Author Archives: Staff

Posted on 09/13/2022

Boxing Insider is diving into the promotional waters, and they are doing it in style at Sony Hall in Times Square.

In this venue, smack dab in the middle of the Broadway theater district, NYC-area fighters will take center stage on Thursday night, October 13. 

Boxing Insider’s “New Beginnings” captures the spirit of the “club show” which has long been the lifeblood of the sport. It features local favorites with roots in the community, along with international stars who have transplanted themselves into the Greater New York area. 

A former world champion and three other world-ranked competitors will be present and accounted for in the ring. 

Much of the attention will surround Brooklyn-born Heather Hardy (22-2, 4 KO’s), who brings “The Heat” back after 17 months of inactivity, as she mounts another run at a world championship. Hardy was the World Boxing Organization Female world featherweight champion until she lost a decision (which was also contested for the World Boxing Council interim featherweight title) to Amanda Serrano, who was last seen lighting up Madison Square Garden in an epic fight against Katie Taylor.

In a co-feature, Ivan Golub, a native of the Ukraine who currently resides in Brooklyn, will put his USBA welterweight title on the line.

Fans at Sony Hall will also get a chance to see Andy Dominguez (7-0, 5 KO’s) of the Bronx, a dynamic flyweight who currently holds the World Boxing Association Fedecentro title, which he puts on the line. At 24 years of age, he is already 14th in the world in the WBA rankings.   

The unpredictable Nadim Salloum (10-1, 3 KO’s), the first pro fighter born and raised in Lebanon, will be seen in a six-round super middleweight bout. Salloum, who now lives in Brooklyn, has a large and vocal following among his countrymen in the New York City area. 

Another light heavyweight on the card is Orville Crooks (3-0, 2 KO’s), one of best amateurs New York has produced in recent years. Crooks, who hails from the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn, is both a U.S. Amateur champion and a National Golden Gloves champion. For him, the sky is truly the limit. 

Just added to the fight card, Petros Ananyan takes on Paulo Cesar Galdino in an 8 round welterweight contest. 

“I’m glad to be working with Boxing Insider promotions, it’s a way to keep me involved with the sport” says Heather Hardy who is not only headlining the event but also has a big behind the scenes role. “It has given me the opportunity to use all the knowledge I have acquired over the years as a fighter to help create this platform that is going to elevate the next generation of fighters from New York.  

“I’m humbled and honored,” says Larry Goldberg, CEO of Boxing Insider. “I’m getting to live every boxing fan’s dream by promoting a show in New York. We’re working hard and we’re going to make it happen.”

“It’s my pleasure to be working with Larry on this, his first venture into promoting,” says recent Hall of Fame inductee Lou DiBella of DiBella Entertainment, who holds promotional rights to Hardy and Golub.  “And especially as it’s at an historic venue like Sony Hall. It’ll be a great night.” 

Doors will open at 6 PM, with the first bout slated for 7:30. Tickets for the October 13 event are currently on sale at TicketMaster outlets. Sony Hall is located at 235 W 46th Street in Manhattan. 

Stay in touch by visiting www.boxinginsider.com for more fight updates and streaming information.

Posted on 09/01/2022

Integrated Sports will distribute the exhibition match between International Boxing Hall of Famer and former 5-division world champion Floyd Mayweather and Japanese 2-time mixed-martial-arts champion Mikuru Askakura on September 24^th, starting at 11 p.m. ET, live on pay per view from Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

The Mayweather-Askakura boxing exhibition headlines Super RIZIN, presented by Japanese MMA company RIZIN Fighting Federation, which will also feature a kickboxing match between Yoshinari Nadaka and So Trakunbet Bandasak.

The event will be distributed by Integrated Sports across North America live on Cable and Satellite Pay Per View via iN Demand, DIRECTV, DISH, Shaw PPV, Rogers, Bell TV, and SaskTel priced at $29.99. Additionally, it will be broadcast via Digital PPV on FITE (all FITE mobile, OTT Streaming and Smart TV apps) and PPV.com.

“We’re thrilled to distribute Mayweather-Askakura and Super RIZIN to combat sports fans throughout North America,” Integrated Sports president Doug Jacobs said. “People can’t get enough of Floyd and MMA fans around the world know RIZIN puts on great MMA shows.”

 

Mayweather- Askakura is scheduled for 3 rounds. The 45-year-old Mayweather, who retired from professional boxing with a perfect 50-0 record, fights out of Las Vegas. This will mark the first boxing match for Asakur, 30, who has a 16-3-0 MMA record.

Posted on 08/26/2022

BOXXER in association with Hennessy Sports and Salita Promotions, presents the long-awaited showdown between bitter rivals Claressa ‘GWOAT’ Shields (12-0, 2 KO’s) and Savannah ‘The Silent Assassin’ Marshall (12-0, 10 KO’s) at The O2, London on Saturday 10th September.

The encounter will bring to a head a decade-long rivalry which began in their amateur days and has continued to intensify ever since. With both securing 12 wins from their 12 professional fights, this 13th showdown will prove to be unlucky for one.

On the line in this sport-defining showdown is the Undisputed World Middleweight Championship: Shields will enter the ring carrying the WBA, WBC and IBF World Middleweight Championship belts, while Marshall will wear her WBO strap.

Shields is no stranger to undisputed status. She held all four middleweight belts between 2019 and 2020, then repeated the feat at light-middleweight to become the first and only boxer ever to hold the four major titles in two weight classes simultaneously.

Her outstanding career also includes two Olympic gold medals, won at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games. Her perfect professional record is mirrored by an almost-perfect amateur record: her only ever loss inside a boxing ring came at the hands of Savannah Marshall.

That 2012 encounter ended with Marshall taking a decisive 14-8 points win, sparking one of the most bitter rivalries in today’s sporting landscape and making this one of the most highly-anticipated bouts of recent memory.

With global interest in the fight and their legacy on the line, this historic fight also promises to elevate women’s boxing to a new level, ranking alongside any of the great championship showdowns in the men’s divisions. 

Other ‘firsts’ on the night include:

·   First ever all-female UK boxing card

·   First female boxers to headline at The O2

The chief support slot of this historic card is a bout presented in association with Top Rank which will see WBO and IBF world champion Mikaela Mayer and WBC champion Alycia Baumgardner face off in a unification bout in the 130-pound division.

“I don’t hate nobody but I really do have a huge dislike for her. My grandmother told me not to use the word hate so I won’t use it, but I don’t like Savannah and she’s one of my biggest haters,” Shields told the assembled media at today’s press conference.

“They’re saying she’s a big knockout puncher, she’s the only blemish on my record as an amateur, that she has the recipe to beat me. My job is to show that she doesn’t and that I don’t reign supreme in three different weight classes for no reason. If she was better than me, she’d be the one supreme in three different weight classes, not me.”

