Every Thursday, right here at FightHype.com, boxing fans gather around my bulbous, bulging sack and marvel at the magnificent load of gooey, salty truth that I call into action– and this Thursday is no different. This week, we have comments/questions regarding Canelo, Benavidez, Golden Boy vs. King Ry, Berlanga, Skills Challenge Promotions, and the future of 140.
Canelo, at what point does it become ducking?
Hey Paul,
Just want your opinion on the topic of avoidance and ducking. As referenced in my subject line, at what point does it become ducking? I’m of the opinion that most professional prize fighters are not afraid of one another, especially if they are in the same weight class. I have seen fighters noticeably shook on fight night (Spinks-Tyson & Michael Grant-Lennox Lewis). But, I think most of the time the business side of things get in the way. On the flip side, I think some fighters, regardless of the business, are willing to put it on the line for their legacy.
My question really stems from the ongoing Canelo-Benavidez drama. I find it odd that Benavidez is not being mentioned or considered by team Alvarez. At least not publicly. I heard some of Canelo’s reasons, “Not want to fight another Mexican,” “He hasn’t fought anyone,” “He brings nothing to the table”, etc…
From everything I read on various websites, fans are calling for this fight. And what a great time for it to happen! Other fighters are stepping up and putting it on the line. But personally I haven’t heard anything reasonable from Canelo as to why this fight is not taking place.
He (Canelo) talks about legacy, but he has unfinished business at 168, and it is only going to get worse because David Morrell is coming!
I just feel bad for these young guys like Benavidez and Boots Ennis. If the best of the divisions are not willing to give you an opportunity, then how can you prove yourself? I guess by continuing to fight the next best available until your time comes.
Regards,
– Reggie Cannon
Hey Reggie.
I’m not generally a “this guy is ducking that guy” person. Boxing is a business and I get that. Risk vs. reward is always an issue when opposition is being considered. Boxing will never be a sport where a true playoff-like system is used to get best vs. best fights.
I’m also not a Canelo hater. As a matter of fact, I’ve been accused of being a Canelo fan boy at times.
In reality, though, I just call things as I see them. I praise when appropriate and criticize when necessary. In the particular case of Canelo Alvarez, right now, it’s time to be critical.
He is the unified super middleweight champ. David Benavidez is the universally recognized no. 1 contender. There is NOBODY at 168 more deserving of a title shot than Benavidez. I’m pretty sure that if a poll were taken of all boxing fans, there’d be nobody they’d rather see fight Canelo right now.
So, the only reason for Benavidez not to be Canelo’s next fight is risk vs. reward. Team Canelo is looking for a safer fight with equal to near-equal reward. That’s it. And, as such, this merits criticism.
Alvarez is looking real bad at the moment, especially with Badou Jack revealing that Team Canelo tried to pull him down 20 lbs. for a cruierweight catchweight fight and with them walking by a Bivol rematch. The rumored Jermall Charlo fight is decent. But it’s not THE fight at 168. Anything other than Benavidez is unacceptable.
Golden Boy vs. Ryan Garcia
Hi, Magno, hoping you and your family are doing great.
Based on what has been reported regarding the Golden Boy vs Garcia lawsuit, I believe now more than ever that the Davis vs Garcia fight happened because Ryan made it happen, GB wanted no part of it. Not only did Ryan have to comply with all the Davis team demands, but also had to pay step aside money to DAZN so the fight could proceed, even though in Garcia’s contract with GB he was not exclusive to DAZN. GB is also alleging in their lawsuit that Ryan’s manager is the one who is reaching out to other promoters to deteriorate the relation between GB and Ryan. GB was also against the rehydration clause.
If this feud costs GB to lose another high caliber profitable fighter from their roster, I would highly recommend GB to seek a better contract with DAZN as it has made them lose Canelo and Ryan, their only two cash cows in less than 3 years. Or their new fighters better be wary as GB might try to tie them exclusively to DAZN.
– At. Benjamín from PR
Hey Benjamin.
