Tag: Errol Spence

Video: Caleb Plant smacks Jermall Charlo backstage at Errol Spence vs. Terence Crawford ceremonial weigh-ins

An audible smack sounded backstage at T-Mobile Arena as former IBF champ Caleb Plant smacked current WBC champ Jermall Charlo.

[autotag]Errol Spence[/autotag] and [autotag]Terence Crawford[/autotag] fight Saturday, but backstage at Friday’s weigh-ins, two other boxers engaged in a physical altercation.

In a video posted by Michael Benson on Twitter, [autotag]Caleb Plant[/autotag] smacked [autotag]Jermall Charlo[/autotag] with an open hand, which audibly sounded throughout the vicinity and nearly ignited a brawl at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

It’s unclear as to what specifically triggered the altercation prior to the strike. Plant was quickly ushered away by a man who appeared to be a security guard. While Charlo did not strike back, he briefly followed Plant until he was rerouted by bystanders.

“Don’t you ever grab me by my motherf*cking face again like that, boy,” Plant yelled as he was dragged out a side door, seemingly indicating physical contact had occurred prior to the slap.

Plant, 31, is a former IBF super middleweight champion, who most notably fought Canelo Alvarez in November 2021. Charlo, 33, is the current WBC middleweight champion. He has not competed since June 2021.

Update (9:00 p.m. ET): A second video published by Twitter user Latisha Crawford shows more violence in the T-Mobile Arena parking lot. After the camera pans away from a departing Charlo, two women are shown fighting on the hot top. Check out that video below.

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Boxing back in network TV spotlight? Fox, PBC attempt to do just that

Boxing back in network TV spotlight? The Fox-PBC partnership attempts to do just that.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published on USAToday.com on Nov. 7, the day Luis Ortiz stopped Alexander Flores on Fox.

***

Errol Spence Jr. remembers his father taking him to Dallas-area barbershops during the 1990s to watch Lennox Lewis heavyweight fights. Lewis’ bouts for the heavyweight championship against Evander Holyfield in 1999 stick out.

That feeling of community, watching with and surrounded by others who loved boxing, fueled Spence’s passion for the sport. And it’s why he’s part of a group of boxers who are trying to grow the sport to a wider and younger audience through a traditional medium: network television.

Spence, the current welterweight champion who fights under the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC), is quick to acknowledge television’s power. In 2016, his post-Olympics bout on NBC against Leonard Bundu that peaked around 6 million viewers thanks to the popular lead-in and settled in closer to 5 million.

“I would never have hit that number,” Spence told USA TODAY Sports by phone, “if I was fighting on pay-per-view.”

That’s why the PBC hopes its deal with Fox – featuring bouts on the network, Fox Sports 1 and pay-per-view – will not only bring ratings, but an increased popularity while gaining new fans. On Saturday, Fox will air Luis “King Kong” Ortiz against Alexander “The Great” Flores in a 10-round main event. Undercard bouts start at 8 p.m. EST.

Spence knows asking fight fans to cough up $70-80 for a pay-per-view bout amid the economic stresses of a global pandemic seems like a big ask. That’s why Spence, who will fight a Fox pay-per-view fight later this month against Danny Garcia at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, said he wants a fight in the near future to air on Fox as a sign of gratitude to his fans.

“I do want have a showcase fight where I’m fighting on network television in front of everybody because I feel like that’s where a lot of my fans will see me fight,” he said.

Shawn Porter, another welterweight who fought Spence last September (a Spence victory by decision), is confident the PBC’s partnership with Fox will pay dividends down the road.

“It’s kind of our job to reintroduce the sport,” Porter told USA TODAY Sports.

He’s confident it won’t mean the death of pay-per-view or a loss of purse money for fighters.

If a fighter has a certain number of fights on network TV, the popularity gained there could translate to pay-per-view purchases.

“People know what they get when they see someone like Shawn Porter in the ring,” Porter said. Footing the bill becomes justifiable because “it’s worth it. They’re going to be entertained. I think that really is the key to the equation, to get the wider audience and make them familiar with who the fighters are for this generation.”

Count Lennox Lewis – who is an analyst on Fox broadcasts alongside fellow analyst Joe Goossen, blow-by-blow announcer Brian Kenny and reporter Heidi Androl – as someone who also subscribes to the theory that fighting on Fox will ultimately help PBC boxers. Lewis has good reason to believe that as someone who fought on network TV as an up-and-comer. It offers younger, inexperienced fighters the chance to showcase talent without the pressure of pay-per-view. And the fans will remember who fought on TV when it comes time to pony up for a pay-per-view event.

“They’re like ‘Oh, I remember seeing this guy’s third fight, fourth fight,’” Lewis told USA TODAY Sports. “Now, when he gets to 20 fights and a pay-per-view, that’s when you start telling your friends about him.”

It worked out for Lewis, who said fighting on accessible TV brought his popularity to the “level of the streets,” instead of those who can pay for subscription-based networks like Showtime and HBO, which took over the boxing scene in the early 21st century.

“I wasn’t one of the guys who went for the money, per se,” Lewis said. “I’d rather more people see me than less people, so I’ll take the lesser money.”

