Whatever the outcome for the Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder rematch on February 22, there will be a third fight, according to Frank Warren.
Whatever happens in the Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury rematch Feb. 22 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, you can count on a third fight.
So says Frank Warren, the co-promoter of Fury. He told the British outlet talkSPORT that the heavyweight rivals have already agreed to fight again in the summer.
“Tyson is going to be back in the ring with Wilder on February 22,” Warren said. “And they will fight again, irrespective of who wins, in the summer.
“So that, at the moment, is all tied up.”
The Feb. 22 rematch – on pay-per-view – will be a bi-partisan effort between rival companies Top Rank (which promotes Fury) and partner ESPN, and Premier Boxing Champions (Wilder) and Fox. Both networks are planning to market the fight heavily through their Super Bowl coverage.
The first fight took place on Dec. 1 of last year at Staples Center in Los Angeles and ended in a disputed draw. Although Wilder scored two knockdowns, many observers believed Fury had outboxed the hard-hitting Alabaman.
Terence Crawford received more resistance than expected from Egidijus Kavaliauskas but responded like the champion he is.
GOOD
I’m sure there are people who believe Terence Crawford was exposed somehow in his title defense against Egidijus Kavaliauskas on Saturday night in New York. I don’t agree … at all. In fact, I think more of him now that I did before the fight.
So a good fighter (which is what Kavaliauskas is) landed some flush punches to Crawford’s face and body in the first half of the fight. So what? Fighters who take risks also take punches, even great fighters (which is what Crawford is). Crawford’s moments of vulnerability mean nothing to me.
And it’s not as if Crawford acted confused or disheartened when the clever Lithuanian had success. Instead, he got angry. He dug in, refusing to retreat, as if to say, “I’ll show you who the better man is,” and then did.
Crawford switched to an orthodox stance in the seventh round, which made it more difficult for Kavaliauskas to land his right. That was the turning point in the fight.
In the next two-plus rounds, Crawford, on fire with determination, put Kavaliauskas down three times – once in the seventh and two times in the ninth – and hurt him in the process. The referee saved the challenger from further punishment 44 seconds into Round 9.
Was it the most dominating performance ever? No. It was impressive, though. I loved Crawford’s reaction to Kavaliauskas’ success. I thought when it became clear that Crawford was trying to knockout his tormentor, “Those are the instincts of a champion.” And the way he finished off Kavaliauskas was breathtaking, both in its efficiency and thoroughness.
That’s what a great fighter does, battle fearlessly through adversity and win in spectacular fashion.
BAD
Richard Commey fell into a desperate situation very quickly. Mikey Williams / Top Rank
I’m using the word “bad” here as something positive, as in Teofimo Lopez is a “bad” man.
The Honduran-American’s fight against lightweight titleholder Richard Commey on the Crawford-Kavaliauskas card was supposed to be a 50-50 proposition. Instead, it was a showcase for the next great star.
Lopez essentially ended the fight with a crushing right hand that put Commey down and left him discombobulated early in the second round. The Ghanian managed to get up but a vicious barrage of hard shots from Lopez ended the fight, giving him a major 135-pound title in his 15th fight.
That’s what you call a career-defining victory. And he’s only 22.
A star was born? No, a star was born 22 years ago. Lopez has unusual God-given gifts, which have been finely honed over the years. Add to that his power, his killer instinct, his poise and his ability to do a back flip and you get a truly special fighter.
And he’s just getting started.
Next up? Could be Vasiliy Lomachenko, which is playing with fire. All the momentum he has built could come to a sudden halt against the No. 1 fighter pound-for-pound. One thing, though: Lopez is naturally bigger than Lomachenko. Is that equalizer?
Should be interesting.
WORSE
Terence Crawford reiterated after his victory on Saturday that he’ll fight anyone, anytime. Let’s hope his top rivals were listening. Mikey Williams / Top Rank
I agree with those who say this: If Crawford wanted to fight the welterweights at Premier Boxing Champions, he probably shouldn’t have signed a long-term contract with Top Rank.
That said, I also agree with the thrust of Tim Bradley’s ringside diatribe against the PBC 147-pounders for refusing to cross promotional barriers and fight Crawford.
Like it or not, Crawford is the top welterweight and arguably the best fighter in the world. And fighters constantly say, “I want to fight the best.” Fighters also say regularly in so many words, “I want to give the fans the fights they want.” It couldn’t be more obvious that the fans want to see the PBC welterweights fight Crawford.
So why haven’t any of the them – Errol Spence, Shawn Porter, Keith Thurman, Danny Garcia, Manny Pacquiao, et al – taken the steps necessary to make it happen?
I can only come to two conclusions: One, they don’t want to fight the best. And, two, they really don’t care what the fans want. If they did, they would demand to fight Crawford. None of them have, not even Spence, the one fighter fans had been dying to see in the ring with Crawford before his car accident.
And it’s not like PBC and Top Rank are complete strangers. For example, the companies will work together on the Deontay Wilder (PBC)-Tyson Fury (Top Rank) rematch in February.
