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Golden Boy Promotions and Ryan Garcia apparently patched up their relationship over 10- and four-hour meetings, resulting in his being signed to “one of the richest deals for a boxing prospect in history.” How much money Garcia will make has not been disclosed, but Oscar De La Hoya has told anyone who will listen that he thinks he can get “Kingry” a $700 million deal and make him the richest athlete of all-time. Garcia has also been added to the Canelo Alvarez-Sergey Kovalev card, where he will face Romero Duno. You will recall that after Avery Sparrow was arrested, the Golden Boy rift really took hold when Garcia wanted more money to face the hard-hitting Filipino on short notice.
This was an interesting result considering how sour the
relationship seemed to have become.
De La Hoya had publicly said Garcia was not his best young
fighter -- he chose Vergil Ortiz instead -- and talked about
how there were people in his ear claiming he deserves more money
because of his social media following, not his boxing
accomplishments. He also implied that Garcia was not a real
fighter, noting that for him, it was about the money while for De
La Hoya, it was all about the fights. Boxing social media scoffed
at this statement and quickly pointed out that De La Hoya rejected
a Felix Trinidad rematch over money.
Still, while all is apparently well between Golden Boy and Garcia, apparently the De La Hoya-Alvarez relationship is not as chummy. Various reporters noted that there seems to be some tension between the two, and that after De La Hoya talked about how a third Alvarez-Gennady Golovkin fight was something that had to happen, Alvarez disagreed. He told a member of the media that he felt his business with Golovkin was over -- he indicated that he was moving to 160 pounds after his fight with Kovalev -- and that De La Hoya “says many things that don’t make any sense.” Kovalev had some fun with Alvarez’s opponent choice. He put a Drake meme on Instagram that showed Alvarez wanting no part of Golovkin, Billy Joe Saunders, Demetrius Andrade or Jermell Charlo but happily embracing Kovalev, who had been digitally altered to look incredibly old. It was quite funny and self-aware.
Much of the boxing world was appalled to see ESPN inform Tyson Fury’s trainer, Ben Davison, that -- unlike what he was told by referee Tony Weeks -- the cut above his fighter’s eye was from a punch and not a headbutt. However, the Nevada State Athletic Commission apparently feels differently. NSAC Executive Director Bob Bennett said he was glad ESPN told Fury’s corner, admitted the NSAC had dropped the ball and vowed that it would not happen again.
The problem? Unless Bennett knows something we do not, he does not seem to understand that ESPN did not give Otto Wallin’s corner the same knowledge. To its credit, Wallin’s team has declined to address the issue and does not seem like it will file an official protest and dispute the fight’s results. Instead, those around Wallin seem content to capitalize on his newfound name recognition to try to get him another big heavyweight fight.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. posted a video to Instagram in which he claimed he was working on making a rematch with Manny Pacquiao, though the fight would apparently be an exhibition bout taking place in Tokyo. Pacquiao immediately shot down the idea, declaring that he will not fight Mayweather again unless it happens in an actual fight.
Pacquiao’s future is filled with intrigue. Bernard Hopkins said that he thinks Pacquiao is going to break his record and fight until he is in his 50s, while promoter Bob Arum revealed his belief that the Filipino superstar cannot keep taking the punishment he did against Keith Thurman. Arum thinks the punishment he dealt with in that fight will stay with him for the rest of his life and that Pacquiao should stop fighting since, at his age, it is not worth it.
It is a fascinating dichotomy of opinions, with the truth likely somewhere in the middle. Seeing Pacquiao beat up a bunch of young guys who think they are something special would be a lot of fun, but seeing him against Errol Spence or Terence Crawford likely would not.
The Baltimore Ravens on Sunday honored the city’s own Gervonta Davis before their game. A highlight reel of Davis’ fights was shown, and he handled the coin toss. Baltimore, now 2-0, has received a tremendous amount of hype despite beating only the lowly Miami Dolphins and the Arizona Cardinals -- a team led by a rookie coach and a rookie quarterback. There might be some parallels there.
Speaking of guys being honored by their hometowns, it was revealed that Jose Ramirez, the undefeated WBO and WBC 140-pound champion had a statue of himself created by the town for The Fresno Fair, where it was held within the Fresno County Historical Museum. Considering Joe Frazier did not get a statue in Philadelphia until 2015 and there are only plans to give Joe Walcott a statue in Camden, New Jersey, that is pretty remarkable.
While the 140-pound World Boxing Super Series was an absolute disaster, with fighters bailing over money before coming back in with no penalties and promoters apparently not making it clear which fights would serve as main events, the future of the tournament was apparently unaffected. Rumors persist that there will be another WBSS tournament, and that it will feature the heavyweight division. While that sounds like it could be fun, the names being floated are underwhelming.
