BOXING Bernard Hopkins joins with De La Hoya promotion team

Their merger was a huge surprise to those in the game.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
PHILADELPHIA -- As Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins discovered when he dominated Felix Trinidad in their Sept. 29, 2001, megafight, beating the man doesn't necessarily make you the man. Sure, Hopkins got his fair share of accolades, and his asking price for bouts rose significantly, but thumping a celebrated superstar doesn't necessarily mean you take over his fan base.
It's a lesson the North Philadelphia fighter learned well heading into a similarly huge showdown with an even more popular fighter than Trinidad, Oscar De La Hoya, on Sept. 18. Hopkins accepted short-end money, if you can call $10 million the short end, while underdog challenger De La Hoya pulled down $30 million because "Ex," the long-reigning undisputed middleweight champion, understood who the draw was.
Nor did you hear Hopkins, who always has attached a high value to his services, complain about how the pie was sliced after he became the first man to knock out his sport's No. 1 marquee attraction.
But if beating the man doesn't make you the man, it apparently can gain you a junior partnership in the firm. De La Hoya and Hopkins have become partners, which is only a surprise to those who aren't familiar with the business acumen that the one-time opponents share as much as their boxing talent.
Big news
Last Saturday's announcement that Hopkins has joined De La Hoya's Los Angeles-based promotional company, Golden Boy Promotions, as the new president of a new subsidiary, Golden Boy East, is no more shocking than Kmart's merger with Sears. Consolidating forces and making something big even bigger is the American way.
"One measures the success of a company by certain milestones," said De La Hoya, who yukked it up with new best bud Hopkins Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, where WBA and WBC champion Winky Wright scored a majority decision over Shane Mosley in their super welterweight rematch. "Today is one of them for Golden Boy Promotions. Bernard Hopkins is one of the best fighters in recent history. His talent and skill in the ring are unquestioned, but what impressed me just as much is his charisma, vision for the future of boxing and deep love and respect for the sport."
Added Hopkins: "I am delighted to be a part of the team. Today will go into the boxing history books. Oscar and me are just the beginning. We welcome other promotional free agents to join us and revolutionize the sport. This is a new chapter for boxing."
De La Hoya launched Golden Boy Promotions in 2001, but he had continued to fight under the banner of Bob Arum's Top Rank, Inc. Hopkins so liked De La Hoya's deal with Arum that he said Arum would "have my first ear" for future promotional considerations.
Both fighters were singing a different tune in announcing their partnership, and it sounded a lot like a flung gauntlet bouncing at the feet of such established power brokers as Arum and fellow septuagenarian Don King.
"I commend Bob for stepping down," said Hopkins, who took note that Arum, 72, officially was turning over the day-to-day operations of Top Rank to his stepson, Todd deBoef, 37.
"Perhaps Don King will get a whiff of this. Those old dinosaurs of the sport will see that new young blood is coming to town."