GBP looking for Cotto-Mosley 2

What Golden Boy Wants Isn't What Boxing Needs
By Jake Donovan
If we are to believe Golden Boy Promotions, then not only is Miguel Cotto-Shane Mosley II the next must-see fight at welterweight, but also that many had Shane winning the first fight.
Yes, they actually said that.
There's certainly no shame in a promoter pining for one of his own fighters to score a lucrative title fight. Had Richard Schaefer limited his quotes on Setanta Sports to merely hoping for Mosley to once again face Cotto, nobody could really fault him. The future Hall of Famer hasn't fought since falling just short against the undefeated Puerto Rican last November. A cancelled PPV match against Zab Judah leaves him on the inactive roster for a few more months
Simply put, Mosley needs to fight, since retirement isn't quite yet an option
But there's a difference between a hard sell and flat out lying. Schaefer's latest comments regarding last November's bout are toeing the line, at best
"[Last time] it was a very close fight."
Stop right there, and he perfectly describes the fight. Instead, he had to go there"Many of the ring observers felt that Shane won that fight."
Only if moral victories count for anything.
Many were surprised that Shane made the fight as close as it was, and that he finished strong to boot. Some – not many, but some – even had the fight a draw, while most – not the minority, but most – had Cotto winning a closer fight than was believed to be the case by at least two of the three judges
What very few called for after the fight was a rematch. What most also seemed to agree on was, while the fight was closer than expected, it appeared that Shane fought as well as possibly could've been the case at this stage of his career. It was for that reason that talks of a rematch never surfaced by anyone beyond the Golden circle.
Not then, not now. Then again, the concept of what the people want (or don't want) has been considerably lost on Golden Boy Promotions this year
There's no denying that the Los Angeles-based promotional outfit was far and away the sport's financial leader in 2007, serving as either lead or co-promoter in PPV events amassing more than 4.5 million buys and well over $200 million in revenue. More than half of that tally came from one event alone, Floyd Mayweather-Oscar de la Hoya I – as in, sequel to come, the first sign that 2008 was destined for a letdown following a strong ending to '07 and a blazing start early this year.
Golden Boy's need for a rematch is two-fold. Because part one ended in a split decision (blame Tom Kazmareck for that one) and that it wasn't the night of the jab, there is the belief that even an aging de la Hoya can improve upon that performance and be the first to defeat the mighty Money May.
The other reason is pure exploitation, really no different than any Hollywood blockbuster that exceeds its profit margin by a lot more than a little bit
Aside from the May 5, 2007 event boring audiences to tears, what's most disserving about a rematch taking place in September is that it stands in the way of the one FIGHT atop everyone's must-see list in Mayweather-Cotto. Excusme: everyone except for Team Mayweather, and now Golden Boy Promotions.
"It sounds to me that [Mayweather and de la Hoya] both have their hands full, suggests Schaefer, "so I think it would be totally premature to discuss a Cotto-Mayweather fight."
In theory, he's correct. But considering that Cotto is scheduled to face Top 5 welterweight Antonio Margarito in July, wouldn't it be totally premature to discuss Cotto-Mosley II? Especially since you're the only one bringing up the possibility of a rematch?
Since we're on the subject of rematches, one that was actually in demand has instead fallen by the wayside.
Joel Casamayor, regarded by Ring magazine as their lightweight champion, had until close of business yesterday (June 3 – five business days) to decide whether or not he would accept a rematch with unified lightweight titlist Nate Campbell, as per the terms of a successful purse bid held last week in Puerto Rico. The Cuban was given five business days (a week to the rest of the world) from the point of the winning bid submission to either fight Campbell or forfeit his mandatory ranking.
This came after two months of stalling the Campbell camp, who had been calling for the fight really from the moment both fighters scored big upset wins over younger, undefeated lightweights in March. Campbell upended Juan Diaz two weeks before Casamayor recovered from one knockdown to score three of his own in dramatically stopping Michael Katsidis in one of the year's best fights.
The foundation for a rematch to their January 2003 battle began at the Casamayor-Katsidis post-fight presser, which Campbell attended but was eventually – and inexplicably – removed from the room for committing the heinous crime of calling out his old nemesis.
The rematch is a natural fit – Casamayor handed Campbell his first loss, and both are ranked atop the lightweight division today. Who claims the top spot depends on whom you ask.
Those who support Campbell also believed that Juan Diaz, who unified three of the four major alphabet titles before losing in March, had surpassed the inactive Casamayor.
Those who strictly honor lineage turn to the Cuban's win over Diego Corrales in October 2006, insisting that so long as the champ's still active (even though he's only fought twice since then), the title can only be won or lost in the ring, barring a permanent departure from the division or even the sport altogether.
No better way to settle the dispute than by having the two fight in the ring, right?Nope.
nstead, Casamayor has decided to partake in what is rapidly becoming an exclusive Golden Boy lightweight tournament. The latest rumors have him fighting Juan Manuel Marquez in a PPV headliner that, quite frankly, has "postponement" written all over it. Prior to that, it was possibly accepting a fight against recent GBP-signed lightweight Juan Diaz in September.
What nobody believed would occur was the Campbell rematch – including Campbell himself. So much, that he accurately predicted how all of this would turn out two months ago. Way back then, he requested that Casamayor either accept or reject right then and there, so that both could move on with their careers.
Naturally, Team Casamayor wasn't in any hurry to oblige. Casamayor explored other options and held out for a purse bid that was honestly never going to produce a satisfactory outcome no matter how much the amount.
Golden Boy certainly didn't think much of the fight, in fact indirectly revealing how little Casamayor is worth to them in offering a bid that would've earned each fighter less than $300,000 for a rematch that will now most likely never happen.
Some have suggested that Campbell could always fight Jose Armando Santa Cruz while giving the rematch time to marinate and Casamayor the chance to make some coin late in his career.
Again, a situation where something sounds good in theory but is paper thin in reality. Both fighters are in their mid-30's and, even while coming off of career-resurrecting wins, are closer to the twilight then their respective primes.
Besides, why is momentum necessary for a "champion" to defend against his top contender? Call me crazy, but that should be the standard, and not the exception.
Say what you want about the alphabets, but the concept of mandatory challengers is a sound one when properly implemented. The problem is, such is rarely the case with the alphabets.
As made clear by their actions in recent months, it appears that such will also rarely be the case in the foreseeable future of Golden Boy Promotions.
Jake Donovan is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the Tennessee Boxing Advisory Board. Comments