Porter, who has fought on Fox properties at least five times, said he’s seen his popularity rise among non-boxing fans. They might first think he’s a pro basketball player, “but for me, it was like ‘OK, whatever is going to be the best for the sport in the long run, that’s what I’m willing to do.’ I did understand network television would give us the opportunity to have eyes on us.”

Where did boxing’s eyes go?

Throughout the 20th century, boxing was a quintessential American sport. The sport’s popularity receded with the emergence of professional leagues (NBA, NFL, MLS, etc.), and the world’s best athletes began heading for the field or court instead of the ring. A 2006 Gallup poll found that two percent of Americans considered boxing their favorite sport.

“The single biggest super-vitamin that boxing would need to change the whole thing is if NBC put Olympic boxing back on the air on one of their prime networks,” former HBO boxing executive Seth Abraham told USA TODAY Sports.

That’s how boxing forged ahead beginning in 1960, with Cassius Clay – later Muhammad Ali – in Rome. Then there were the Spinks brother in Montreal in 1976.

“When those men turned professional, they already had tremendous exposure to the non-boxing audience to the sports audience, beyond the boxing audience,” Abraham said.

But with Olympics rights under NBC now, the network has shied away from airing boxing during key time slots, opting for swimming or gymnastics instead. At HBO, Abraham negotiated with longtime NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersoll ahead of the 1996 Games in Atlanta to air boxing on the channel live and in primetime during the Olympics. Ebersoll did not want to surrender Olympic exclusivity, Abraham said.

A “LeBron James of boxing, a Tiger Woods of boxing” could alter the conversation, he added, but such an emergence seems unlikely.

“I applaud what Fox is trying to do, but that’s not going to change the dynamic,” Abraham said. “If you just maintain the status quo, boxing will continue to shrink. At HBO, it shrunk so much that it just disappeared. It was painful to watch. Or, in this case, painful not to watch.”

HBO officially no longer airs boxing as of last summer. In addition to Showtime and Fox, ESPN has a partnership with a different management company, Top Rank, that has yielded recent ratings successes. Last month’s world title unification fight between Vasiliy Lomachenko and Teofimo Lopez peaked at nearly 3 million viewers. The network said it was the most viewed boxing telecast across all cable networks in 2019 and 2020.

That’s music to Bill Wanger’s ears. The Fox sports executive vice president of programming told USA TODAY Sports the network saw a ratings increase of about 12% from 2018 to 2019 before the pandemic slowed things down, as it has for most sports. From 2014 to 2019, Wanger said, the numbers of hours of boxing on network TV increased dramatically, from two to 26.

Fox and the PBC agreed to a new four-year deal in 2018 that includes 26 fights per year (12 on FS1, 10 on Fox and four pay-per-view). To match ESPN’s ratings, though, Wanger realizes Fox may have to bring title fights from behind the pay-per-view curtain.

“We basically tier everything,” Wanger said. “The PBC has such a wide stable of top fighters, it’s not hard making those fights. And as we start getting out of this pandemic and ramping back up, I think you’ll start seeing some of those belt (fights) on Fox.”

Tim Smith, vice president of communication of the PBC, said all of the group’s top fighters have or will fight on network TV. Former heavyweight champion, Deontay Wilder (another PBC fighter), fought on NBC in 2015 for a title defense that peaked around 3 million viewers.

“They want a big stage,” he told USA TODAY Sports, “and (network TV) provides a big stage.”

The PBC, feeling that its talent was underexposed during the earlier part of last decade, initially bought their own network time on a variety of networks, including NBC, Spike and ESPN. Two years ago, though, the PBC and Fox ironed out a more exclusive deal that will stretch into 2022.

“I think one of the positive things about this is that when you’re only programming to boxing fans, that’s a very finite audience,” Smith said. “But when you’re on a network, you’re programming to sports fans. That’s a wider net, and when you cast a wider net, you get more fans.

“You want to see that these guys are reaching a certain audience. You want a younger audience as well.”

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Boxing back in network TV spotlight? Fox, PBC attempt to do just that

Boxing back in network TV spotlight? The Fox-PBC partnership attempts to do just that.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published on USAToday.com on Nov. 7, the day Luis Ortiz stopped Alexander Flores on Fox.

***

Errol Spence Jr. remembers his father taking him to Dallas-area barbershops during the 1990s to watch Lennox Lewis heavyweight fights. Lewis’ bouts for the heavyweight championship against Evander Holyfield in 1999 stick out.

That feeling of community, watching with and surrounded by others who loved boxing, fueled Spence’s passion for the sport. And it’s why he’s part of a group of boxers who are trying to grow the sport to a wider and younger audience through a traditional medium: network television.

Spence, the current welterweight champion who fights under the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC), is quick to acknowledge television’s power. In 2016, his post-Olympics bout on NBC against Leonard Bundu that peaked around 6 million viewers thanks to the popular lead-in and settled in closer to 5 million.

“I would never have hit that number,” Spence told USA TODAY Sports by phone, “if I was fighting on pay-per-view.”