Marshall fired back, “I’m actually a fan of Claressa Shields, she’s a pioneer and what she has done for the sport has been amazing. But the reality is, she doesn’t beat me. She didn’t before and she won’t again. And it kills her, it absolutely burns her inside, the fact that I beat her and I’ll beat her again. I’m not just going to beat her, I’m going to outbox her. I’m going to hurt her.

“This fight has been a long time coming but we’re here now and September 10 I will be the new middleweight champion of the world.” 

Ben Shalom, BOXXER Founder and CEO, said, “It’s finally here. All sports need major rivalries to transcend their boundaries and this is the biggest rivalry ever to come from women’s boxing. This is a major moment for the whole sport of boxing, a transatlantic fight which will bring new light to the sport. Two major stars, two elite athletes, two personalities and a story that you could not make up. Thank you to all the promoters and managers involved to make a fight that many thought could not happen. A historic night awaits at the O2.” 

Adam Smith, Head of Boxing Development at Sky Sports said, “This is a truly iconic fight for our sport on what will be an unprecedented night at London’s O2 on September 10th. To finally announce one of the most mouthwatering matches of this modern generation between our own incredible World Champion Savannah ‘The Silent Assassin’ Marshall and the GWOAT Claressa Shields, an American idol, is a pleasure and an honour. 

“This is just laced with history, needle, spice, revenge – everything – and these two elite unbeaten boxing champions and fabulous sporting figures clash for the undisputed middleweight title in one of the biggest fights of this era.

“September 10th will be a night to remember forever and a landmark moment for women’s sport with an all-female show. We welcome rising star Mikaela Mayer against Alycia Baumgardner in a super chief support bout and title unification match. And there will be other major announcements to make this the biggest night ever for women’s boxing. We are so proud to be showing this unique, magical evening on Sky Sports.”

Hennessy Sports CEO Mick Hennessy, manager of Savannah Marshall, said, “In my opinion this is clearly the biggest and most exciting fight in the history of women’s boxing. It’s going to make history and it’s going to live up to every expectation. It’s been ten years in the making and I can’t wait for September 10 at The O2. This has the potential to be the fight of the year worldwide.”

Dmitriy Salita, CEO of Salita Promotions and manager of Claressa Shields, said“Shields vs Marshall is going to be one of the most significant sporting events of our generation inside and outside the ring. I am grateful to co-promote this historic event with BOXXER on the Sky platform. It will be a fight to remember inside the ring and another example of why Claressa Shields is the GWOAT,” 

Be first in line to get exclusive access to discounted tickets by joining the waiting list at Boxxer.com

The fight will air LIVE and exclusively in the UK and Ireland on Sky Sports, and in the US on ESPN+

This historic event is presented in association with official partners bet365, Everlast, WOW HYDRATE and Village Hotels.

Posted on 08/22/2022

America’s dream maker and Australia’s emperor are primed for a second Down Under showdown to establish ultimate supremacy at 135 pounds.

Undisputed lightweight world champion Devin “The Dream” Haney will defend all the belts against Sydney native “Ferocious” George Kambosos Jr. on Saturday, Oct. 15 (Sunday afternoon, Oct. 16 local time), at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia. Haney-Kambosos 2 will be broadcast in prime time in the United States, live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes & ESPN+. 

Haney and Kambosos first tangled June 5 in Melbourne as a Victoria-record boxing crowd of 41,129 fans packed Marvel Stadium to watch the world’s best lightweights unify the division. Haney neutralized Kambosos and earned a clear points verdict to become the undisputed champion.

Promoted by Top Rank, Devin Haney Promotions, DiBella Entertainment, Ferocious Promotions, Duco Events, and TEG Sport, Haney-Kambosos 2 will feature a world-class undercard, and a pumped up Kambosos hell-bent on revenge. Tickets to this epic rematch will go on-sale on Thursday, Aug. 25, at 10 am AEST via tegsport.com.au. 

“George Kambosos is quiet right now like he should have been before our first fight. I wish him a healthy training camp,” Haney said. “I’m expecting a hungry and determined Kambosos on October 16th in Melbourne. I will be prepared for any adjustment he brings. This is a great opportunity to gain more Aussie fans and add to my legacy.”

“Devin Haney is a special fighter, but you can never count out George Kambosos Jr., especially when his most ardent supporters will be out in full force,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “These are the two best lightweights in the world, and it will be another memorable event in Melbourne.”

Kambosos said, “I am looking forward to October 16th at Rod Laver Arena, and that’s where I will do my talking. Inside the ring.”

“George Kambosos Jr. is again the hungry challenger, chasing Devin Haney’s belts, with a chance to regain it all on home soil,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. “Kambosos-Haney 1 was the Devin Haney show. George is going to have to fight a completely different fight to get that victory, and he knows it. That alone assures an action-packed rematch. The odds are against George. He needs to defy the odds yet again.”

“With almost half of the crowd from the first fight hailing from outside Victoria, we look forward to welcoming boxing fans back to Melbourne to watch what will be an epic rematch, ” said Steve Dimopoulos, Victoria’s Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events. “We’re delivering a spectacular calendar of the biggest and best events – drawing more visitors to Victoria, more often and supporting businesses across the state.”

Haney (28-0, 15 KOs) returns to Melbourne intent on repeating his fistic masterclass, a victory that propelled him up the mythical pound-for-pound rankings. “The Dream” has been a history-making phenom since turning professional in Mexico less than one month after his 17th birthday. He made his U.S. debut in Las Vegas on the Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley III undercard in April 2016, and at 19, he became the youngest licensed promoter in boxing history. He was awarded the WBC world championship in October 2019 and defended that belt four times before taking the 8,000-plus mile journey to battle Kambosos in his homeland. Haney overcame adversity, as his father/trainer, Bill Haney, was granted a temporary visa by the Australian government less than three days before the fight. Bill Haney arrived in Melbourne the evening before the bout, and the dynamic father-son duo made undisputed magic whilst stripping Kambosos of his three world title belts.

Kambosos (20-1, 10 KOs) became the toast of the sport with his decision verdict over Teofimo Lopez last November, which was named ESPN’s Upset of the Year. It was the culmination of a hard-fought journey for Kambosos. He fought in Malaysia, Greece, London, New York City, Connecticut, and Las Vegas as he graduated from prospect to contender. For Kambosos, who had 12 of his first 13 pro fights in Australia, the Haney super fight marked one of the most significant international sporting events to take place in Melbourne. He entered the fight as the slight underdog, but Haney was unfazed by the army of raucous Australian-Greek supporters that shook Marvel Stadium. Haney blunted Kambosos’ offensive arsenal with an educated jab to win going away. Kambosos exercised his rematch clause and is preparing to paint a masterpiece in this undisputed sequel.

Posted on 08/04/2022

The full card for the long-anticipated trilogy showdown featuring world champions Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Gennadiy ‘GGG’ Golovkin on Saturday, September 17 is complete. Led by super-flyweight sensation Jesse Rodriguez in a co-main title battle against Israel Gonzalez, other thrilling matchups will fill an exciting night leading into the most anticipated fight of the year. 

