Boxing promotional companies received loans from a federal program established to help small business through the coronavirus pandemic.
The powers that be in boxing received a boost from the government.
Boxing promotional companies were among those that received loans from a federal program established to help small business through the economic challenges of coronavirus pandemic, The Associated Press reported.
Top Rank, Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions were approved for loans from the Paycheck Protection Program for between $350,000 and $1 million to compensate for a lack of boxing shows during the COVID-19-related lockdown, which began in March.
Data released Monday revealed that a variety of industries – including sports-related companies – received help. The AP reported that none of the major North American sports leagues – the Major League Baseball, NBA, NFL and NHL – submitted applications.
The loan amounts were broken down into ranges so it’s impossible to determine specifically how much the boxing companies received. Bigger sports organizations received a lot more. For example, two Major League Soccer teams received between $2 million and $5 million each.
Congress approved $659 million in low-interest loans under the PPP. The loans will be forgiven if the money is used on payroll, rent and other essential expenses.
Boxing in the U.S. shut down in mid-March and returned early last month, meaning no income was generated for almost three months. And some companies – including Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy – have yet to get rolling again.
Forbes has reported that Floyd Mayweather earned more than $1 billion in his career. Oscar De La Hoya, CEO of Golden Boy, earned $510 million, according to Forbes.
Premier Boxing Champions, one of the biggest promotional firms in the sport, was not listed as a company that applied for assistance.
Promoter Bob Arum listed a number of potential opponents he’s targeting for Terence Crawford.
Terence Crawford’s immediate future seems to be as uncertain as ever, although new potential opponents are emerging.
Bob Arum, his promoter, mentioned a number names in an interview with the U.K.’s talkSPORT. On top of the list? Fellow welterweight titleholder Manny Pacquiao, although that will have to wait until fans are allowed into arenas and stadiums. Among others: Keith Thurman, Shawn Porter, Yordenis Ugas and Kell Brook.
Another potential matchup that will have to wait: Crawford vs. Errol Spence Jr., who is expected to fight Danny Garcia in his next fight.
And the fact that all the fighters mentioned above – except Brook – are aligned with rival Premier Boxing Champions doesn’t seem to be an obstacle in this case. At least that’s how Arum, of Top Rank, portrays it.
“That’s the opponent that I would most like Terence to fight, and I think he would,” Arum said of Pacquiao, who would make for the biggest fight. “Now, that requires a lot of money, and we’ve had proposals from the Mid[dle] East. I don’t know if those proposals will be available for this year. That is the problem.
“I don’t know whether the Mid-East venues will allow spectators this year. They may not allow it until there’s a vaccine. Otherwise, we have to look for Terence Crawford to fight a major welterweight.
“There are a number that are possibilities. Thurman, Porter or this kid Ugas, the Cuban who’s a good, good welterweight. They’re with Al [Haymon’s] company PBC, but we’re working well together with that company, so I don’t think that’ll be a problem.”
“And then finally there’s Kell Brook, whose management contacts me on almost a weekly basis. So the first possibility is Pacquiao, if that’s possible. Second possibility is a fight against one of Al’s guys. And the third possibility is Kell Brook if we can get him in the United States.”
Crawford, a former lightweight and junior welterweight titleholder, is generally considered one of the best fighters in the world but has been unable to lure a top welterweight into the ring.
He’s trying to be patient.
“I was a little disappointed, but at the same time it’s a process,” he told talkSPORT. “Everything will happen in good time. I believe that all those fights that I want and the fans want, we’ll get to see. That’s what I’m in the sport of boxing for, to take on the biggest and baddest challenges.
“I wanna fight all the big names at the end of the day, and that’s what I’ve been calling for since I came into the welterweight division. They can’t avoid me forever. But at the same time it’s a business, they wanna keep everything in house and they have the right to do so.
“But at the end of the day, they’re gonna have to see Terence Crawford.”
Adrien Broner indicated he might be willing to face Vergil Ortiz Jr. in spite of his retirement talk.
Editor’s note: This article originally appeared on DAZN.com.
***
Although Adrien Broner has said that he won’t return to a boxing ring for anything less than $10 million, he might be willing to come out of “retirement” for a fight against one of Golden Boy Promotions’ fastest-rising stars in Vergil Ortiz Jr.
And all it took was a post on Instagram to begin drumming up interest.
The image in the post is from six years ago, according to Ortiz. In his post, he says that he has always had a lot of respect for Broner since the former champion took a photo with him when Mike Tyson wouldn’t. Back then, Ortiz was a 16-year-old who was fresh off of winning his division in the 2013 Junior Olympics. Ortiz’s professional career has taken off since then. The now-22-year-old has amassed a 15-0 record, with all of his wins coming by way of knockout.
A showdown between Ortiz and Samuel Vargas in March was scrapped because COVID-19 shuttered the entire sports industry. As the boxing world begins to slowly inch its way back to a semblance of normalcy, Ortiz decided to take the time to pay Broner respect while also calling him out.