That’s why the PBC hopes its deal with Fox – featuring bouts on the network, Fox Sports 1 and pay-per-view – will not only bring ratings, but an increased popularity while gaining new fans. On Saturday, Fox will air Luis “King Kong” Ortiz against Alexander “The Great” Flores in a 10-round main event. Undercard bouts start at 8 p.m. EST.

Spence knows asking fight fans to cough up $70-80 for a pay-per-view bout amid the economic stresses of a global pandemic seems like a big ask. That’s why Spence, who will fight a Fox pay-per-view fight later this month against Danny Garcia at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, said he wants a fight in the near future to air on Fox as a sign of gratitude to his fans.

“I do want have a showcase fight where I’m fighting on network television in front of everybody because I feel like that’s where a lot of my fans will see me fight,” he said.

Shawn Porter, another welterweight who fought Spence last September (a Spence victory by decision), is confident the PBC’s partnership with Fox will pay dividends down the road.

“It’s kind of our job to reintroduce the sport,” Porter told USA TODAY Sports.

He’s confident it won’t mean the death of pay-per-view or a loss of purse money for fighters.

If a fighter has a certain number of fights on network TV, the popularity gained there could translate to pay-per-view purchases.

“People know what they get when they see someone like Shawn Porter in the ring,” Porter said. Footing the bill becomes justifiable because “it’s worth it. They’re going to be entertained. I think that really is the key to the equation, to get the wider audience and make them familiar with who the fighters are for this generation.”

Count Lennox Lewis – who is an analyst on Fox broadcasts alongside fellow analyst Joe Goossen, blow-by-blow announcer Brian Kenny and reporter Heidi Androl – as someone who also subscribes to the theory that fighting on Fox will ultimately help PBC boxers. Lewis has good reason to believe that as someone who fought on network TV as an up-and-comer. It offers younger, inexperienced fighters the chance to showcase talent without the pressure of pay-per-view. And the fans will remember who fought on TV when it comes time to pony up for a pay-per-view event.

“They’re like ‘Oh, I remember seeing this guy’s third fight, fourth fight,’” Lewis told USA TODAY Sports. “Now, when he gets to 20 fights and a pay-per-view, that’s when you start telling your friends about him.”

It worked out for Lewis, who said fighting on accessible TV brought his popularity to the “level of the streets,” instead of those who can pay for subscription-based networks like Showtime and HBO, which took over the boxing scene in the early 21st century.

“I wasn’t one of the guys who went for the money, per se,” Lewis said. “I’d rather more people see me than less people, so I’ll take the lesser money.”

Porter, who has fought on Fox properties at least five times, said he’s seen his popularity rise among non-boxing fans. They might first think he’s a pro basketball player, “but for me, it was like ‘OK, whatever is going to be the best for the sport in the long run, that’s what I’m willing to do.’ I did understand network television would give us the opportunity to have eyes on us.”

Where did boxing’s eyes go?

Throughout the 20th century, boxing was a quintessential American sport. The sport’s popularity receded with the emergence of professional leagues (NBA, NFL, MLS, etc.), and the world’s best athletes began heading for the field or court instead of the ring. A 2006 Gallup poll found that two percent of Americans considered boxing their favorite sport.

“The single biggest super-vitamin that boxing would need to change the whole thing is if NBC put Olympic boxing back on the air on one of their prime networks,” former HBO boxing executive Seth Abraham told USA TODAY Sports.

That’s how boxing forged ahead beginning in 1960, with Cassius Clay – later Muhammad Ali – in Rome. Then there were the Spinks brother in Montreal in 1976.

“When those men turned professional, they already had tremendous exposure to the non-boxing audience to the sports audience, beyond the boxing audience,” Abraham said.

But with Olympics rights under NBC now, the network has shied away from airing boxing during key time slots, opting for swimming or gymnastics instead. At HBO, Abraham negotiated with longtime NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersoll ahead of the 1996 Games in Atlanta to air boxing on the channel live and in primetime during the Olympics. Ebersoll did not want to surrender Olympic exclusivity, Abraham said.

A “LeBron James of boxing, a Tiger Woods of boxing” could alter the conversation, he added, but such an emergence seems unlikely.

“I applaud what Fox is trying to do, but that’s not going to change the dynamic,” Abraham said. “If you just maintain the status quo, boxing will continue to shrink. At HBO, it shrunk so much that it just disappeared. It was painful to watch. Or, in this case, painful not to watch.”

HBO officially no longer airs boxing as of last summer. In addition to Showtime and Fox, ESPN has a partnership with a different management company, Top Rank, that has yielded recent ratings successes. Last month’s world title unification fight between Vasiliy Lomachenko and Teofimo Lopez peaked at nearly 3 million viewers. The network said it was the most viewed boxing telecast across all cable networks in 2019 and 2020.

That’s music to Bill Wanger’s ears. The Fox sports executive vice president of programming told USA TODAY Sports the network saw a ratings increase of about 12% from 2018 to 2019 before the pandemic slowed things down, as it has for most sports. From 2014 to 2019, Wanger said, the numbers of hours of boxing on network TV increased dramatically, from two to 26.

Fox and the PBC agreed to a new four-year deal in 2018 that includes 26 fights per year (12 on FS1, 10 on Fox and four pay-per-view). To match ESPN’s ratings, though, Wanger realizes Fox may have to bring title fights from behind the pay-per-view curtain.