The event will be broadcast live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on DAZN PPV in the U.S., Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand as well as around the world on DAZN (excluding Mexico, Latin America, and Kazakhstan)​ and is in partnership with Matchroom, Canelo Promotions and GGG Promotions.

The Canelo vs. GGG III full card will include:

• In the co-main, Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez defending his WBC World Super-Flyweight title and looking to strengthen his fighter of the year claims against Israel Gonzalez, the Mexican challenger who is ready to lay it all on the line.
• Ali Akhmedov and Gabriel Rosado clashing for the IBF North American Super-Middleweight title – the big-hitting 27-year-old Akhmedov’s third fight on a card topped by his fellow countryman Golovkin, in a clash that is a must-win for 36-year-old Rosado.
• Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams taking on Kieron Conway for the vacant WBA International Middleweight title.
• Diego Pacheco fighting for his first pro belt in his second battle over ten rounds when he meets Enrique Collazo, the 2012 Olympian and six-time Puerto Rican National champion.
• Marc Castro appearing on his fifth Canelo undercard since making his debut in December 2020, this time against Kevin Montiel Mendoza in his first bout over eight rounds. 
• Aaron ‘The Alien King’ Aponte mixing it up against unbeaten Mexican prospect Fernando Molina.
• Anthony Herrera getting the chance to bounce back to winning ways as he takes on Delvin McKinley. 

It all leads into the third installment of the classic modern rivalry between Canelo and Golovkin, with the Mexican king putting his undisputed Super-Middleweight crown on the line against Kazakhstan’s reigning WBA and IBF Middleweight ruler in the most anticipated match up of 2022.

Canelo vs. GGG III will be live on DAZN around on the world and on DAZN PPV in the U.S. ($64.99 for current subscribers and $84.99 for new subscribers, which includes one month’s subscription to DAZN), Canada (CAD $64.99 for current and CAD $89.98 for new subscribers), UK and Ireland (£9.99/€9.99 for current and £17.98/€17.98 for new subscribers), Australia (AUD $44.99 for current and AUD $58.98 for new subscribers), and New Zealand (NZD $24.99 for current and NZD $39.98 for new subscribers). Excluded territories include Mexico, Latin America, and Kazakhstan.

Posted on 08/04/2022

The Main Event for Boardwalk Boxing’s 10-bout card promoted by and headlined by Rising Star Promotion’s Thomas “Cornflake” LaManna (31-5-1, 13 KOs) on Saturday, Aug. 20 at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall has been set. The popular Millville, N.J. fighter will face ring veteran Saul Roman (46-15, 38 KOs) of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico in an 8-round competition.

LaManna scored a 2^nd round TKO win over Felix Bojorquez last August in his last fight after falling to Erislandy Lara for the WBA World Middleweight Championship in May 2021. LaManna is looking to get back into the middleweight contention picture while continuing to promote shows in New Jersey and Washington, DC. Meanwhile, Roman lost to Rafael Amarillas Ortiz in May 2021 in his last fight.

Local cruiserweight Justin “Time” Figueroa, a Holy Spirit High School graduate who trains at the Police Athletic League (PAL) in Atlantic City, will make his pro debut against Miguel Morales (1-4, 1 KO) of Orlando, Fla., in a 4-round contest.

The Co-Main Event features undefeated Puerto Rican bantamweight Emmanuel “Salserito” Rodriguez (11-0, 5KOs), from Newark, N.J. by way of Quebradillas, Puerto Rico, taking on Frank “El Castigador” Gonzalez (9-2, 4KOs, Miami, Fla) for the WBO NABO Latino Championship Bantamweight Belt. The rest of the card features top undefeated prospects such as Newark, N.J. flyweight Anthony Johns, Woodbridge, N.J bantamweight Jose Nieves, Duarte, Calif. super lightweight Kurt Scoby, Chattanooga, Tenn., Scranton, Pa. middleweight Ryan Wilczak, and welterweight Avious Griffin, as well as New York City cruiserweight Paul Bamba and Manalapan, N.J. featherweight John Leonardo.

Main Event

Middleweight – 8 Rounds

Thomas “Cornflake” LaManna (31-5-1, 13 KOs) of Millville, N.J. vs Saul Roman (46-15, 38 KOs) of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico

Co-Main Event

WBO NABO Latino Championship

Bantamweight – 10 Rounds

Emmanuel “Salserito” Rodriguez (11-0, 5KOs) of Newark, N.J. by way of Quebradillas, Puerto Rico vs. Frank “El Castigador” Gonzalez (9-2, 4KOs, Miami, Fla)

Flyweight – 4 Rounds

Anthony Johns (3-0, 3 KOs) of Newark, N.J. vs. Jerrod Minor (2-14-2, 1 KO) of Philadelphia, Pa.

Bantamweight – 4 Rounds

Jose Nieves (3-0, 2 KOs) of Woodbridge, N.J. vs. Juan Sequeira (1-0) of San Juan, Puerto Rico by way of Nicaragua

Cruiserweight – 4 Rounds

Paul Bamba (4-1, 3 KOs) of New York, NY by way of Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico vs. Derrick Van (1-3) of Philadelphia, Pa.

Middleweight – 4 Rounds

Justin “Time” Figueroa (Pro Debut) of Atlantic City, N.J. vs Miguel Morales (1-4, 1 KO) of Orlando, Fla.

Middleweight – 4 Rounds

Ryan Wilczak (9-0, 4 KOs) of Scranton, Pa. vs. TBD

Super Lightweight – 6 Rounds

Kurt Scoby (7-0, 5 KOs) of Duarte, Calif., fighting out of New York, N.Y. vs. TBD

Welterweight – 6 Rounds

Avious Griffin (7-0, 6 KOs) of Chattanooga, Tenn. vs. Christopher Hatley (4-3) of Little Rock, Ark.

Featherweight – 6 Rounds

John Leonardo (7-1-1, 4 KOs) of Manalapan, N.J. vs. Raul “El Cicion” Chirno (19-15, 12 KOs) of Miami, Fla.

All bouts are subject to change.

The Rising Star Promotions event is presented in association with the Showboat Hotel and the Atlantic City Sports Commission.

Tickets for Boardwalk Boxing: Rising Star Series Rd. 2, priced at $65 (general admission), $85 (premium), $155 (floor), $200 (front row floor) plus taxes/fees, can be purchased be purchased at all Ticketmaster locations, including Ticketmaster.com and at the US ARMY Box Office at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall.

All bouts are subject to change.

Posted on 08/02/2022

By Stephanie Kent

Nearly fifty years after Muhammad Ali and George Foreman met in Kinshasa, Zaire, Taschen pays homage to the Rumble in the Jungle with a special edition of Norman Mailer’s The Fight. 

This version takes Mailer’s account of the boxing match and presents it alongside photography from renowned sports photographers Neil Leifer and Ali’s biographer Howard L. Bingham; the result is a stunning update to the original book, and reads like a treasury of boxing imagery and fight artifacts.

