Malignaggi, Michael Katsidis, Andre Berto, Ron Artest,
Mario Lopez, Too Short and Baby Bash.
A REMINDER ABOUT WHAT'S IMPORTANT
In March, Golden Boy President Oscar de la Hoya and three of his team's
brightest young stars, Adrien "The Problem" Broner, Danny "The Golden
Child" Jacobs and Seth "Mayhem" Mitchell, traveled to several military
bases in Kuwait as part of a USO Tour to meet and greet troops stationed
in the Middle East. It was a humbling experience for the quartet who
were reminded of the sacrifices made by the United States Armed Forces
as they defend our great country. The trip, which included autograph
signings and technique demonstrations, was a rousing success for
everyone involved.
HOLIDAY GIVING
Local families in East Los Angeles were joined by Oscar de la Hoya
and IBF Bantamweight World Champion Abner Mares for the Oscar de la Hoya
Foundation's 15th Annual Turkey Giveaway on November 19th. It was a day
to remember and one that guaranteed a holiday feast for members of the
community where the "Golden Boy" grew up. A few weeks later, children
who showed up to the Oscar de la Hoya Foundation Holiday Toy Giveaway at
the Oscar de la Hoya Animo Charter High School in Los Angeles on
December 17th got some surprises in their Christmas stocking thanks to
the De La Hoya Foundation, but the biggest surprise may have been that
the man dressed up as Santa Claus was none other than the "Golden Boy"
himself, who thrilled the children and their parents as he interacted
with hundreds of children to celebrate the holiday season.
NOW A WORD FROM OUR SPONSORS
No promoter can go worldwide with the best fights and fighters
without partnering with an array of like-minded companies that support
the sport and its athletes. In the case of Golden Boy Promotions, we
would like to extend a sincere thank you to our 2011 sponsors: Cerveza
Tecate, DeWalt Tools, AT&T, Corona, Budweiser, Cazadores, Tres
Generaciones, Metro PCS, Super A Foods, Ustream and MicroTech.
All of us at Golden Boy
look forward to an even more explosive 2012...
