Boxing Great De La Hoya Says Boxing is in Trouble, He Has Found a Solution
By the Price of Business, Media Partner of USA Business Radio.
Recently Kevin Price, Host of the nationally syndicated Price of Business show and an editor at USABR, interviewed Oscar De La Hoya, who is one of the greatest fighters of all time. The Daily Blaze describes De La Hoya as one who “has been a champion boxer in several weight classes and is often cited — pound for pound — as one of the greatest of all times. In 2014 he was inducted in the International Boxing Hall of Fame.”
Kevin Price said after the interview, “if there is a field where you want a significant amount of trust between the client and the company, it is one where punches are being exchanged. The Golden Boy Promotions approach makes perfect sense. It is a great example of the power of empathy”
Kevin Price was startled to hear De La Hoya’s candid views of the state of boxing. In fact, among his most memorable comments on the industry was during his induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame (check out the video here). He has said that boxing was on the brink of ruin and that the rise of the media platform, DAZN is poised to change everything. He has been excited to talk about his company (Golden Boy Promotions) and its partnership with DAZN.
$9.99 a month verses $40 per fight is a significant difference. It allows average people to access marquee fights on a regular basis, regardless of their financial situation. Kevin Price, Host of the Price of Business calls the DAZN and Golden Boy Promotions deal the “democratization of boxing.”
De La Hoya said in his interview with Price (below, starting at .30) that boxing, over the years, has become a rich person sport for viewing, leaving untold numbers disenfranchised because of the high price of pay-per-view. It is not unusual, he has noted, for people to pay $40, $50, or more per fight. “This is easily one of the best days in the growing history of Golden Boy Promotions,” said Oscar De La Hoya in a statement in October of 2018 after finalizing an exclusive partnership deal with DAZN. “We are committed to making this sport as accessible as possible and at an affordable price for all the fans. My dream has been to make boxing a sport for all. DAZN has the perfect platform to make this dream come true, and with the biggest star in the sport at the helm of this journey, I have no doubts that we will succeed in unimaginable ways.” That star being Canelo Alvarez, who also became the richest athlete of all time thanks to the DAZN and Golden Boy Promotions partnership, which represents him.
Hear De La Hoya’s thoughts on the business of boxing starting at .30
How big of a game changer is DAZN? The following statement from the company sums it up well: “Globally, DAZN is a live and on-demand sports streaming service created by fans, for fans, that is leading the charge to provide access to sports anytime, anywhere. DAZN guarantees no long-term contract, no bundles, just one affordable price for access to all the service’s sports on connected devices including Smart TVs, smartphones, tablets, games consoles and PCs. DAZN is currently available in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Japan, Canada, Italy and now the U.S. at just $9.99 per month after a one-month free trial – where it is set to become a must-have service for fight fans, with 100+ fight nights already lined up from Matchroom Boxing, Bellator MMA, the World Boxing Super Series, Combate Americas and the newly announced Golden Boy Promotions.Globally, DAZN is a live and on-demand sports streaming service created by fans, for fans, that is leading the charge to provide access to sports anytime, anywhere. DAZN guarantees no long-term contract, no bundles, just one affordable price for access to all the service’s sports on connected devices including Smart TVs, smartphones, tablets, games consoles and PCs. DAZN is currently available in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Japan, Canada, Italy and now the U.S. at just $9.99 per month after a one-month free trial – where it is set to become a must-have service for fight fans, with 100+ fight nights already lined up from Matchroom Boxing, Bellator MMA, the World Boxing Super Series, Combate Americas and the newly announced Golden Boy Promotions.”
De La Hoya offered some sage advice on business in the conversation and he sounded a lot like Warren Buffett, saying, ‘I do not understand why professional athletes retire from their sports and pursue a business they know nothing about.”
$9.99 a month verses $40 per fight is a significant difference. It allows average people to access marquee fights on a regular basis, regardless of their financial situation. Kevin Price, Host of the Price of Business calls the DAZN and Golden Boy Promotions deal the “democratization of boxing.”
Kevin Price said after the interview, “if there is a field where you want a significant amount of trust between the client and the company, it is one where punches are being exchanged. The Golden Boy Promotions approach makes perfect sense. It is a great example of the power of empathy”
De La Hoya offered some sage advice on business in the conversation and he sounded a lot like Warren Buffett, saying, ‘I do not understand why professional athletes retire from their sports and pursue a business they know nothing about. I don’t know anything about the restaurant industry, why should I pursue a field I know nothing about? Being a boxing promoter was a natural and logical choice for me.” The billionaire Buffett is famous for not investing in things he doesn’t know about, De La Hoya practices that same philosophy at a very practical level.
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Price asked De La Hoya about how he became so successful as a promoter, he said, “unlike most promoters, I know exactly what my clients are going through. I have put on the gloves, I know what it is like, this has been a powerful way of building trust.” Kevin Price said after the interview, “if there is a field where you want a significant amount of trust between the client and the company, it is one where punches are being exchanged. The Golden Boy Promotions approach makes perfect sense. It is a great example of the power of empathy and De La Hoya demonstrates it so well.”
