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Golden Boy Promotions' 2011
Year In Review
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...
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