According to WBSS promoter Kalle Sauerland, some of the heavyweights the tournament would look to invite are Dillian Whyte, Daniel Dubois, Filip Hrgovic, Agit Kabayel and the winner of the Joseph Parker-Derek Chisora fight. If Chisora beats Parker, there is no chance he joins the tournament. He remains upset at the WBSS for making the Regis Prograis-Josh Taylor fight the main event rather than his fight with Parker, and he openly declared that “nobody gives a [expletive] about the Muhammed Ali Trophy.” As for the others, Dubois is a huge puncher and a possible future star -- he has already begun calling out Fury -- but he is young and would probably be better off building his own legacy at a slower pace. Hrgovic was an Olympic bronze medalist who is 9-0 as a professional. Kabayel is undefeated and beat Chisora in 2017. Keep in mind, this is the best-case scenario for the division.
Why not try to get guys who have already competed in the WBSS before and are more established in their careers like Oleksandr Usyk or Murat Gassiev? Tommy Morrison’s kid, Trey Lippe, would add some instant name recognition and intrigue. Joe Joyce and Tony Yoka could have an Olympic gold medal rematch that would be instantly sellable. The WBSS is on its heels. Aside from the financial issues, Ramirez now holds two 140-pound belts, and where before the tournament everyone said it was a huge mistake not to join, now he looks smart for having done so. It needs a big tournament to get back on track. If these are the best names the WBSS can get, this heavyweight tournament is not going to do it.
After her big win over Heather Hardy on Sept. 13, Amanda Serrano said she was looking to fight Irish champion Katie Taylor. However, Taylor decided to move up to 140 pounds, so Serrano has decided she is going to return to MMA.
This is a bad look for women’s boxing. It is a terrible sign to see so many champions in the sport, not just high-level competitors, opting to compete in MMA instead. It is especially telling when you compare men’s boxing to women’s boxing and realize there have not really been any high-level boxers anywhere near their primes opting to fight MMA, never mind champions coming off big wins. If women’s boxing is going to rise to the level of their male counterparts, it cannot have champions fleeing to MMA. At the same time, if women’s boxers are not going to be paid anywhere near what the men are being paid, we can expect more and more desertions.
Golden Boy Promotions and Ryan Garcia apparently patched up their relationship over 10- and four-hour meetings, resulting in his being signed to “one of the richest deals for a boxing prospect in history.” How much money Garcia will make has not been disclosed, but Oscar De La Hoya has told anyone who will listen that he thinks he can get “Kingry” a $700 million deal and make him the richest athlete of all-time. Garcia has also been added to the Canelo Alvarez-Sergey Kovalev card, where he will face Romero Duno. You will recall that after Avery Sparrow was arrested, the Golden Boy rift really took hold when Garcia wanted more money to face the hard-hitting Filipino on short notice.
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Still, while all is apparently well between Golden Boy and Garcia, apparently the De La Hoya-Alvarez relationship is not as chummy. Various reporters noted that there seems to be some tension between the two, and that after De La Hoya talked about how a third Alvarez-Gennady Golovkin fight was something that had to happen, Alvarez disagreed. He told a member of the media that he felt his business with Golovkin was over -- he indicated that he was moving to 160 pounds after his fight with Kovalev -- and that De La Hoya “says many things that don’t make any sense.” Kovalev had some fun with Alvarez’s opponent choice. He put a Drake meme on Instagram that showed Alvarez wanting no part of Golovkin, Billy Joe Saunders, Demetrius Andrade or Jermell Charlo but happily embracing Kovalev, who had been digitally altered to look incredibly old. It was quite funny and self-aware.
If Alvarez wants to strike back on social media, he has an expert
in his camp on which to lean. Supposedly, Logan
Paul will spend some time training alongside Alvarez in preparation
for his fight with fellow YouTuber KSI. There are also rumors
that Saunders’ opponent on the Paul-KSI undercard will be the
12-loss Gabe Rosado, which would serve as a terrible waste of
everyone’s time.
NSAC Thanks ESPN For Informing Fury Corner Cut Resulted From Punch
Much of the boxing world was appalled to see ESPN inform Tyson Fury’s trainer, Ben Davison, that -- unlike what he was told by referee Tony Weeks -- the cut above his fighter’s eye was from a punch and not a headbutt. However, the Nevada State Athletic Commission apparently feels differently. NSAC Executive Director Bob Bennett said he was glad ESPN told Fury’s corner, admitted the NSAC had dropped the ball and vowed that it would not happen again.
