Boxing promoter AL HAYMON is “a reclusive, eccentric so-called adviser who rarely ventures into public,” but he “ranks among boxing’s most powerful figures,” according to Greg Bishop of the N.Y. TIMES. His influence extends “over every aspect of the promotion, from [FLOYD] MAYWEATHER’s $40 million pay structure to the resale of the best tickets at the MGM’s Grand Garden Arena.” Haymon is “Harvard-educated; successful in live concert promotion, then television production, now boxing;” and has an “extensive list of celebrity clients.” He is licensed in Nevada as a manager, but his associates said that Haymon “also performs many of [the] same functions as promoters … putting him in a legal gray area and perhaps in violation of the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, passed in 2000.” Bishop wrote “much of Haymon’s influence is derived from his relationship with Mayweather,” as he “helped him maneuver out of his contract with Top Rank for $750,000.” Boxing fans are “craving a showdown” between Mayweather and MANNY PACQUIAO and the “fate of that fight may rest with Haymon more than with any other person.” Haymon’s power “extends beyond Mayweather, though.” He represents other “prominent boxers, including ANDRE BERTO, PAUL WILLIAMS and JERMAIN TAYLOR, along with younger prospects like ADRIEN BRONER and GARY RUSSELL JR.” Haymon spreads those fighters “among various promoters and steers clear of long-term contracts” (N.Y. TIMES, 12/18).
