Washington, DC (April 7, 2014) - Golden Boy Promotions is pleased to announce the donation of portraits of living boxing
legends and future Hall of Famers Floyd Mayweather and Bernard Hopkins
to the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery. The
portraits, taken by renowned sports photographer Holger Keifel, are a
part of the National Portrait Gallery's permanent collection in
Washington, DC.
"Golden
Boy Promotions is incredibly proud to donate these portraits to the
National Portrait Gallery and further the widespread recognition of
these two great athletes and the recognition of the sport of boxing as a
mainstay in American culture," said Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer.
"This is an honor befitting these two great champions Floyd Mayweather
and Bernard Hopkins."
The
National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC houses portraits of
Americans who have influenced the country's history and culture. The
process for choosing new additions to the museum's collection is very
selective.
In
November 2013 the museum approved the inclusion of the Mayweather and
Hopkins portraits into the museum's collection. The portraits are
projected to appear in the museum within the next two to three years and
will likely be on display for six months or longer.
Both
future Hall of Famers will be presented with their portraits before
upcoming world title fights. Hopkins will receive his portrait on
Thursday, April 17 in Washington, D.C. at the final press conference
before his April 19 light heavyweight world championship unification
bout against Beibut Shumenov at the DC Armory and on SHOWTIME
CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING®.
Mayweather's
portrait will be presented to him on April 30 in Las Vegas, NV at the
final press conference for his May 3welterweight world championship
unification bout against Marcos Maidana at the MGM Grand Garden Arena
and on SHOWTIME PPV®.
Throughout
Mayweather's stellar career, he has amassed a record of 45 wins with no
losses, 10 world championships and endless accolades recognizing his
incomparable boxing talents. He is boxing's biggest attraction setting
and breaking records every time he fights. His September 2013 fight
against Mexican boxing phenom Canelo Alvarez set a record for the
highest grossing pay-per-view event of all-time. His skills in the ring
are unmatched and as he continues his stellar career with a two fights
planned in the coming year, Mayweather
The
oldest athlete to win a championship in any major sport, Hopkins has
had a long and storied career that has seen win seven world
championships in two different weight divisions. In May 2011, Hopkins
became the oldest fighter in history to win a title at 46-years-old, and
has since broken his own record with his most recent win over Karo
Murat to successfully defend his IBF Light Heavyweight title. Having
just turned 49-years-old, Hopkins looks toward a successful year ahead
with a goal of becoming the undisputed light heavyweight champion.
Photographer
Holger Keifel is an accomplished name in the world of photography.
Having focused on boxing from 2002-2010, Keifel put together a
collection of over 250 black-and-white portraits for his book "Box: The
Face of Boxing", published in 2010 that included photos from fighters
such as Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Mayweather, Hopkins and Oscar De
La Hoya. Keifel's boxing work has been featured in several institutions,
but these will be his first portraits to hang in the National Portrait
Gallery.
The
Portrait Gallery's collection includes portraits of some of the most
prominent boxers and fights in the history of the sport. Among the
portraits of boxers in are images of Muhammad Ali, Jack Dempsey, Rocky
Marciano, Evander Holyfield and Joe Louis. Additionally there are photos
and paintings of great fights including Ali vs. Joe Frazier, Louis vs.
Max Baer, Louis vs. James Braddock, Louis vs. Max Schmeling, and Floyd
Patterson vs. Tommy Jackson. These images date back as far as the
beginning of the 20th century and together show the history of boxing in America.
"The
inclusion of these two portraits is great for the sport of boxing and
gives the American public another opportunity to appreciate these living
legends," said Schaefer. "At Golden Boy Promotions, we believe in
giving back to the sport that has give us so much and we are thrilled to
be able to do so in this way."
The portraits can be viewed online at npg.si.edu. In addition to being featured on the website, the portraits may be used for special exhibits or printed in a museum catalog.
ABOUT GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS:
Los
Angeles-based Golden Boy Promotions was established in 2002 by Oscar De
La Hoya, the first Hispanic to own a national boxing promotional
company. In 2007, in its fifth year of promoting, Golden Boy Promotions
set a record by selling over 2.5 million in pay-per-view homes in a
single night. Also in 2007, Golden Boy Promotions established the record
for highest grossing pay-per-view homes in a single year with more than
4 million total. Golden Boy Promotions is one of boxing's most active
and respected promoters, presenting shows in packed venues around the
United States on networks such as SHOWTIME, FOX Sports Networks and FOX
Deportes.
Golden Boy Promotions currently has over 70 fighters
under contract, from future Hall of Famers Bernard Hopkins and current
world champions such as Canelo Alvarez, Marcos "El Chino" Maidana, Danny
"Swift" Garcia, Amir "King"Khan, Adrien "The Problem" Broner, Leo
"Terremoto" Santa Cruz, Erislandy Lara, Abner Mares, Keith Thurman,
Shawn Porter, Lamont Peterson, Lucas Matthysse, Luis Collazo, Paulie
Malignaggi, Beibut Shumenov, Omar Figueroa, Johan Perez, Jesus Soto
Karass. Also included on the company's roster are top contenders Luis
Ortiz, Alfredo "El Perro" Angulo, Deontay "The Bronze Bomber" Wilder,
Jermell Charlo, Jermall Charlo, Gary Russell Jr., Victor "Vicious"
Ortiz, Jorge "Nino de Oro" Linares, Pablo Cesar Cano, Marco Antonio
Periban, Randy "El Matador" Caballero, Rene Alvarado as well as highly
regarded prospects Antonio Orozco, Ronnie Rios, Eddie Gomez, Frankie
Gomez, Anthony Ogogo, Sadam Ali, Roberto Manzanares, Francisco "El
Bandido" Vargas, Diego De La Hoya, Joseph Diaz Jr., Yamaguchi Falcao,
Ivan Morales an Julian "El Camaron" Ramirez
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