Jon Jones will have an experienced head managing his fight career from now on.
The former light heavyweight king revealed on social media Wednesday that he had retained Richard Schaefer as his advisor.
The former Golden Boy CEO — who has promoted the likes of Floyd Mayweather and Canelo Alvarez to name a few — will be tasked with negotiating fights for Jones.
“I have retained Richard Schaefer as my advisor,” Jones said in a written statement. “Richard has been in the combat sports space for over 20 years and has put together some of the biggest pay-per-view events over that period. The likes of Mayweather, De La Hoya, Canelo, Hopkins, Barrera and Marquez have headlined exciting events that Richard has promoted and produced.
“His knowledge and experience of the pay-per-view industry and combat sports are second to none. I am excited to embark on this next chapter of my career as I continue to cement my place in history as one of the greats with Richard as my advisor. I can’t wait to give my fans and the sport the fights they want to see.”
— BONY (@JonnyBones) May 26, 2021
Schaefer, meanwhile, was excited to work with arguably the greatest fighter of all time in Jones.
“It is an honor and a privilege to be able to work with such an amazing athlete and person like Jon Jones,” Schaeffer said. “Jon is the gold standard of UFC and one of the greatest athletes to ever dominate his or her respective sport. As he has proven time and again, there is no challenge too great or opponent too difficult. His journey from being the youngest UFC champion in history to becoming the undisputed and undefeated GOAT has entertained and awed fans for many years. His incredible skills and unbelievable fight IQ make him the most dangerous man on the planet.
“I am looking forward to sitting down with Dana White and his team on behalf of Jon to put together the fights the fans want to see.”
White Reacts To The News
It’s certainly a positive development as Jones — who recently revealed he had parted ways with First Row Management — continues to butt heads with UFC president Dana White over negotiations for a fight with Francis Ngannou.
Hopefully, this development expedites things and White is certainly hoping that’s the case as he has a high opinion of Schaefer.
“I like Richard, I’ve known Richard for a long time and obviously, he built Golden Boy,” White said. “He built that company. He knows what he’s doing, he’s a smart guy. I like and respect him and if we can get something done we will.”
Dana White, on Jon Jones retaining Richard Schaefer. “I like Richard, I’ve known Richard for a long time and obviously, he built Golden Boy. He built that company. He knows what he’s doing, he’s a smart guy. I like and respect him and if we can get something done we will.”
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) May 26, 2021
Perhaps we may see Jones in action in 2021 after all. Don’t hold your breath just yet, though.
