"It's got to be run by somebody," Hopkins said of Golden Boy Promotions' now murky future. "But it's going to be very, very difficult for Golden Boy to keep the credibility of the brand without Richard Schaefer.
"A guy like Richard - and let me say that we don't always agree on everything - really can't be replaced. I'll reiterate: Richard Schaefer cannot be replaced. Things will continue to be run (at GBP), but they won't - can't - be the same. Richard is a man who is stern when he needs to be stern, and fair when he needs to be fair. It's hard to find people like that in boxing. He's one of the biggest and most respected players there is. Even the people who don't care for him too much on a personal level have got to respect him when it comes to the way he does his job.
"Think about it. Who really ran Golden Boy? I'm not talking about popping up in the office once or twice a year. Who was there, doing the deals, on a day-to-day basis?"
"I'm not under contract to Golden Boy," stressed Hopkins
There was one more potential surprise offered by Hopkins, who professed admiration for Haymon, who could become part of whatever remains of his twilight as an active fighter. That statement further suggests that boxing's ageless wonder could soon be parting ways with Golden Boy.
"I have great respect for him, and he has great respect for me, going back to the day when he came into boxing with one fighter, my friend, Vernon Forrest, `The Viper,'" Hopkins said of Haymon, the Boxing Writers Association of America's 2013 Manager of the Year. "I was on the other side from him when Al was representing Jermain Taylor.
"I don't have a contract with Al Haymon, but I wouldn't mind having one because he knows the business and he knows how to make the moves to get you where you need to be."
