When Oscar De La Hoya isn’t rockin’ his best Richard Nixon impression, he’s out expanding his Golden Boy Promotions empire. More mesh, you ask. No silly. He’s trying to provide a venue for young boxer’s to catapult into the stratosphere of stardom. And by that we mean he wants to own their souls.

“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’s financial backing and global venues should give Golden Boy more flexibility in pursuing Olympic boxers who become stars during this summer’s Beijing Games, as well as other free-agent prospects, Schaefer said.

We group up with Don King and his electrocuted every morning look gracing boxing PPV events all the time, so this will be a great change. Will Oscar introduce his fighters wearing mesh? Come on. Of course. And we’re expecting more Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. bouts. That, actually, excites us.

AEG, De La Hoya’s Golden Boy to be partners [LA Times]
Image [Getty]