The problem? Unless Bennett knows something we do not, he does not seem to understand that ESPN did not give Otto Wallin’s corner the same knowledge. To its credit, Wallin’s team has declined to address the issue and does not seem like it will file an official protest and dispute the fight’s results. Instead, those around Wallin seem content to capitalize on his newfound name recognition to try to get him another big heavyweight fight.
Pacquiao Rejects Mayweather Exhibition Talk
Floyd Mayweather Jr. posted a video to Instagram in which he claimed he was working on making a rematch with Manny Pacquiao, though the fight would apparently be an exhibition bout taking place in Tokyo. Pacquiao immediately shot down the idea, declaring that he will not fight Mayweather again unless it happens in an actual fight.
Pacquiao’s future is filled with intrigue. Bernard Hopkins said that he thinks Pacquiao is going to break his record and fight until he is in his 50s, while promoter Bob Arum revealed his belief that the Filipino superstar cannot keep taking the punishment he did against Keith Thurman. Arum thinks the punishment he dealt with in that fight will stay with him for the rest of his life and that Pacquiao should stop fighting since, at his age, it is not worth it.
It is a fascinating dichotomy of opinions, with the truth likely somewhere in the middle. Seeing Pacquiao beat up a bunch of young guys who think they are something special would be a lot of fun, but seeing him against Errol Spence or Terence Crawford likely would not.
Davis Gets Huge Show of Support at Ravens Game
The Baltimore Ravens on Sunday honored the city’s own Gervonta Davis before their game. A highlight reel of Davis’ fights was shown, and he handled the coin toss. Baltimore, now 2-0, has received a tremendous amount of hype despite beating only the lowly Miami Dolphins and the Arizona Cardinals -- a team led by a rookie coach and a rookie quarterback. There might be some parallels there.
Speaking of guys being honored by their hometowns, it was revealed that Jose Ramirez, the undefeated WBO and WBC 140-pound champion had a statue of himself created by the town for The Fresno Fair, where it was held within the Fresno County Historical Museum. Considering Joe Frazier did not get a statue in Philadelphia until 2015 and there are only plans to give Joe Walcott a statue in Camden, New Jersey, that is pretty remarkable.
Rumor: Next WBSS Tournament to Feature Heavyweights
While the 140-pound World Boxing Super Series was an absolute disaster, with fighters bailing over money before coming back in with no penalties and promoters apparently not making it clear which fights would serve as main events, the future of the tournament was apparently unaffected. Rumors persist that there will be another WBSS tournament, and that it will feature the heavyweight division. While that sounds like it could be fun, the names being floated are underwhelming.
According to WBSS promoter Kalle Sauerland, some of the heavyweights the tournament would look to invite are Dillian Whyte, Daniel Dubois, Filip Hrgovic, Agit Kabayel and the winner of the Joseph Parker-Derek Chisora fight. If Chisora beats Parker, there is no chance he joins the tournament. He remains upset at the WBSS for making the Regis Prograis-Josh Taylor fight the main event rather than his fight with Parker, and he openly declared that “nobody gives a [expletive] about the Muhammed Ali Trophy.” As for the others, Dubois is a huge puncher and a possible future star -- he has already begun calling out Fury -- but he is young and would probably be better off building his own legacy at a slower pace. Hrgovic was an Olympic bronze medalist who is 9-0 as a professional. Kabayel is undefeated and beat Chisora in 2017. Keep in mind, this is the best-case scenario for the division.
Why not try to get guys who have already competed in the WBSS before and are more established in their careers like Oleksandr Usyk or Murat Gassiev? Tommy Morrison’s kid, Trey Lippe, would add some instant name recognition and intrigue. Joe Joyce and Tony Yoka could have an Olympic gold medal rematch that would be instantly sellable. The WBSS is on its heels. Aside from the financial issues, Ramirez now holds two 140-pound belts, and where before the tournament everyone said it was a huge mistake not to join, now he looks smart for having done so. It needs a big tournament to get back on track. If these are the best names the WBSS can get, this heavyweight tournament is not going to do it.
Unable to Secure Taylor Fight, Serrano Announces Return to MMA
After her big win over Heather Hardy on Sept. 13, Amanda Serrano said she was looking to fight Irish champion Katie Taylor. However, Taylor decided to move up to 140 pounds, so Serrano has decided she is going to return to MMA.
This is a bad look for women’s boxing. It is a terrible sign to see so many champions in the sport, not just high-level competitors, opting to compete in MMA instead. It is especially telling when you compare men’s boxing to women’s boxing and realize there have not really been any high-level boxers anywhere near their primes opting to fight MMA, never mind champions coming off big wins. If women’s boxing is going to rise to the level of their male counterparts, it cannot have champions fleeing to MMA. At the same time, if women’s boxers are not going to be paid anywhere near what the men are being paid, we can expect more and more desertions.
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