The book’s photography – principally pictures from Leifer and Bingham, with various other photojournalists’ work supporting – spans the event in full. Depictions include parades in Zaire, quiet pre-fight moments in the dressing rooms, and local children posed with clenched fists before out-of-focus fight posters in the background.

This edition of The Fight also relies on unique relics of the event. Readers will find illustrations of other heavyweights alongside their outcome predictions, reproductions of paintings inspired by the fight, and original red ink edits to the original manuscript.

Read The Fight linearly and you’ll find an abridged version of Norman Mailer’s 1975 book, with supporting photos from Leifer and Bingham, plus moments captured from other photojournalists. Snaps from pre-fight press conferences and newspaper clippings set a tone in time with Mailer’s original writings. However, in true Taschen form, The Fight also lends itself well to a more serendipitous reading process. You can feel the excitement of the fight by opening the book at random and landing on gorgeous two-page spreads of Ali and Foreman in the ring or an image of the pennant made to celebrate Ali’s win or a photo of dozens of press badges for the event.

The exhilaration of anticipation and the joy of pageantry depicted in these pages are utterly contagious; modern boxing followers are bound to be left hungry for a fight of this magnitude in their lifetimes, but glad to get a taste of the exhibition through this book’s exquisite curation.

More than forty years after its original publication, The Fight can still bring goosebumps to the backs of the necks of fight fans. Mailer captures both the spectacle of fight night and the subtle moments in Ali and Foreman camps leading up to October 30, 1974, and Taschen’s additions of manuscript pages, backstage photography, and other fight artifacts bring the event to life all the more vividly. The book is a piece of boxing history, artfully rendered, and any boxing fan would be proud to display on their coffee table.

Posted on 06/06/2022

By Stephanie Kent

Why WBC’s Jill Diamond is “cautiously optimistic” about the future of female fighting

Sports Illustrated has April 30th’s match between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano down for fight of the year, but is that enough to fix the systemic problems in women’s boxing? Jill Diamond, the International Secretary of the World Boxing Council, isn’t convinced that one great fight can be the game changing moment the sport needs. 

Diamond, a recent NY State Boxing Hall of Fame inductee, fell into the boxing (and then, in love with boxing) through her late husband. While working out at Kingsway Boxing Gym in New York City in 2005, she got to know many of the female fighters training there and noticed some problems that still plague the sport today: namely, that women boxers train and fight as hard as their male counterparts, but earn just a fraction of the compensation and recognition for their work. “Women are passionate about what they do because they aren’t really in it for the money,” she says.

Jill emailed the World Boxing Council with her observations, and received a response from their president, José Sulaimán. 

At the time, Jill says, women’s boxing was far from thriving. There were women fighters (women have boxed dating back to the early eighteenth century in London), but there were hardly any women who were household names. And no wonder – in the early aughts, a female world champion could only earn an upwards of $3,000. 

“Women’s boxing was around before it was sanctioned,” says Diamond. “But they weren’t taken seriously. Promoters weren’t interested. In Mexico, boxing is boxing. In the United States, we struggled to give the women a platform. I met a bunch of women, but had never heard of anyone besides Christy Martin,” says Diamond. “They weren’t on TV. No promoters. They don’t make the same money, they don’t get the same attention.” 

José Sulaimán shared Jill’s concern and she says after her email, he agreed: “For him, talent – not gender – is what’s important.”

The WBC extended an invitation to Jill to attend their annual convention that year, where they commited to support women in boxing. They launched the Women’s Championship Committee, which hosted international conventions to help women network, set up awards programs and rankings lists, helped them improve their skills around the business of boxing. 

Over her years of work with the WBC and the Women’s Championship Committee, Diamond has seen the full spectrum of the sport. “There have been wonderful women’s fights that have fallen off the radar, with athletes who are so talented but just had bad timing.”

In recent years, women’s boxing has grown.  The inclusion of women’s boxing in the Olympics has been internationally impactful in terms of driving interest to the sport; equally as important, the games have grown the talent pool significantly, launching the careers of popular professional fighters like Mikaela Mayer and Claressa Shields in the United States. Streaming services like ESPN+ and DAZN are promoting the hell out of women’s fights, like last month’s showdown between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano as the first ever women’s fight to headline Madison Square Garden.

Despite the historic fight, Diamond says, “They proved it could be done, proved they’re worthy . But we’ve seen great fights that don’t get momentum.  I’m hopeful but not yet convinced. Taylor and Serrano have proven that it can be done, but there are still fewer opportunities to break out from. If you don’t have the exposure, you won’t have the opportunity to make a living. Amanda Serrano is full time. The thing Katie and Amanda have in common is that they are married to boxing. They have virtually no life out of the sport. Not everyone can do that. It’s the system, not the women.”

Still, Taylor-Serrano might offer some keys to success for the next big fight between women boxers. In looking back at that night at Madison Square Garden, Diamond recognizes some needle-movers for future fights.

The storied venue was certainly a key element, but more importantly, Taylor-Serrano offered a fight where fight fans really didn’t know who would win. The era of Christy Martin or Laila Ali plowing through unworthy opponents is over and for women’s boxing to thrive, promoters will need to create competitive match ups. Better promotion and marketing is sorely needed, too. WBC, DAZN, Matchroom, and Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions gave a master class in spreading the word about Taylor-Serano.

Also important, Diamond says, is getting more women, more often, on the undercards of big fights. “People aren’t talking enough about how Franchon’s was a damn good fight too. Do they need great fights or can they be really good compelling fights? Not every fight is the best of all time. I would like to see every card have at least two out of those eight fights as women. Let it not be the exception. Still,” she says, “it’s up to fans to show promoters that they can take those risks. If we can prove there’s a fanbase, there will be more women’s fights.”

“I do feel hopeful. History was made, momentum has been created… It’s fresh now, what’s the next moment? Will it trickle down?”

Posted on 05/26/2022

NEW YORK, NY – May 27, 2022 – USA Boxing Metro officially announced today the finals of the qualifying tournament for the National Golden Gloves, “Ring Masters Championships” will take place at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden on Thursday, June 16.

Following 14 exciting events comprising USA Boxing Metro’s “Road to the Garden” tournament, the New York Metro area’s best amateur Open/Novice Senior Class boxers will advance to the finals at the ‘Mecca of Boxing’, Madison Square Garden, in the “Ring Masters Championships” on Thursday, June 16 starting at 6:00 PM. Shows were featured at some great venues like: Sony Hall, Bay Ridge Catholic Academy, Gleason’s Gym, Church Street Boxing, and Hudson Valley Sports Dome., in front of sold out crowds.

An action-packed card of up to twenty-four bouts will take place in the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, with the winners and runners-up receiving uniquely designed Ring Masters Championships rings and also the Elite Open punching their tickets to the National Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions in Tulsa, OK in August.

Tickets range from $25.00 – $110 and are now available at the Madison Square Garden box office, via msg.com and ticketmaster.com, and by calling Ticketmaster at 866-858-0008.

