Jon Jones brings on former Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer as advisor

Jones parted ways with First Round Management last month.

Jon Jones has gone the boxing route for his newest representation.

Exactly one month after parting ways with First Round Management, headed by Malki Kawa, the former UFC light heavyweight champion has retained the services of former Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer in an advisory role.

“I have retained Richard Schaefer as my advisor,” Jones wrote on social media. “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 [Floyd] Mayweather, [Oscar] De La Hoya, Canelo [Alvarez], [Bernard] Hopkins, [Marco Antonio] Barrera and [Juan Manuel] 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.”

Schaefer left Golden Boy Promotions in 2014 in what can be kindly described as an acrimonious split between him and Oscar De La Hoya. He resurfaced in boxing after his non-compete clause expired, forming Ringstar Sports promotions. Schaefer also played a major role in the World Boxing Super Series tournaments, which saw the profiles of Oleksandr Usyk, Naoya Inoue, and Josh Taylor all raised after their triumphs.

Here’s what Schaefer had to say about working with Jones.

“It is an honor and a privilege to be able to work with such an amazing athlete and person like Jon Jones,” Schaefer said (via MMA Fighting). “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.”

Well you might be wondering how Dana White is reacting to this news, seeing as him and Jones have been butting heads over Jon wanting better pay for a superfight with current heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou. The answer he gave to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto was a complimentary one, which has been consistent of him for years with regards to Schaefer.

Jones said that he would be delaying his heavyweight debut into 2022, then later tweeted that he might return if negotiations go well.