Boxing: Englebrecht packs a new punch

Corona del Mar’s Roy Englebrecht and his boxing company has joined

forces with six-time world champion Oscar De La Hoya and his new Golden

Boy Promotions LLC.

Roy Englebrecht Promotions, a stable Newport Beach-based boxing firm

for the past 12 years, has been acquired by De La Hoya after an

announcement made Thursday. Englebrecht will retain an equity piece in

the new company and serve as chief operating officer.

“I was overwhelmed with the vision that Oscar had for the future of

boxing,” said Englebrecht, who has lived in Corona del Mar for the past

30 years.

Englebrecht, who promotes approximately 20% of all boxing shows held

in California, signed a three-year contract to run the daily operations

of Golden Boy Promotions (GBP). GBP will now secure the 30 or more fight

dates that Englebrecht had scheduled in 2002.

“I am convinced that we have put together one of the best teams in

boxing,” said De La Hoya, the youngest boxer to win world titles in five

weight classes.

The formation of GBP makes De La Hoya, 29, the first Hispanic to own a

national boxing promotional firm.

Englebrecht’s 2002 scheduling will include fights in Orange County. He

scheduled fights at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim and the Irvine

Marriott.

“It is an honor for me to be included in this venture,” said

Englebrecht, who began his boxing promoting career in 1985 when he was the Director of Operations for promoter Don Fraser. “We will develop a

long-term business plan for Golden Boy Promotions that will cover all

aspects of the business of boxing. We will be promoting at venues all

over the country. We will scout, sign and train fighters. We will develop

a strategy for each boxer that joins Golden Boy Promotions plotting out

the proper pace and opponents, with the goal of putting them all in a

position to fight for world championships.”

Englebrecht, who once worked as a “stringer” covering football games

for the Daily Pilot, was the Vice President of the Rancho Cucamonga

Quakes (formerly the San Bernardino Spirit), as well as the Senior Vice

President of the Arena Football’s Anaheim Piranhas.