“We are excited to bring back our Premiere Tournament to the “Mecca of Boxing,” MSG, and New York with a history of featuring action packed boxing cards and future superstars welcoming crowds of spectators from all walks of life,” said Metro’s President Ray Cuadrado. “The comeback our sport and organization has made from Covid-19 is truly remarkable and demonstrates the life changing value we provide to our communities and partners.”

The “Road to the Garden” highlighted the talents of New York’s best young amateur boxers and Olympic hopefuls in venues around the New York City area, upstate and Long Island, including competitors 8 years old and up. Open Class competitors (aged 19 to 40) are eligible to qualify for the 2022 National Golden Gloves Tournament. Additionally, Boxers aged 8 to 40+ are eligible to compete for local bragging rights – making this USA Boxing Metro’s largest tournament.

USA BOXING, METROPOLITAN ASSOCIATION, INC. (Metro) is the Local Boxing Committee (LBC) comprising New York City, Long Island, and up to and including Duchess, Sullivan, and Ulster Counties. Metro is overseen by USA BOXING, INC., the national governing body for Olympic-style amateur boxing. USA Boxing is overseen by the United States Olympic Committee and the International Boxing Association (AIBA), which sets its rules. The national office of USA Boxing is located in Colorado Springs, CO. and comprises 56 LBCs across the United States.

For further information, contact:

For USA Boxing, Metro:

Ray Cuadrado: [email protected] Sonya Lamonakis: [email protected]

Madison Square Garden:

Larry Torres: [email protected] / (212) 631-5178

Posted on 04/15/2022

By Michael Kane

Top Rank boss, Bob Arum, confirmed that he paid alleged Irish gangland leader Daniel Kinahan $4 million for each of Tyson Fury’s four fights from 2019 through to 2021.

The money was paid to Dubai based Hoopoe Sports Agent, as consulting fees owed to Kinahan, Arum has said. The four bouts were the two Deontay Wilder fights, Tom Schwarz and Otto Wallin fights.

Arum’s confirmation comes as U.S authorities placed Kinahan on a wanted list with a $5 million reward. At a press conference last Tuesday in Dublin, U.S officials placed Kinahan, his father and brother, as well as other known associates under sanctions, including freezing any U.S Bank accounts and credit cards. Hoopoe Sports Agent was one of the sanctioned companies.

Asked how he came to be involved with Kinahan, Arum told Yahoo Sports, “Kinahan called me and we had a long conversation. He has kids and he said he wanted to get out of that other stuff. He said to me, ‘Bob, I’ve done some bad things in my life. I admit that. But I’m not involved with that any more. I’m just trying to clean up my life and be a legitimate business man.’ I wasn’t involved in any of the things he might have done before and he was telling me he wasn’t doing anything.”

Arum and Top Rank have started to disassociate with Kinahan over the last year.

“There came a time that we discovered that he might still have been involved in some nefarious activities,” Arum said. “That was enough for us.”

Ahead of the Tyson Fury v Dillian Whyte fight on April 23rd, Arum has no fears of any U.S authorities raiding the event.

“We are complying with all government laws and regulations, as we always do,” Arum said. “But I don’t expect anything [like a seizure] to occur because Kinahan has had no involvement in this event whatsoever.”

Kinahan helped form MTK Global in 2012 which is a promotional company that has Tyson Fury, among many other boxing stars, as clients. Arum said that Top Rank would no longer offer accreditation to MTK and Probellum (another boxing promoter which started life as MTK’s MMA arm).

Both MTK and Probellum have stated in press releases that Kinahan has no involvement in both companies and Probellum also stated that they are a rival promotional company to Top Rank and have never worked alongside them.

MTK said in their statement:

MTK Global will comply fully with the sanctions made by the US government against Daniel Kinahan.

MTK parted ways with Mr Kinahan in February 2017. He has had no interest in the business since then, and will have no future involvement with us.

MTK operates ethically, transparently and lawfully. We will cooperate fully with all authorities and assist with any ongoing investigations.

“MTK Global will take every measure to ensure the company, and those who deal with it are fully compliant with the US sanctions announced this week and take this matter extremely seriously,” added Bob Yalen, CEO of MTK Global.

Probellum statement read as:

Probellum takes the sanctions made by the US Treasury extremely seriously and the business and its employees will be fully compliant with them.

We have retained counsel in the US to ensure that we fully comply with all rules, regulations and requirements related to this matter, including not working with any individual or company that has been placed under US sanctions.

This includes Daniel Kinahan and we can confirm that we will not have any business relationship or communication with him whatsoever.

Bob Arum’s comments implying that Top Rank has ceased a business relationship with Probellum are baseless.

Top Rank is a competitor and since Probellum’s inception, Top Rank has never worked directly with us. Any suggestions that Daniel Kinahan is a shareholder or owner of Probellum are false and defamatory.

Posted on 04/14/2022

By Charles Jay

I’m thinking that if there is going to be an American superstar in boxing, Errol Spence Jr. has about as good a chance as anyone. Perhaps the ultimate confirmation would take place if an when he fights Terence Crawford, who holds himself up as another candidate.

He’s got credentials, to be sure – he’s an Olympian, he’s undefeated, he’s got a lot of talent and he has fought the kind of opponents that merit consideration.

On Saturday night he’ll be fighting against Yordenis Ugas in a title unification fight in the welterweight division. It’s slated for Showtime Pay Per View, priced at $74.99.

That’s quite a bit of money. Some people complain that anything good that takes place in boxing is offered only through the Pay Per View (PPV) platform. And then of course you have those who object to certain events being “Pay Per View fights” at all.

So just what qualifies something as a credible “Pay Per View fight”?

The truth is, anything can be a PPV fight. There’s a website out there, in fact, that specializes in offering a wide variety of fights that you can pay for.

As for the idea of financial viability, well, it’s all relative.  A fight  could have 100,000 buys and be a nice success, while another can have a million buys and be a failure. It’s largely dependent on how much in the way of expenses has to be overcome.

For example, what are the guarantees that have to go to each main event fighter? In this instance, at least according to a couple of sources, Spence is guaranteed $1.5 million and can participate in the back end up to $5 million, while Ugas gets $1 million guaranteed up to $2.5 million. These figures may not be completely accurate, but based on those, it doesn’t appear there is a lot of risk of huge financial disaster on the part of Premier Boxing Champions (PBC), the promoters of the event.

It’s been reported that Spence made $1.22 million to fight Kell Brook and $2 million for a bout with Shaun Porter, if that offers some perspective. Against Danny Garcia, I have read that he pocketed $8 million, based on 250,000 PPV buys, and that seems somewhat out of proportion to me.

Reports were that he was scheduled to make a guaranteed $7 million for a fight with Manny Pacquiao that had to be shelved because of an eye injury to Spence (which allowed Ugas to step in and benefit).

It would have been nice if for him to have been able to fight Pacquiao, but now the fight that would seem to represent the “pot of gold” would come against Crawford, whose promotional situation is a bit muddled right now.

