The Marketing of Victor Ortiz

As Golden Boy Promotions' Mt. Rushmore of partners and significant others have taken significant hits in the past few months (like Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton) or have stagnated on the sideline despite career-defining victories (Shane Mosley and Bernard Hopkins) they find themselves looking ahead to the future. As noted football coach George Allen once famously uttered, "the future is now."

And to Golden Boy, the future is Victor Ortiz. As the bulk of this company’s marquee names heads into the twilight of their Hall-of-Fame careers, they look ahead to the next generation that will carry them and the business. Front and center is Ortiz, who headlines this week’s edition of HBO's 'Boxing After Dark' versus Marcos Maidana on Saturday night from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

"Absolutely, I don't even have to think about it," said Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer on Thursday afternoon at the Congo Room at LA Live, where the final press conference was held for this event. "You know what it is? When you see him, when you talk to him, just his presence. You guys from the media, fight fans, us as promoters - even other promoters - talk highly about this guy. There are all these signs and you can just sense this guy is special. This guy is different. It's not just his skills in the ring because there are a lot of fighters who are very skilled. But his presence, his charisma, his looks, the way he talks. He's different."

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