“We basically tier everything,” Wanger said. “The PBC has such a wide stable of top fighters, it’s not hard making those fights. And as we start getting out of this pandemic and ramping back up, I think you’ll start seeing some of those belt (fights) on Fox.”

Tim Smith, vice president of communication of the PBC, said all of the group’s top fighters have or will fight on network TV. Former heavyweight champion, Deontay Wilder (another PBC fighter), fought on NBC in 2015 for a title defense that peaked around 3 million viewers.

“They want a big stage,” he told USA TODAY Sports, “and (network TV) provides a big stage.”

The PBC, feeling that its talent was underexposed during the earlier part of last decade, initially bought their own network time on a variety of networks, including NBC, Spike and ESPN. Two years ago, though, the PBC and Fox ironed out a more exclusive deal that will stretch into 2022.

“I think one of the positive things about this is that when you’re only programming to boxing fans, that’s a very finite audience,” Smith said. “But when you’re on a network, you’re programming to sports fans. That’s a wider net, and when you cast a wider net, you get more fans.

“You want to see that these guys are reaching a certain audience. You want a younger audience as well.”

[lawrence-related id=15370]

Errol Spence Jr. vs. Danny Garcia moved to Dec. 5 at AT&T Stadium

The Errol Spence Jr.-Danny Garcia fight has been pushed back to Dec. 5 and will take place with fans in attendance at AT&T Stadium.

Errol Spence Jr.’s title defense against Danny Garcia will be a home game for Spence.

The pay-per-view fight has been pushed back to Dec. 5 – from the original Nov. 21 – and will take place with fans in attendance at AT&T Stadium outside Dallas, Spence’s hometown, it was announced Thursday.

Organizers didn’t say how many fans will be allowed into the venue.

Spence defeated Mikey Garcia in the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium in March of last year. Manny Pacquiao fought there twice.

Spence (26-0, 21 KOs) is coming off a split-decision title-unification victory over Shawn Porter in in September of last year. The following month he was involved in a horrific car accident but walked away without major injuries.

“Having my comeback fight be in front of my hometown fans at AT&T Stadium is added motivation and a dream come true,” Spence said. “It means even more because I’m going up against a great champion in Danny Garcia.

“I know people are looking out to see if I’ve lost a step or won’t be at my best, but I’m 100% focused and everything is on point in training camp. I just can’t wait to go out there on December 5 and put on a show.”

Garcia (36-2, 21 KOs) is a former junior welterweight and welterweight titleholder. He last fought in January, when he easily outpointed Ivan Redkach.

“I’m very excited to get back in the ring,” Garcia said. “This is going to be my second fight of 2020, even though it’s been a crazy year with the pandemic and everything. I’m glad we’re finally getting back to where we were and that we’ll be able to bring this fight to the fans.

“This matchup is a mega-fight unification bout. It’s my opportunity to reclaim my spot at the top in this division and become a five-time world champion. Training and sparring has been going really well.

“I’m extremely prepared for this already and it can’t get here soon enough. Come December 5, I will be crowned unified champion!”

Also on the card, Sebastian Fundora (15-0-1, 10 KOs) will face Jorge Cota (30-4, 27 KOs) in a junior middleweight title eliminator, Josesito Lopez (37-8, 20 KOs) will take on Francisco Santana (25-8-1, 12 KOs ) in a welterweight bout, and Julio Ceja (32-4-1, 28 KOs) will fight Eduardo Ramirez (23-2-3, 10 KOs) in a featherweight title eliminator.

AT&T Stadium is in Arlington, Texas.

[lawrence-related id=13790,12581,12397]

Errol Spence Jr. vs. Danny Garcia moved to Dec. 5 at AT&T Stadium

The Errol Spence Jr.-Danny Garcia fight has been pushed back to Dec. 5 and will take place with fans in attendance at AT&T Stadium.

Errol Spence Jr.’s title defense against Danny Garcia will be a home game for Spence.

The pay-per-view fight has been pushed back to Dec. 5 – from the original Nov. 21 – and will take place with fans in attendance at AT&T Stadium outside Dallas, Spence’s hometown, it was announced Thursday.

Organizers didn’t say how many fans will be allowed into the venue.

Spence defeated Mikey Garcia in the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium in March of last year. Manny Pacquiao fought there twice.

Spence (26-0, 21 KOs) is coming off a split-decision title-unification victory over Shawn Porter in in September of last year. The following month he was involved in a horrific car accident but walked away without major injuries.

“Having my comeback fight be in front of my hometown fans at AT&T Stadium is added motivation and a dream come true,” Spence said. “It means even more because I’m going up against a great champion in Danny Garcia.

“I know people are looking out to see if I’ve lost a step or won’t be at my best, but I’m 100% focused and everything is on point in training camp. I just can’t wait to go out there on December 5 and put on a show.”

Garcia (36-2, 21 KOs) is a former junior welterweight and welterweight titleholder. He last fought in January, when he easily outpointed Ivan Redkach.