It’s probably Spence’s best shot at a big score; after all, this is an encounter that might, when the time comes, crown the #1 pound-for-pound guy (it’s a “mythical” thing, so anyone can make a reasonable claim), but is there a championship-level attraction in that matchup?

That’s a question that brings out the cynics, because the answer is…..not yet.

And we say “yet” because there is still an opportunity. It is patently obvious that to Al Haymon and the PBC, this fight is not an end for Spence but rather a means to an end. If Crawford has a lot of magnetism, it hasn’t necessarily been substantiated with whopping PPV numbers. So it would make sense that Spence could be the guy bringing more “sizzle” to the proceedings.

But it won’t be easy. I’m sure that the Spence-Ugas PPV can succeed as an endeavor to a certain degree. But I would have suggested something that might be considered somewhat bold in this day and age.

Put the fight on free, over-the-air broadcast television.

In the present situation, that would mean the FOX Network.

Any promoter who has a special interest in promoting a fighter has to consider themselves in the process of “brand-building.” There is a “product” and you have to sell it. When it comes to someone like Spence, and their aspirations for him, this is very important.

And let’s take a moment to be honest with each other. This is a boxing website, so it stands to reason that you’re going to be following the game more than the average Joe. You are, if you will, living in a boxing bubble, where your perception is that these fighters are bigger than they really are.

So it may come as an unpleasant surprise that there are not many pro fighters who are household names. You’ve got Canelo and as much as it hurts, Jake Paul. There are maybe a couple of others, including the heavyweight of the moment, which is currently Tyson Fury.

The people who have been buying the likes of Spence and Crawford on PPV are more ardent boxing fans than normal. But if you want to hit a grand slam at the nationwide box office, as it were, there is no way to do that unless you pull in the casual fan; the curiosity seekers, the people who may not be boxing fans at all, but are attracted to the magnitude of the event.

So you have to establish the magnitude.

And having said that, wouldn’t it make sense, if you were someone with a special interest in promoting Errol Spence as far as he can go, to put him in front of as many eyeballs as possible, so as to increase his brand equity?

I’d think that would be something to carefully consider.

And from the standpoint, I don’t know that Spence advances himself too much, regardless of what happens against Ugas, because they have chosen the method of delivery with the smallest audience.

If they are able to draw 200,000 PPV buys, that probably means they’d have about double the viewership (as multiple people can obviously watch these things), so let’s be liberal about it and give them an audience of 500,000. The ratings for boxing on FOX have been all over the place, but I don’t think it’s unreasonable at all to expect that, with a nice push, they could get 2.5 million viewers or more across all their platforms.

So they could get five times as many eyeballs. At least.

Some of you may not realize or remember this, but there has never been a method of “pre-selling” a fighter to the public quite as powerful as broadcast television. Sure, some of that come before the cable explosion, but there is still a bigger viewership, because over-the-air TV gets into every home.

It is true that a free FOX broadcast would take the “back end” situation off the table. But are they going to meet the required thresholds anyway? I don’t see any reason why both fighters couldn’t get their guarantees for a network telecast with a lot of viewers.

And if you are a promoter making an investment now that can pay off much bigger later – that is, if you think Spence-Crawford is a “mega-fight” – even making it a loss leader is the kind of thing you would have to give a lot of thought to.

Posted on 04/02/2022

As if things were bad enough before the Catastrophic invasion of Russia into Ukraine happened, now Amateur boxing is facing its worst crisis in the it’s history after being adopted as an Olympic sport back in 1904.

AIBA became the official boxing entity recognized by the IOC many decades ago, in the 1940´s, with the responsibility to organize the affiliation of national boxing federations around the world to produce elimination processes to secure the boxers to participate at the Olympic Games and to administer such competitions.

Amateur boxing has always been of extreme importance. Olympic champions went on to become professional champions and heroes of the world, some of the greatest champions in history found their beginnings in the Olympic Games glory, some of them are : Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Joe Frazier, Sugar Ray Leonard and Oscar Delahoya, just to name a few.

AIBA suffered dramatic changes which led to scandals inside and outside the ring. Countless cases of bad officiating associated with corruption, changes in rules which hurt the integrity of the sport and health of the fighters and entering into actions which created a clear conflict of interests brought AIBA to a crisis which led to the removal of their President Ching-Kuo Wu after the executive committee determined he could not continue as President.

Gafur Rakhimov, from Uzbekistan was elected President in 2017. A man with intentions of bringing back to basics the operations of AIBA to the roots of amateur boxing and one who had the support of the executive committee. 

Rakhimov faced opposition from the IOC due to the scandals created by Wu´s administration as well as from legal attacks against his character, which today have been internationally cleared . However, when the IOC demanded him to step down as President in order to continue recognition of the federation, Rahimov chose to support boxing and AIBA and decided to voluntarily leave the position of President.

After an interim President, current President Umar Kremlev, from Russia, was elected in 2020. He has faced extreme complications as the IOC continued their demands for AIBA to prove changes in the administration goals and procedures , to prove solid governance with good practices. The IOC under Kremlev has not been able to do so and in fact IOC expelled AIBA as an affiliate to the IOC and had to appoint a committee to run the boxing activity for Tokio 2021.

AIBA just changed their name to IBA and still do not have recognition of IOC.

Russia invasion has also created a huge problem to IBA on several counts:

– Umar Kremlev, president of IBA, is from Russia and international sports authorities are banning sports, athletes, teams and executives, so Kremlev could face such consequences.

– IOC, even before the war, expressed its concern about AIBA, now IBA, about the sole sponsorship from Russia as Russian Oil company GazProm is the sole financial supporter for IBA. 

– The Russian Boxing Federation, which Kremlev presided over before becoming president of AIBA, publicly supports the war and invasion of Ukraine . This is a major scandal in the world , specifically in the world of boxing.

It is well know that IBA executive committee is concerned about the status of boxing with regards to the IOC, as well as internally . Boxing has been suspended from Los Angeles Olympics 2028 and will only participate in a case by case evaluation, technically Olympic boxing dies after Paris 2024.

With all these happening, Amateur Boxing is facing its last opportunity to survive. If Umar Kremlev was to follow Gafur Rakhimov’s unselfish action to save their beloved organization , Kremlev should resign as President of IBA and give boxing an opportunity to regain Olympic status from the IOC under a new leadership.

Posted on 07/14/2021

Jake “The Problem Child” Paul and former UFC champion Tyron “The Chosen One” Woodley went face-to-face during a press conference in Los Angeles on Tuesday as they previewed their professional boxing showdown that will headline a SHOWTIME PPV on Sunday, August 29 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio.

JAKE PAUL

“I saw fear in his eyes. I saw a man who accepted a fight for a paycheck. He doesn’t really have any fight left in him. He’s been defeated multiple times now and he will be sent into retirement by a Disney/YouTube/professional boxer in myself.

“You’ve never been in a fight like this. You know the whole MMA community is counting on you to knock me out. You’ve never been in a fight of this scale. What happens when you lose to Jake Paul? You’re going to be the laughingstock of the internet.

