Richard Schaefer’s Ringstar Sports signed 2016 U.S. Olympian Carlos Balderas along with his brother Jose, according to Dan Rafael of eson.com.
“Carlos Balderas was one of the most sought-after Olympians coming out of the 2016 Summer Games, and I am so pleased that he, and his brother Jose agreed to join Ringstar Sports,” Schaefer said. “Carlos, Jose and their entire family are the type of people that we want to do business with at our company. I am going to do whatever it takes to make Carlos the face of boxing, and his brother will be right there with him.
“Both of these young men are exceptional fighters with great skills and even better work ethics. Most importantly, they have a desire to be great, and so does Ringstar. I am looking forward to getting started.”
“These are two clean-cut young men who can fight and talk intelligently. We have two young men who have an opportunity to carry the fight scene here in Los Angeles,” Schaefer said. “For me, this is my No. 1 priority, to help them become superstars of the sport.”
“I’m very, very excited for the future for me and my brother,” Carlos said. “I’m thankful to Mr. Schaefer and excited to get the ball rolling and do big things. I was looking to turn pro even before the Olympics. The Olympics was a good experience, but I am more excited for the pros. It’s something I’ve been looking forward to for a while now.”
Said Jose: “[Schaefer] is a very smart man and he has a vision for both of us for what we want to be, which is world champions and superstars.”
“These kids have the skills inside the ring and they carry themselves the right way outside of the ring. The family still has a place in Mexico City and they are bilingual, so my plan is to also have them fight sometimes in Mexico. I am already in discussions with [Mexican television network] Televisa about them.”
Carlos was the target of several promoters, including Top Rank, Golden Boy and Japan’s Teiken Promotions, but Schaefer won the recruiting battle. “I was myself. I think what I accomplished speaks for itself,” he said. “Carlos sparred with a lot of fighters, like Leo Santa Cruz and other guys [I worked with at Golden Boy], and when you ask the fighters what they think about me you get positive feedback. I’m very much pro-fighter. I’m there win or lose. That’s one of my strengths, my relationships. He saw that and liked that as well as my track record.”
Carlos said he and his brother decided to sign with Schaefer because they “liked his honesty.”
“He is a very trustworthy guy, a family man,” Carlos said. “He wanted to be with us from the beginning and he has the power and connections in Los Angeles, where my market is.
“I’m looking forward to working with Richard for a long time. My brother and I chose Ringstar because we immediately felt comfortable with Richard. I’m ready to start my career and grow my fan base. I’m looking to do big things in this sport. It’s not just about a paycheck. I want to win world titles and build a legacy.”
“My dad spoke a lot with these other promoters, Top Rank, Oscar, Mr. [Akihiko] Honda [of Teiken],” Carlos said. “I feel like they wanted to sign us just to sign us and not give us what we deserved. I didn’t even want to have a meeting with them. They are very nice people but not the best decision for us to be with them.”
Said Zenon: “Richard is a very smart man who is going to do amazing things for my sons. I know that my sons will be world champions. The question is, how many times? I believe that Richard has the mind to get us where we need to go.”