Golden Boy’s TV deal with DAZN is puzzling and, clearly, self-defeating. I get them wanting to keep their guys fee and able to fight on other networks, especially since, reportedly, their deal with DAZN is closer to being a day-by-day thing than a long-term binding contract. What I don’t get, though, is why DAZN lets Golden Boy do business with them like that, in an arrangement where all of the company’s biggest assets aren’t really tied to the network. Well, I guess I DO get it. DAZN is dumb and/or not that serious about their commitment to boxing. But it still boggles the mind. It’s also mind boggling how, given this arrangement, Golden Boy isn’t better about being honest and upfront with both the fighters and the network.
At any rate, I think Garcia finds his way to freedom and Golden Boy takes another L, thanks, in great part, to Oscar De La Hoya’s lack of impulse control. I wrote more about this situation in this past Monday’s Notes from the Boxing Underground column.
Berlanga, Canelo, 140, Skills Challenge Promotions
Hi Paul
At this time, I am rooting badly for Jason Quigley because I refuse to watch Berlanga against Canelo.
Berlanga seemed to be on the path of something big, but from what I see he fell in love with his power and the fact that he has not matured enough stalled his career big time. I expect him to take care of Quigley because I consider him a gatekeeper, but hopefully he complicates things for him in order to get him out of Canelo’s path.
As far as Canelo, I think the media is being very aggressive with him, as people keep tweeting and writing articles about him fighting x, y and z but he is clearly away at Milan enjoying time off from boxing, so you can not judge him based on this fact. Then again, if it turns out he is indeed in conversations about this supposedly negotiations with Jack and Charlo I think he is definitively ducking Benavidez.
So what to make out of the scenario of 140 pounds? I was under the impression that Prograis was the top dog because he got rid of Chon Zepeda in style, but his performance from Saturday makes me believe he might be on the decline (suggested by his age as well). So it seems that the right assessment here is that the top dogs of the previous era are on their way out (Prograis, Ramirez, Taylor, Zepeda) and the new ones are coming in (Haney, Ryan, Rolly, Tank, Teofimo).
Lastly, what is your take on this Skills Arabic promotional company potentially signing all of these fighters? it seems they got the money, but I have seen this pattern repeat at least during the last 10 years. SMS (50 cent) came to the sport and he had a good amount of prize fighters signing with him only to disappear soon, RockNation Sports, Schaeffer and so on. Lets see what comes out of this one
Best Regards
– Miguel
Hey Miguel.
I’ll tackle these in order.
I like to take pokes at Eddie Hearn, but I understand his logic in signing Berlanga. If they can build him up, Hearn gets another fat Canelo payday from sacrificing another of his fighters at the altar of Alvarez. The problem is that Berlanga may be knocked off before he can be built up as a credible B-side for Canelo. The kid is borderline delusional about where he is as both a fighter and as an attraction. He’s in for a rude awakening. I don’t think Quigley is that guy to bust up the plans, but Berlanga has deteriorated to such a degree that it’s possible.
Canelo needs to fight Benavidez next. Period. I made my case in the previous response. Alvarez is entitled to a vacation, but if deals and proposals are being made in his name while he’s away, then it’s fair game to criticize him.
The next wave is definitely taking over at 140. Prograis is a very good fighter, but he’s not THAT guy, if you know what I mean. I’m willing to chalk up last Saturday’s performance as a bad night in a bad styles matchup. It happens. But, still, I don’t see him beating a younger, more dynamic guy like Teofimo, Haney, or Tank. The other previous top guys at 140 didn’t do a whole lot for me in their primes and do even less for me now. 140 belongs to the youth. Not only Teofimo, Haney, and Tank, but also Subriel Matias, Gary Antuanne Russell, etc.
I have a tough time seeing any Saudi company with plans of scooping up fighters for bouts in Saudi Arabia (I’m assuming that’s what Skill Challenge Promotions is aiming for) getting any traction in the American scene. There are just a lot of logistics issues involved in such a project, not the least of which is the time difference, which would hurt TV ratings in the US.
But even if Skills plans on operating in the US, it takes more than having lots of money to succeed. The boxing market is a weird one and a tough one to navigate. Knowing the boxing culture is imperative. That’s why outsiders have a tough time working their way into the mix. If Skills gives it a go, they’ll make some headlines, make a select few fighters a lot of money, but, most likely, fail and go back to being a company running shows out of their home area.
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