“This is my toughest fight by far and that’s exactly what I want. I want to increase the skill level of my opposition and challenge myself. He was a legitimate knockout artist. But on August 29, in my hometown, you will see a boxing clinic. He’s not going more than three rounds.

“I think the secret is out of the bag. I’m sparring some of the best fighters in the world. When I knock out Tyron, people are going to say that I’m the ‘Real Deal’ like Amanda Serrano. I’m going to take Tyron into deep waters and drown him.

“This is my make or break fight. The MMA community is counting on Tyron. They want to see me fall, but he’s not going to be able to get the job done.

“People know what they get when they tune in to a Jake Paul event. That’s why I’m the most impactful 3-0 fighter in history. I’m knocking this guy out. That’s what people want to see.

“I haven’t been hit in three fights. That’s a fact. I just want to add some experience to my belt. I want to fight Canelo Alvarez in three years. I want to be a world champion. Tyron is the perfect person to maybe get me to the third round.”

TYRON WOODLEY

“Everything you’ve scripted and wrote down for right now, you’re shaking while saying it. This is a fight. This isn’t for play. This is for real.

“Look at my resume. Look at all the up and coming fighters who they gassed up and what happened to them. None of them landed a punch. So many people come up to me on a daily basis and say you have to knock this guy out.

“It was a good opportunity working out with Floyd Mayweather. He showed me some of the things it takes to be a world class boxer. In MMA sometimes we waste energy and use movement without purpose. Everything I do and everything I throw is going to hurt him. My feints are going to hurt him. It’s going to make his body shake.

“I’m from the ‘Show Me’ state and you have to show me. I’ve been on the big stage. I was the fight of the night at the biggest UFC fight at MSG in history. This is nothing new to me.

“You just talk about money and talk about clout. Because when we talk about fighting, you shouldn’t even be in the same sentence as me.

“He’s talking about Disney because it’s an excuse for when I wax him in the ring. This is going to look like a fight. I’m not just going to go out there and swing two punches. I’m training like I’m fighting Mike Tyson. 

“I didn’t get into this for a quick payday. This is my entry into boxing for sure. It’s a steppingstone. When I look at him, I see a kid who has nothing to lose. I’m not going to act like he doesn’t have power, but everyone I’ve faced who had power, made me train even harder.”

AMANDA SERRANO

“I want to thank Yamileth for taking the fight. She’s a real Mexican champion. Not too many people want to fight me. It’s going to be a great fight. It’s never a boring night when it’s Puerto Rico vs. Mexico. It’s guaranteed to be a night of fireworks.

“I’m the best fighter that I can be and it’s an honor to be anywhere in the top three as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. To my team and to my country, I’m number one.

“August 29 is going to be nothing but fireworks. I always bring a great show and look great doing it. I think Paul and Woodley are going to have competition for best fight of the night.

“I wasn’t surprised the other featherweight champions didn’t want to fight me. We’ve been going after them for a while now. My goal is still to become undisputed and I hope we get those fights soon.”

YAMILETH MERCADO

“I’m very excited for this fight and thankful for this opportunity. I’m a new generation of fighter and I’m very blessed to be in this fight with Amanda. I wanted to compete at featherweight. I feel strong and I’m ready for this.

“I started my career in this weight class before going down, so I’m very happy to be back at this weight. I have no concerns about it.

“This is going to be a war. It’s going to be a fun night. We’re going to leave it all in the ring and the ladies are going to be stealing the show.”

STEPHEN ESPINOZA, President, Sports and Event Programming, Showtime Networks Inc.

“For over 35 years, SHOWTIME has been the network for high-quality, big-time combat sports events. From the most promising young prospects to boxing’s most accomplished champions, to quite literally the biggest pay-per-views in sports history, to the highest quality, most exciting MMA, we bring it all to you. Our current schedule is great proof of that. This Saturday, Jermell Charlo goes to make history by becoming the first undisputed four-belt champion in the super welterweight division against a very tough Brian Castaño. Next week, the 20th anniversary of ShoBox, the only series in boxing that identifies and develops young champions year after year. July 31, right here in LA at The Forum, BELLATOR’s biggest fight ever in Patricio Pitbull vs. AJ McKee for the Featherweight World Grand Prix Championship and the one-million-dollar bonus. That’s all in just the next three weeks.

“In just three fights, Jake Paul has become the talk of boxing and of combat sports. People ask me repeatedly, why did we become involved in this? The reality is, what Jake has done in his first three fights is unprecedented in combat sports. Nobody has generated this kind of attention in three fights. The commitment that Jake has made is that he respects the sport.  He takes it seriously and he is committed to fighting tougher opponents with each fight. And you see that. He is progressing with each fight and I promise you that will continue to happen going forward.

“We know exactly what to expect from Tyron Woodley. A Strikeforce fighter who appeared nine times on SHOWTIME. He’s a UFC Champion. Fourteen of his 19 wins were by TKO or submission. He is an elite combat sports athlete. This is an intriguing matchup. A true 50-50. If anybody tells you they know how this fight is going to go, they’re lying. This is the epitome of a 50-50 fight.

“We are going to surround the main event with high quality boxing matches. SHOWTIME is proud of its history in women’s combat sports, both boxing and MMA. We’ve had Amanda Serrano on SHOWTIME before and we’re proud to welcome her back to the network. She is without question one of the best pound-for-pound female fighters on the planet and possibly the best. She has her work cut out for her with Yamileth Mercado, a champion in her own right. She brings her own belt into this, and it’s another installment of the classic Puerto Rico vs. Mexico rivalry.

“This is not a novelty. This is not an exhibition. This is real boxing. This is a competitive sporting event and it is something that you should not miss.”

Posted on 07/13/2021

By Charles Jay 

Today’s message for all of the online boxing experts, fighters and “super-fans” out there:

Please get off Jake Paul‘s back. In fact, thank him for the favor he’s in the process of doing for you. 

One of the nice things about being on a platform like Facebook, and having a lot of boxing “friends” there, is that it gives you a pretty good idea of what people in the business – and on the outskirts of the business – are thinking.

And a lot of these diehards are showing some “hate” for the Jake Paul money machine. 

But you know, in doing so, they’re showing a fundamental misinterpretation about the way this industry really works; in fact, a misunderstanding of the way it has ALWAYS worked.

For example, you will read about how there are guys who have devoted themselves to the sport and trained for years, maybe even fighting some “real” opponents. That makes them the real fighters. And because of that, those guys “deserve” to be making the money and not Jake Paul.

Well, not to be insensitive about it, but who cares?

No one. No one cares how many hours someone has invested at the gym. No one cares how dedicated anyone is. They really don’t. 

What matters is – and I guess I’m speaking to the fighters from this point – do you put asses in seats? Who wants to see you? Anybody? 

You see, this is professional boxing. Once you decided you wanted to take money from what you do, it became much less a sport and much more a business. And you have to think a little but more like a businessman.