At the time this article was published, the post had more than 7,000 likes and plenty of comments, with fans mostly offering favorable responses. Among them was Golden Boy’s Oscar De La Hoya, who offered a simple comment in support of his fighter:
“Easy dinero.”
The reply caught the eye of Broner, who bristled in his response.
“Hell of a pic bro and I f–k with you too @vergilortiz. [B]ut @oscardelahoya I will come out of retirement and smoke yo boy since you co-signing pics and after the fight I got a ounce of soft for you. #StillAdjustingToFame,” he posted.
Broner, 30, is 0-2-1 in his last three fights dating to 2017. He remains a draw because of his antics outside the ring rather than his performance inside the squared circle. Despite his lack of success, Broner has given Premier Boxing Champions an ultimatum of paying him $10 million to get back into the ring or he’ll retire.
A fight between Broner and Ortiz is attractive but would be met with promotional politics. It’s not impossible, but it seems like nothing more than a pipe dream at the moment.
Canelo Alvarez reportedly is considering Anthony Dirrell and Sergey Derevyanchenko for September.
Canelo Alvarez’s handlers are getting creative in their search for his next opponent.
Alvarez had been tentatively set to face Billy Joe Saunders on May 2 before the coronavirus pandemic took hold. Now, faced with the prospect of fighting once without spectators, Alvarez and Co. might be looking for a less-expensive option than Saunders for a fight in September.
Enter Sergey Derevyanchenko and Anthony Dirrell, according to reports.
Alvarez and Derevyanchenko are “in talks,” according to The Athletic. BoxingScene.com is reporting that Dirrell is under consideration. The reports indicate that both fights would take place at 168 pounds, although Derevyanchenko – a middleweight – and Alvarez could conceivably fight at a catch weight.
One interesting aspect of these reports is that both Derevyanchenko, 34, and Dirrell, 35, are affiliated with Premier Boxing Champions while Alvarez is handled by Golden Boy Promotions, meaning the rival entities are working together.
Derevyanchenko (13-2, 10 KOs) is a 2008 Olympian from Ukraine who has lost only close decisions to Daniel Jacobs and Gennadiy Golovkin, the latter fight a memorable brawl in October that raised Derevyanchenko’s stock even in defeat.
Derevyanchenko also is considered a potential opponent for 160-pound titleholder Jermall Charlo.
Dirrell (33-2-1, 24 KOs) is a two-time super middleweight titleholder who is coming off a ninth-round knockout loss to David Benavidez in September, which cost Dirrell his belt. Dirrell was hampered by a cut from the sixth round on.
Alvarez is coming off an 11th-round knockout of Sergey Kovalev in November to win a light heavyweight title, which he vacated. He has come around on fighting Golovkin a third time but that won’t be next. Triple-G has committed to defending his 160-pound title against mandatory challenger Kamil Szeremeta first.
Adrien Broner says he’ll focus on rapping if he can’t get the $10 million he is demanding to get back into the ring.
Have we seen the last of Adrien Broner in the ring?
“The Problem” is demanding that Showtime and Premier Boxing Champions pay him $10 million for his next fight or he’s finished with boxing. He said on Instagram that he’ll be content to give up the sport and focus full time on his music career.
“OK, look. I ain’t heard from Stephen Espinoza [of Showtime]. Me and Al [Haymon of PBC], we talk every day. Ain’t nobody talking about that $10 million. So I’ll take that as I’m still retired and do what I’m going to do. I’m going to focus on my album. And I’m just a rapper. I’m a rapper now.
“… Until they talk about my $10 million, I ain’t going to be in the f—ing ring. I’m going to be in the studio. So my album dropping. It is what it is.”
Broner seemed to imply on another Instagram post that he’ll show everyone what he’s capable of.
“I’m not f—ing playing no games y’all put me up against the best in the world and I never turned down a fight now it’s time to come correct or leave me the f— alone but I will become champion again and I promise I’m go make y’all pay double the PRICE!!!!!!!”
The reality is that Broner doesn’t command that kind of money, particularly in an economy that has been devastated by the coronavirus pandemic. He still commands attention because of his mouth, which sells his fights. But $10 million? No way.
Broner (33-4-1, 24 KOs) has had a lot of success in his career, winning titles in four divisions by the time he was 26.
That’s the past, though. Broner, now 30, is 0-2-1 in his last three fights. He lost a wide decision to Mikey Garcia in 2017, a majority decision to Jessie Vargas the following year and another one-sided decision to Manny Pacquiao in 2019.
A boxer who hasn’t won a fight in more than three years might want to consider another career.
Shawn Porter believes Terence Crawford would beat Errol Spence Jr. because he has “more in his arsenal.”
Shawn Porter has as good an idea as anyone how a fight between Errol Spence Jr. and Terrence Crawford would go.