“I’m very excited to get back in the ring,” Garcia said. “This is going to be my second fight of 2020, even though it’s been a crazy year with the pandemic and everything. I’m glad we’re finally getting back to where we were and that we’ll be able to bring this fight to the fans.

“This matchup is a mega-fight unification bout. It’s my opportunity to reclaim my spot at the top in this division and become a five-time world champion. Training and sparring has been going really well.

“I’m extremely prepared for this already and it can’t get here soon enough. Come December 5, I will be crowned unified champion!”

Also on the card, Sebastian Fundora (15-0-1, 10 KOs) will face Jorge Cota (30-4, 27 KOs) in a junior middleweight title eliminator, Josesito Lopez (37-8, 20 KOs) will take on Francisco Santana (25-8-1, 12 KOs ) in a welterweight bout, and Julio Ceja (32-4-1, 28 KOs) will fight Eduardo Ramirez (23-2-3, 10 KOs) in a featherweight title eliminator.

AT&T Stadium is in Arlington, Texas.

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Fox Sports, PBC personalities thank coronavirus warriors

Fox Sports and Premier Boxing Champions put together a video featuring their biggest personalities to thank the coronavirus warriors.

Our health care workers and first responders have emerged as heroes in the ongoing fight against the coronavirus.

And that fact isn’t lost on those in the boxing world.

Fox Sports and Premier Boxing Champions took the time to put together a video (see below) featuring many of their biggest stars and personalities to thank those risking their lives.

Here are those who took part:

PBC Fighters

Manny Pacquiao, Errol Spence, Deontay Wilder, Leo Santa Cruz, Andy Ruiz Jr, Shawn Porter, Mikey Garcia, Danny Garcia, Keith Thurman, David Benavidez, Caleb Plant, Abner Mares, Erislandy Lara, Julian Williams, Tony Harrison, Anthony Dirrell, Andre Dirrell, Chris Eubank Jr, Andre Berto and Adam Kownacki.

PBC on FOX Personalities

Brian Kenny, Chris Myers, Joe Goossen, Kate Abdo, Jimmy Lennon Jr, Marcos Villegas, Heidi Androl, Jordan Plant, Steve Cunningham and Ray Flores.

Errol Spence Jr. reiterates that fight with Terence Crawford will happen

Errol Spence Jr. said that a showdown with Terence Crawford will take place when the money makes sense.

Errol Spence Jr. appeared on the “Time Out with Ray Flores” show Instagram Live Monday and, naturally, Terence Crawford came up.

That’s the fight – Spence vs. Crawford – that boxing fans have been dying to see but are still waiting, at least in part due to the rival companies with which Spence (Premier Boxing Champions) and Crawford (Top Rank) are affiliated.

Still, Spence reiterated that the fight will happen.

“It’s big,” he said. “I mean, it just has to make sense [financially], just like [Manny] Pacquiao and Floyd [Mayweather]. A lot of money in the pot, everyone gets their fair share. As long as it makes sense moneywise … I think it’ll happen.”

He went on: “They have to pay us what we’re worth. I mean, Terence and I are going to get in there and try to kill each other. You have to be paid what you’re worth.”

When will it happen?

“I talked to Al [Haymon of PBC],” Spence said. “… He said the same thing: When it makes sense it’s going to happen. Hopefully it’ll happen next year. I’m looking forward to fighting Terence Crawford.”

Another name came up as a possible opponent: Pacquiao, who is coming off a sensational victory over Keith Thurman.

Spence also likes the idea of facing the Filipino icon. And the Dallas resident knows exactly where he wants it to happen – AT&T Stadium, where the Cowboys play and where the fight between Spence and Mikey Garcia in March of last year drew almost 50,000 spectators.

“Me and Pacquiao would probably do 100,000 in a fight at AT&T Stadium. Pacquiao would be the perfect opponent [there],” Spence said.

Spence, a big welterweight, figures to grow out of the division at some point but he’s determined to stick around for a while.

How long will he stay?

“Until I finish my goal of becoming undisputed welterweight champion,” he said. “When I become undisputed champion, I’ll definitely move up. Until then, I’m going to stay at 147. I don’t care if I have to cut a leg off.”

Hopefully, that means we’ll see Spence vs. Crawford and the other top 147-pounders soon.

Mikey Garcia, citing money and politics, has no plans to return to 140

Mikey Garcia is staying put at the welterweight limit, he said in a recent interview on the Chris Mannix podcast.

Mikey Garcia is a boxer first and businessman-cum-pragmatist a close, close second.

The four-division titleholder has his eyes dead set on winning a world title at the 147-pound welterweight limit even though there are some, such as his father Eduardo and brother/trainer Robert, who believe that he would be better served dropping back down to 140, where the fights ostensibly would be more winnable.

Given the way Garcia, a former featherweight, struggled against welterweight titleholder Errol Spence Jr. last year, the elder Garcias are concerned that Mikey simply gives up too much size to be truly competitive against the likes of Shawn Porter, Keith Thurman, Danny Garcia and Terence Crawford.

Mikey Garcia demonstrated against Jessie Vargas last month that he can handle a good welterweight. Tom Pennington / Getty Images

Garcia’s recent points win over fringe welterweight contender Jesse Vargas in February arguably produced as many questions as answers.