I understand the business of boxing. Promoters and managers are territorial. They want to keep their big fights – and the money they generate – in house if possible. To be sure, PBC and its welterweights aren’t breaking new ground.
It’s just a shame, from the standpoint of Crawford and the fans, that a fighter as good as he is can’t test himself against the best possible opponents because of boxing politics.
Deontay Wilder, a man in a violent profession, dropped by the Vatican Friday for a private audience with Pope Francis, a man of peace. A fighter meeting the Pope is a little bit like a conscientious objector meeting General George Patton. Let’s just …
Deontay Wilder, a man in a violent profession, dropped by the Vatican Friday for a private audience with Pope Francis, a man of peace.
A fighter meeting the Pope is a little bit like a conscientious objector meeting General George Patton. Let’s just say they are in very different businesses.
In an Instagram post, there’s a photo of His Holiness shaking Wilder’s lethal right hand.
No word on whether Wilder asked him to bless the hand and his chances in a rematch with Tyson Fury on Feb. 22. But he did sign a pair of gloves for Wilder, according to a TMZ report.
“What a honor it was to meet [Pope Francis] today,” Wilder wrote in his caption. “He’s truly a remarkable man that represents True Love, Happiness and World Peace for all human race.”
The Pope went on to name Wilder the Boxers’ Representative and Ambassador for Peace through Sport, according to a release from Premier Boxing Champions.
“This was an incredible honor and I’m very happy to have met with Pope Francis,’’ Wilder said in the release. “I want to thank him for meeting with me. I also want to thank the World Boxing Council for arranging the visit and thank the Italian Boxing Federation for hosting me as I visited with the people of Italy. It has been one of the best experiences of my life. It proves that I plan on being a true heavyweight champion of the world.’’
Peace isn’t exactly what Wilder has in mind for Fury. Then again, the Vatican wasn’t Wilder’s only stop in Rome. He also planned to visit the Colosseum, an ancient site sure to remind him of who he really is and what he really intends to do to Fury.
Promoter Bob Arum said he has inside information that leads him to believe Errol Spence, injured in a car crash, will not fight in 2020.
Bob Arum says he has “grave doubts” about whether Errol Spence Jr. will fight in the “foreseeable future.’’
In an interview with iFL TV, Arum said he has been told that Spence, who was thrown from his Ferrari in a scary crash on Oct. 10, will be out of the ring throughout 2020 and possibly the following year.
“I have received some inside intelligence that allows me to say that,’’ Arum said.
Arum declined to identify his source.
“I don’t think that would be appropriate, but it is good information,” Arum said. “It’s – very unfortunately –very good information.”
Arum made the comments in relation to a question about the chances of Terence Crawford fighting Spence in a welterweight unification bout. Arum, Top Rank’s chairman, promotes Crawford, who faces Lithuanian Egidjius Kavaliauskas on Saturday night at New York’s Madison Square Garden on ESPN. Spence is tied to Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions.
“I don’t think (Crawford-Spence) will happen next year,” Arum said. “I don’t think it’ll happen the year after. And it’s not because promoters don’t want it to happen.’’
There have been no updates from Spence or PBC regarding his future since the single-car crash in Dallas. Spence, who scored a split decision over Shawn Porter on Sept. 28 in Los Angeles, reportedly suffered facial lacerations and damage to his teeth. He was charged with DUI after his release from a Dallas hospital.
“Let’s pass on Errol Spence because until we see him face-to-face, until he appears in public, until we can establish that he’s ready to go back into the ring, it’s unfortunate, but let’s not talk about him,’’ Arum said. “He’s a lovely young man. That was a horrible accident that he had. And just leave it at that.”
PBC has entered into a multi-year PPV deal with distributor In Demand to provide up to at least four boxing PPV shows per year.
Premier Boxing Champions is doubling down on the pay-per-view business.
The boxing management stable headed by Al Haymon has signed a multi-year output deal with In Demand, a major pay-per-view distributor owned by Comcast Cable, Charter Communications and Cox Communications, it was announced today in a release.
“PBC has the best fighters and most anticipated bouts in the boxing world today,” said Mark Boccardi, In Demand’s senior vice president of programming and marketing. “We’ve been distributing PBC’s exciting matches on pay-per-view for some time, but we’ve now cemented our alliance for the next several years.
“It’s gratifying that Premier Boxing Champions recognizes the benefits of committing to a long-term partnership and reaping the rewards that In Demand offers our pay-per-view content providers: revenue, distribution and marketing support.”
PBC has exclusive output deals with Showtime and Fox, an enthusiastic proponent of the pay-per-view business model. In Demand distributed all four Fox Sports/PBC pay-per-view events in 2019, including the recent Deontay Wilder-Luis Ortiz rematch last month. That fight was the sixth pay-per-view boxing event In Demand distributed this year.
In Demand was left with a gaping void in its programming to start the year after the UFC left Fox for ESPN+, the streaming app, and Canelo Alvarez, perhaps the most bankable active boxer in the sport, signed an exclusive deal with streaming upstart DAZN, which started its early ad campaign with a heavy anti-pay-per-view slant.
