GOLDEN BOY SAYS PACQUIAO IS TAKING A BACKWARD STEP
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 23 Mar 2007
Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer has said that Manny Pacquiao is “taking a backward step” by fighting “B” level opponents such as the undefeated but unknown Jorge Solis in San Antonio, Texas on April 14.
Former WBC super flyweight champion Gerry Penalosa who watched a tape of a Solis' last fight said "he is nothing. He is slow and has no power" which was confirmed by boxing writers who watched a tape of Solis' fight against Fernand Lizzaraga last January during the Solar Sports-GMA 7 news conference early this week and predicted the Mexican would be knocked out.
In an overseas telephone conversation with Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today, Schaefer said that if Pacquiao continues this way his stardom ”is going to get smaller and smaller and after that thrilling victory over Erik Morales to go and fight Solis is, I think, a big step backward.” He said Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy “would certainly not have done that.”
Schaefer indicated that a fighter “only becomes a big star when he fights big fights.” He noted that there have been other fighters in the past who after a great fight they started to fight “B” level opponents and were less motivated Besides, Schaefer said, “your stardom is going to get smaller and smaller.”
Schaefer stressed “its not always the money but the legacy of the fighter and Pacquiao made a big mistake in that department.” He said after fighting Solis and maybe after that Humberto Soto, Pacquiao wont become a legend that way. He said “ you may be a champion but Manny wants to be a legend and you don’t become a legend fighting Solis and fighters like that.”
The Golden Boy Promotions CEO said he knows what rival promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank wants to do. He said Soto is going to beat Bobby Pacquiao in their scheduled June bout and after that Arum will try to hype the revenge factor in a Manny Pacquiao-Soto fight. However, Schaefer said it won’t work “because the boxing public is smarter than that.” He added, “I don’t think its really not fair to Manny and for the boxing public because they don’t want to see these fights.”
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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