Porter fought Spence in September, losing a split decision to his Premier Boxing Champions stablemate. And he is a friend of Crawford, who fights for rival Top Rank. Plus, as a PBC on Fox analyst, it’s his job part time to discuss such things.
So who does he believe would win? Crawford.
“I’ve got Crawford,” Porter said during a PBC Facebook Live session. “I think Crawford’s the better boxer. I think Crawford’s got more in his arsenal. Of course, it’s a biased opinion as well, because I am friends with Crawford. But even taking that out of the equation, I just think that Crawford can do a lot.
“I think he’s a problem for anyone out there, fighting him, getting in the ring with him. But, you know, talking about the fight with Errol Spence and Terence Crawford, I think Terence Crawford wins that fight.”
A fan during the session reacted to Porter’s comment by calling him a hater. He dismissed that notion.
“Got no reason to hate,” Porter said. “I’m on here, just doing me. I answered the question. The question is who wins, Terence Crawford or Errol Spence? I said who I thought would win the fight, and then I supported my answer. That’s not being a hater. That’s giving my opinion.”
Porter gave Spence hell in their fight, which took place in Los Angeles. Spence, who put Porter down in Round 11, won 116-111, 116-111 and 112-115.
Porter also wants to fight Crawford but his friend doesn’t seem to be interested in the matchup.
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.
Many of the boxers and personalities of @PBConFOX have a message for the doctors, nurses, health officials and others battling to keep us safe. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/xIDYps1gTH
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.”
Dana White expressed some reservations and doubts about the boxing business in a recent interview…
Dana White has long teased that he was going to dive headlong into the deep waters of the boxing business. The UFC head promised a press conference last October to unveil his boxing operation. Yet October came and went. Then November, December, January … still nothing.
Now it appears he has cold feet.
In a video interview with Yahoo! Sports posted Tuesday, White was asked to comment on how he viewed the economic structure of boxing. He wasn’t so enthused.
“I hate speaking negatively about the sport of boxing,” White said, “other than the fact that it’s a mess – we all knows it’s a mess – and that it needs to be fixed, if it can be fixed.”
White continued: “I told you guys that I would have a press conference last October and announce all these things, but as I dove into this thing and started to look into the sport of boxing, the economics of boxing, that sport’s a mess. It’s a mess and it’s in big trouble. I don’t know. I don’t know if it can be fixed.”
What does White mean by “mess”? He didn’t say during the Yahoo! interview, but it doesn’t take a genius to grasp at least one of his objections.
As the largest mixed martial arts promotional group in the world, with nearly 600 fighters under exclusive contract, the UFC has considerable leverage when it comes to fighter compensation. The outfit signed a $1.5 billion broadcasting deal with ESPN in 2018. A few MMA experts, using publicly available financial documents, have estimated that UFC fighters take home anywhere from 13.6-16.3% of UFC’s total revenue in a given year.
The general consensus is that boxers do much better than that, which might be the reason for White’s reticence to wade in boxing waters. Promoter Bob Arum has been quoted in a recent UFC anti-trust suit as saying that his company Top Rank “pay[s] out 80%” of the revenue to fighters. According to Golden Boy’s financial documents that were brought to light during their anti-trust litigation against Premier Boxing Champions (which was eventually rejected by the court), their fighter payout was 64% and 62% of total revenue in 2014 and 2015, respectively.
And it’s not a pattern that is likely to change anytime soon. In recent years, new players like the streaming platform DAZN have been doling out mind-numbing purses to fighters from all levels of the talent spectrum in an effort to bolster their presence in the market.
For White, who is accustomed to claiming the biggest piece of the pie, that’s a mess.
Bob Arum said it’s not possible for Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder III to take place on the target date of July 18 because of coronavirus.
Tyson Fury and Deontay will have to wait a little longer for their third fight.
They were tentatively scheduled to meet on July 18 but, Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum told ESPN, the fight is likely to be moved to sometime in the fall as a result of the uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission has banned combat sports indefinitely and Las Vegas is more or less shut down.
Arum was asked directly whether the fight would take place on July 18.
“Clearly not,” Arum told ESPN. “We don’t even know if the MGM will even be open by then.”
He went on: “You could not guarantee the fighters that the event would take place on that date. We couldn’t convince them or ourselves. Where were they going to train for it? It just made no sense. You just have to take a step back. How are you going to sell tickets? It’s absolutely ridiculous to say the fight is on when the Brits can’t even get there.”
Arum, who promotes Fury, said Wilder manager Al Haymon of Premier Boxing Champions is on board with the change in schedule.
“Al and his people are in touch with us all the time on this,” Arum said. “We see things the same way. We’ll be very, very cautious moving ahead and pray this will be over at a particular time and we will be able to make smart plans. Nobody has ever experienced anything like this before.”
Fury and Wilder fought to a draw in December 2018. In the rematch, this past Feb. 22, Fury scored a sensational seventh-round knockout.