According to Multi Channel News, In Demand’s first boxing event in 2020 could be the joint pay-per-view effort between ESPN and Fox for the Wilder vs. Tyson Fury rematch pegged for Feb. 22.
In Demand also inked a concurrent pay-per-view deal with All Elite Wrestling.
Terence Crawford admits that the inability to make deals to face his PBC rivals is frustrating.
Terence Crawford wants to fight his welterweight counterparts at Premier Boxing Champions. The fact he can’t, he said, “It’s frustrating.”
Crawford (35-0, 26 knockouts) is scheduled to defend his 147-pound belt against mandatory challenger Egidijus Kavaliauskas (21-0-1, 17 KOs) on Dec. 14 in New York City. He’d rather be fighting Errol Spence, Shawn Porter, Manny Pacquiao or Keith Thurman, all of whom are managed by PBC.
The problem is the fighters’ affiliations. Crawford is promoted by Top Rank, whose fights are televised on ESPN. PBC has a deal with Fox and Showtime. And cross-platform agreements are hard to reach, especially when one side (PBC) has all the fighters it needs to make good matchups.
Crawford expressed his feelings in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.
“It’s frustrating but I look at it as a business move by them not to fight me,” said Crawford, referring to the inability to make these fights. “I’m not going to knock them or be a hater, but I know where I stand and I know the game they’re playing and there’s nothing I can do about it.
“I just have to focus on what I can do and keep making a living and keeping my name up there as the best pound-for-pound fighter.”
Crawford seems particularly pessimistic about a possible matchup with Spence, his greatest rival for welterweight supremacy. Spence, recovering from injuries suffered in a car accident, is expected to fight next year.
“I don’t know if that fight will ever happen,” he said. “That’s not something I can decide. It takes two people to fight, and it takes two companies to sit down and figure it out and decide what network we’re going to fight on, where we’re going to fight, what the purses are going to be. It’s not as easy as people think it is, but it could be easy if we finally sat down at the same table and made it happen.”
He went on: “I’m willing to fight all those guys, but it’s not up to me to decide if I’m going to fight them or if I’m not going to fight them. I’m open to fighting all those guys. I’ve been saying that from Day 1. Nothing has changed. I’m the best fighter in the division and I’m always willing to prove it.”
“… Bob is willing to make any fight happen,” Crawford said. “At the end of the day, it’s not up to Bob. It’s up to me. The fighters are the ones that fight, and without us, there’s no promotion. So if a fighter really wants a fight to happen, he can make it happen. You can tell them, ‘Listen, this is the fight I want and I’m not fighting until I get that fight.’ It’s simple. At the end of the day, they work for us. If we don’t fight, nobody is going to get paid, so they have to make the fights that the fighters want.”
Crawford, 32, told The Times that he wants to accomplish as much as possible before he retires in three to four years.
“I still want to be the undisputed welterweight champion of the world,” he said, “and I believe I’ll be the first to be undisputed in two divisions, back-to-back. I just want to leave a mark on the sport of boxing so people talk about me like they talk about the other great champions before me. That’s my goal before I retire.”
Manny Pacquiao said he could fight again this Spring, with many possible opponents.
Manny Pacquiao hopes to return to the ring early next year during a break from his duties as a Filipino senator.
Pacquiao told the Manila Bulletin Sunday that “he can fight in March, April.’’
Pacquiao’s hopes for a spring bout re-ignited speculation about his opponent. In a political season, the senator, who will be 41 on December 17, has more aspiring opponents than he might have running mates or rival candidates in his oft-rumored plans for a run at the Filipino presidency.
The list appears to be led by Danny Garcia and Mikey Garcia. Danny Garcia had been in line to fight Errol Spence Jr. after Spence’s decision over Shawn Porter on September 28 in Los Angeles. But it’s not clear what’s next for Spence after he was thrown from his Ferrari in a scary crash in Dallas on Oct. 10.
Meanwhile, Mikey Garcia has not fought since jumping up in weight and losing a one-sided decision to Spence in Dallas on March 16.
Not on the list – not yet, anyway – is Keith Thurman, who lost a split decision to Pacquiao for a welterweight belt on July 20 in Las Vegas.
Thurman disclosed in mid-September that he underwent surgery on his left hand after the bout. Pain in the hand bothered him throughout the fight, he said. The surgery was a bone fusion. He said he would not be able to fight until next year.
Thurman, who battled back from a first-round knockdown, turned the next 11 rounds into a back-and-forth battle that ended with Pacquiao winning 115-113, 115-113 and 113-114. It was a heck of a fight.
“I would love the rematch,’’ Thurman said then.
If the hand heals in time for March or April, Thurman figures to say much the same thing as speculation mounts about who’s next for Pacquiao.
Also, not on the list is Terence Crawford, perhaps the best welterweight on the planet. But that’s not exactly a surprise. Crawford is a Top Rank fighter, Pacquaio is a Premier Boxing Champions fighter and – blah, blah, blah – never the twain shall meet.