If your attitude is that you do the fighting and the promoter does the promoting, and that’s all there is to it (e.g., “It’s not my job, man”), then you are conceding that someone else is going to be in control of your career. And that will, in turn, put you at the mercy of other people. 

Ultimately, fighters are independent contractors. They are marketable commodities, as impersonal as that may sound. They are, when it really comes down to it, in business for themselves. Therefore, self-promotion is highly RECOMMENDED. Often, you’ll get out of it what you put into it. 

Generally, the more people know about you, the more people are going to care about you. And the more they care about you, the more they are going to want to see you. 

That’s pretty simple logic, isn’t it?

And I don’t have to tell you that there are more outlets to connect directly with the public than ever before. 

When you’ve got enough people who know about you and have an interest in your career, you start to build leverage. And that gets us back around to Jake Paul.

With 20.5 million subscribers alone on YouTube, Jake Paul has leverage. 

In other words, he’s got exactly what you’d like to have, and what you can really capitalize from. So what’s the problem? 

And you notice what he’s doing with all that leverage, don’t you? If you really stop and think about it, he is doing all fighters and many promoters (generally of the “mid-level” variety) a potentially tremendous service.

Networks, not so much.

But that’s okay, because he is demonstrating that it’s possible, if one sees fit, to bypass the customary “gatekeepers” of boxing as it is presented in a pay-per-view format (or even otherwise) and proceed directly to the public, if you bring enough – and here is the word again, leverage – to the table. 

In his particular case, he began his trek through an association with the social media site Triller. As time progresses, undoubtedly other platforms, using performers or promoters who can bring their following with them, will get into the act. Some already have, to a certain degree. 

Now Jake has parlayed the Triller experience into a deal with Showtime, which will presumably take things to another level. It is a virtual guarantee that his arrangement with them is very favorable. 

Why? Because he’s got leverage. 

Oh, and because of his social media presence, his coverage in the mainstream press also increases – GREATLY. It’s like a snowball gathering strength downhill.

Whether it was intentional or not, Jake Paul is contributing to something that has the potential to change the game in boxing. 

If you’re a fighter, look upon his success as a model; a blueprint, if you will. That doesn’t mean you should feel like you’re failing if you don’t get 10 or 20 million followers on social media. You don’t have to operate on the same scale; this is YOUR following you’ll be developing. make it fit your own situation. The fundamentals are essentially the same. 

And remember that anything you can do to give yourself more bargaining power is a step forward. 

Jake Paul is slated for another fight – this one on Showtime – against Tyron Woodley for August 29. And so it is about that time that we will hear the boo birds come out again in criticism of the caliber of his opponents. 

That is a subject we’re going to explore soon enough.

This kid is worth more than one story. 

Whether you guys like it or not. 

Posted on 07/12/2021

Eight-division world champion and Philippine Senator Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao went face to face with unified WBC and IBF Welterweight World Champion Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr. at press conference in Los Angeles Sunday as they previewed their blockbuster championship showdown that headlines a FOX Sports PBC Pay-Per-View Saturday, August 21 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The pay-per-view will begin at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT as Spence will look to earn a legacy-defining victory, while Pacquiao seeks one more monumental win to add to his first ballot Hall of Fame resume.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions, MP Promotions and Man Down Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased through t-mobilearena.com and axs.com.

Here is what the press conference participants had to say Sunday:

MANNY PACQUIAO

“There were a lot of opportunities for me to pick an easier fight than this. But I picked Errol Spence Jr. because I want a real fight and a great fight for the fans. I’m a fighter and boxing is my passion.

“Errol Spence Jr. is aggressive, young and undefeated. He’s dedicated to his career. This is definitely not an easy opponent. This is the kind of opponent you can never underestimate.

“It’s been a long time since I fought a southpaw opponent. We had to change some of our strategy compared to previous fights and we’ll throw some different combinations.

“I don’t think Errol needs advice from Floyd Mayweather. I believe that Errol is a better fighter than Mayweather. Errol can teach Floyd how to fight toe-to-toe.

“I don’t want to be overconfident, because Errol is too good of an opponent. His determination and passion for the sport is always there. When I say I’m going to do something, it’s real and from the heart, it’s not to impress anybody.

“I had started training in the last week of May in the Philippines. So when I got here to Los Angeles, I was just continuing what I was doing. It’s good for me to have the rest that I’ve had the last two years. I’ve been boxing since I was 12 years old until now. When I went back to training, I was still hungry and dedicated.

“I won’t predict another first round knockdown like I had against Thurman. I’m focusing my mind, body and spirit on winning the fight. That’s the only goal.

“This is one of the biggest challenges in my career. I can’t say it’s the biggest, because I’ve been fighting the best fighters in the world for years. But he’s right up there with anyone I’ve faced.

“I’ve been boxing for more than 25 careers as a pro. I think that I’ve seen every kind of style that’s out there.

“This is a one of a kind and prodigious fight. There’s going to be a lot of action in the ring. I’m so thankful for everyone who supports me and I’m happy to be in this position again fighting one of the best fighters in the world.”

ERROL SPENCE JR.

“This is a great opportunity. Coming off of my accident I went right to fighting Danny Garcia and now Pacquiao. A lot of people were in the Pacquiao sweepstakes. When I got the call about this fight, I agreed right away and didn’t give it a second thought.

“There aren’t that many southpaws in boxing, so you don’t usually spar that many. We’ve got a lot of guys in camp now who can fight that left-handed style. Obviously I can’t find someone who fights exactly like Manny, but you can find guys who can mimic the tempo and pace. So that’s who we’ve been working with.

“You can see that Manny is still an explosive fighter with great speed. We’ve been putting together a game plan and we’ve been working on implementing it. Come August 21, you’ll see it in the ring.

“Manny can lull you to sleep giving you compliments. But once the bell rings, he’s going to jump all over you.

“My chin since the accident has been tested in sparring and in the Danny Garcia fight. I imagine Manny is going to try to come in and test it as well.

“Just because he’s 42-years-old I don’t think it’s going to hurt him in training. He’s not blowing up in weight between fights and he’s not distracted. That’s why he’s been the same Manny Pacquiao for decades. I’m looking forward to the same Pacquiao who fought Keith Thurman and before that.

“Manny has a lot of tendencies, of course you’re going to see some things over the span of his whole career. When it’s time to buckle down, you know he’s the guy who’s going to fight. It can be a pro or a con, but he’s going to make it a fan-friendly fight.

“I don’t see myself ever getting knocked out. I just don’t see it. We’re going to be mindful that he has power. He knocked down Thurman and hurt him with a body shot. We’ll keep that in mind. But I’m not thinking about if he can knock me out.

“I have the ability to finish Pacquiao. For me though, I’m focused on winning the fight. If you rush and go for the knockout, you either look sloppy or something goes wrong. I have to fight my fight and at my pace. If the knockout comes, I’ll go for it.

“This is going to be a great fight. Pacquiao is going to bring it like he always does, but I’m definitely going to come through with the victory.”