“[My father and brother] still tell me, ‘You know, now that I did it (win a fight at welterweight) maybe I should consider coming back down to 140,'” Garcia said on the Chris Mannix Boxing Podcast. “They still feel like I’m a small fighter at 147, I’m too small. My dad especially. He feels like 140 pounds should be a better weight for me to be fighting at.

“Men at 140 are more comparable to my size. He still reminds me all the time. I was a featherweight, so size-wise, I’m not [that big].” 

Garcia gets his family’s concerns. But the realist in him also knows 147 is where the big paydays are. A Manny Pacquiao fight could materialize later this year or whenever the coronavirus pandemic subsides. And nobody, at least as the welterweight division is concerned, brings in as much dough as Pacquiao.

Moreover, negotiations aren’t hampered by political divisions that routinely prevent some of the best fights from being made. Both are aligned with Premier Boxing Champions, as are most of the other top welterweights.

“I still feel that my abilities, my skills allow me to compete at 147, and I feel like I can win a title at 147, and that’s part of the challenge,” Garcia said. “I want to challenge myself. Not to say that at 140 there’s no challenges. Of course there are. But when you look at the politics and business, it’s going to be a bit more complicated to secure a world-title fight at 140, being that both champions are with different promotional companies.”

Garcia (right) was overwhelmed by Errol Spence in March of last year but was determined to stay at 147 pounds. AP Photo / Richard W. Rodriguez

At 140, the four recognized titles are split evenly between Jose Ramirez and Josh Taylor. Of course, the kicker is that they’re both promoted (read: controlled) by Bob Arum’s Top Rank, Garcia’s former promoter.

Garcia and Arum went through an ugly, protracted legal battle a few years ago. As a result, they don’t do business together these days. The bad blood apparently is still there. The irascible Arum went so far as to claim recently that he has no desire to work with Garcia ever again. Add to that the fact that Ramirez is trained by Robert Garcia, and it’s easy to see why Garcia has little faith that big fights at 140 can happen for him.

 “I just don’t feel like I’m going to be able to secure a world title shot at 140 anytime soon,” Garcia said. “So I think my chances are good at 147.”

It’s a no-brainer for Garcia (40-1, 30 KOs). At 147, there’s more money, more challenges and most of all, no Arum.

“[My family] understand[s] that it’s my call to make the decision,” Garcia said. “I do consider their opinions very much and I do see their reasoning behind why 140 is a better weight class for me, but, like I said, when I look at politics, when I look at business, it’s going to be almost impossible to get one of those world title fights at 140.

“I just don’t want to be fighting contenders and waiting and waiting and waiting. 147 is a bigger challenge, but I still feel confident that I can accomplish what I want. I want to win a world title at welterweight.”

Lightweight titleholder Vasiliy Lomachemko, Boxing Junkie’s No. 1 fighter pound-for-pound, would be another intriguing matchup for Garcia. Two problems, though. One, moving back down to 135 would be difficult. And, two, Lomachenko is an Arum fighter.

“Look, you need to ask Bob,” Garcia said when asked about the Lomachenko matchup. “He controls them. He’s their promoter. I just saw a recent interview with him where he didn’t have much interest in a fight with me. I’m not waiting for anybody.” 

Garcia is chasing both top risk and reward. Any criticism is just more fuel for the fire.

“That’s part of the risk, but that’s also part of the reward,” Garcia said. “You win a title in a fifth division when nobody thought you could do it, and that’s in the history books.

“Just because everybody thinks I can’t [win a title at 147], that just motivates me even more.” 

Follow Sean Nam on Twitter @seanpasbon

Won Wins? Terence Crawford vs. five potential opponents

In Boxing Junkie’s “Who Wins?” series today we feature No. 2-rated Terence Crawfrod, who faces five tough welterweight opponents.

Boxing Junkie staffers are trying to have some fun while the sport is on hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic.

One of the questions fans love to ask even amid a busy schedule is, “Who would win if …?” With that in mind, we decided to create our own “Who Wins?” feature, in which we pit a single fighter against each of five potential opponents and indicate who we believe would win the fights.

We started yesterday with our No. 1 boxer pound-for-pound, Vasiliy Lomachenko, who faced Teofimo Lopez, Devin Haney, Gervonta Davis, Miguel Berchelt and Ryan Garcia in our mthyical fights.

Lomachenko went 14-0-1 (3 KOs) in those bouts, setting a high standard for those who follow.

Today our featured fighter is No. 2-rated Terence Crawford, who has been pitted against Errol Spence, Manny Pacquiao, Shawn Porter, Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia in the deep welterweight division. As in the case of Lomachenko, our staffers – Michael Rosenthal, Norm Frauenheim and Sean Nam – give their picks in each of those five fights.

We then tally Crawford’s record in those fights and present our standings for the first time.

We want to acknowledge that the choice of possible opponents is subjective. We’re looking for the best possible but also realistic foes for our featured boxers. One caveat: We won’t consider promotional and managerial rivalries that often stand in the way of the best matchups.

And we’re operating under the assumption that none of our featured boxers will fight with ring rust as result of their forced coronavirus-related layoff.

The plan is to work our way down our pound-for-pound list each day, meaning we’ll focus on No. 3 Canelo Alvarez tomorrow.

So here goes: Crawford vs. his five potential opponents.

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CRAWFORD (36-0, 27 KOs) VS. SPENCE (26-0, 21 KOs)

Errol Spence (at left against Shawn Porter) could be Terence Crawford’s toughest fight at 147 pounds. Jayne Kamin-Oncea / Getty Images

Rosenthal: Crawford is a better all-around fighter than Spence, quicker, more athletic, more dynamic, more power pound-for-pound. The problem for him is that Spence is almost as good as he is (assuming he has fully recovered from his crash) and the naturally bigger, stronger man, which would determine the winner. They would engage in a competitive, give-and-take fight until Crawford wears down and Spence pulls away. Spence by a close decision.

Frauenheim: It’s the fight everyone wants to see. But it’s getting perilously close to a past-due date. Crawford is 32. Spence hasn’t fought since an auto accident. Is he the same? If he is, it’s a classic. Spence has size, power. Crawford has precision in both hands. His instincts are deadly. Crawford, split decision.

Nam: Much of this depends on whether Spence is the same fighter he was before his hellacious car crash last year. If not, it’s hard to see Spence as the favorite. Crawford has yet to face a top-tier welterweight but the way in which he has dispatched his past several opponents suggests he is a difficult proposition for any elite 147-pounder. His versatility – ability to switch hit, fight off the back point, counter, come forward, finish, et al. – is precisely why Spence, despite his superior size and power at the weight, can’t afford to lose a step. Crawford by unanimous decision.

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CRAWFORD VS. MANNY PACQUIAO (62-7-2, 39 KOs)

Manny Pacquiao (here punching Keith Thurman) proved that he has a lot left to give. AP Photo / John Locher

Rosenthal: Fun matchup, as most of Pacquiao’s are. Pacman proved against Keith Thurman that he shouldn’t be underestimated, even in his 40s. That said, Crawford is a notch above Thurman, wouldn’t be at a size disadvantage against the smallish Pacquiao and presumably wouldn’t be coming off a long layoff, as Thurman was when he faced Pacquiao. Crawford is too quick, too good, too young for this version of Pacquiao. Crawford by clear decision.

Frauenheim: There’s a reason Freddie Roach has suggested there are better fights for Pacquiao. This is one he can’t win. Crawford is in his prime. Pacquiao is past his. Pacquiao showed surprising quickness against Thurman. But Thurman was limited by a hand injury. A two-fisted attack from the switch-hitting Crawford would be too much. Crawford, late-round TKO.

Nam: As inspiring as Pacquiao’s recent run has been, throttling the likes of Adrien Broner and Keith Thurman, Crawford would mark an end to the senator’s joyride. Crawford’s counterpunching ability will disrupt Pacquiao’s usual in-and-out motion. Recall that Pacquiao has historically had trouble against particularly good counterpunchers. Crawford wins on points.

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CRAWFORD VS. PORTER (30-3-1, 17 KOs)

Porter (right) proved against Spence that he could give anyone problems. Jayne Kamin-Oncea / Getty Images

Rosenthal: Porter is a difficult matchup for anyone because of his relentless, swarming style, as he proved against Spence. And, again, Crawford would be at a size and strength disadvantage. Like Spence, Crawford would have to work for everything he gets in this fight and would be fortunate to have his hand raised. He’s tougher than people realize, though, and will emerge with a razor-thin decision.

Frauenheim: Crawford’s toughest fight. Porter’s smarts are matched by durability. Porter is effective inside and he gets there with foot speed. On the inside, he can limit Crawford’s leverage and angles. Crawford will be careful early, adjust and do enough damage late to win a narrow decision.

Nam: Fighting Porter is like climbing over a barbed wire fence: You’re going to come out the other side with cuts and scrapes. Crawford would be no exception. Porter’s aggressiveness (read: roughhouse tactics) will give Crawford lots to chew on in the early going. But expect the Omaha native to adjust in the second half of the bout and start finding ways to tag Porter cleanly en route to a unanimous decision.

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CRAWFORD VS. THURMAN (29-1, 22 KOs)

Keith Thurman (right) said his loss to Manny Pacquiao in July has motivated him. AP Photo / John Locher

Rosenthal: Thurman might have a slight size and strength advantage over Crawford, as well as more experience against top 147-pounders, but that’s it. Crawford is a better fighter than Thurman is every conceivable way, particularly a Thurman who has battled injuries. Crawford withstands whatever Thurman has to offer, outboxes him and wins a clear decision. Of these matchups, this could be the easiest for Crawford.

Frauenheim: If healthy, Thurman is dangerous. But injuries have forced him out of his power-first style. He was careful in losing to Pacquiao because of a hand injury. He showed he could adjust. He’d have to make many adjustments against Crawford, whose style is defined by seemingly endless adjustments. Crawford, unanimous decision.

Nam: Thurman is currently out of commission nursing yet another injury. When he returns, who knows if he’ll be the same. He claims he wasn’t 100% in his points loss against Pacquiao. Hard to give any welterweight a chance against Crawford if you’re not at your best. Though Thurman boasts a fearsome straight right, he has not stopped any opponent since shopworn Luis Collazo in 2015. His chin is also a concern. He was buzzed dangerously by Josesito Lopez and was dropped once and hurt badly to the body against Pacquiao. Crawford will walk him down late and stop him.

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CRAWFORD VS. GARCIA (36-2, 21 KOs)

Danny Garcia (left) has found ways to win throughout his career. AP Photo / Frank Franklin II

Rosenthal: Garcia is a better fighter than he gets credit for. He is an excellent counterpuncher and has a lot of pop in his punches, which makes him competitive in any fight. He would give Crawford more trouble than some might expect. In the end, though, Crawford’s all-around ability would be too much for a game, but slightly overmatched Garcia. Crawford wins a clear decision in a competitive fight.

Frauenheim: It’s a tricky fight. Garcia is a counter-puncher, as good as any. His left is dangerous. Underestimate it and you’re Amir Khan, whom he stopped in 2012. By now, Crawford knows about that left. He also has more than enough in his skill set to elude the power while landing his own counters with both hands. Crawford, unanimous decision.

Nam: Early on, it’s a tactical fight between two superb counterpunchers. But as the fight progresses and both men open up, expect Garcia’s somewhat plodding footwork and subpar power at the weight to work against him in the late rounds of the fight. Crawford, who has a knack for tailoring his game plan to his opponent, will gradually break down Garcia, stopping him late.

THE FINAL TALLY

Crawford: 14-1 (3 KOs)

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THE STANDINGS

Lomachenko: 14-0-1 (4 KOs)
Crawford: 14-1 (3 KOs)

 

Read more:

Won Wins? Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. five potential opponents

 

PBC fighters ‘ducking’ Terence Crawford? Shawn Porter says it’s possible

Shawn Porter believes there’s credence to the claim that PBC welterweights are actively avoiding Top Rank-promoted Terence Crawford.

Last December, during an ESPN/Top Rank broadcast, analyst Tim Bradley fired a broadside toward the elite welterweights aligned with rival outfit Premier Boxing Champions: Stop ducking Top Rank fighter Terence Crawford.

Bradley believes that Crawford can’t land a significant fight because top PBC fighters are avoiding him. That group includes Errol Spence Jr., Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia. Of course, one could accuse Bradley, once a Top Rank fighter, of simply supporting company interests, given both he and Crawford receive paychecks from ESPN.

But it doesn’t appear to be an entirely partisan opinion.

On Friday, Shawn Porter, a top PBC welterweight and Fox analyst, was asked whether he had a chance to speak to Bradley about his comments given that both were on the commentating team for Saturday’s Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury card.

Porter’s response? He smiled and said “no,” that he had no such plans. In fact, he agreed wholeheartedly with Bradley. But he wanted to make one thing clear: Bradley wasn’t talking about him.

“When Tim called out the PBC stable, he knew who he was talking about and he knew who he wasn’t talking about,” Porter told FightHubTV. “He wasn’t talking about Shawn Porter.

“Tim knows. We’re from the same place. We do whatever it takes, whenever it takes. He knows that about me. He knows that I’m a fighter and that I’ll fight everybody whenever the time is right.”

Why is Porter so confident that Bradley wasn’t talking about him? The proof is on his list of opponents: virtually all of the top welterweight contenders and titleholders of the past half decade can be found there.

Asked whether he felt that Bradley had a legitimate case, Porter replied, “Absolutely, absolutely.”

Then Porter doubled down.

“Even within PBC there’s fighters avoiding fighters within PBC, OK?” he said. “Guys are not fighting with their hearts, they’re fighting with their brains, and what I mean by that is that they’re trying to figure out how much money they can make and who’s the easiest one out there for me to take on.

“And that’s not fair to you guys (the fans). We’re getting to a point now where you can’t duck anybody, even on the PBC side.”

There’s no ducking with the 32-year-old Porter, who doesn’t plan to change his pattern of taking on the top contenders anytime soon.

“You just saw me get it on with Errol Spence and you’ll see me get it on with somebody else big,” Porter continued. “If it isn’t Terence Crawford, it’ll be somebody else on the PBC side. But I’m not here to fight a No. 6 guy, a No. 10 guy. That’s why you haven’t seen me announce who I’m going to fight, because No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 won’t fight me.”

So who’s next? Porter ruled out Garcia as a possibility because he “fights almost once a year. He’ll probably get back in the ring in December. I don’t have time for that. June is the latest. I’m gonna force somebody to fight me by June. … By the time you see me in the ring, Showtime Shawn Porter will be mad.”

As for a potential fight with Crawford, Porter says only time will tell.

“I haven’t been able to catch up with Terence Crawford yet,” he said. “We’ve been texting. I know he’s here (at the Wilder-Fury fight) today. We’ll catch up. And you guys will find out something after that.

“But don’t ever say Shawn Porter is ducking anyone, don’t say Shawn Porter is ducking Terence Crawford, and don’t dare say Terence Crawford is ducking Shawn Porter. Until we talk, until we have a conversation that we agreed upon, we’re not going to say nothing about one another … because we owe that respect to one another.”