People have been prognosticating the end of pugilism for years. If you believe the naysayers, boxing has been on life support the past 20+ years. That’s interesting considering that both Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao earn more money in one round than an entire roster of UFC fighters for one of its PPV events. Both Bermaine Stiverne and Deontay Wilder, neither who were well-known outside of hardcore boxing fans, earned approximately twice as much as UFC superstar and pound-for-pound king Jon Jones in their recent fights.
Speaking of Wilder (33-0, 32 KO), the newly-crowned WBC heavyweight champion had a coming out party against Stiverne. Wilder answered all questions when he bludgeoned and outboxed Stiverne (24-2-1, 21 KO) over 12 rounds Saturday night. Wilder used an impressive jab, lateral movement and his “all-natural Alabama power” to become the first American heavyweight champion since Shannon Briggs in 2006. Stiverne didn’t fight a great fight, but Wilder’s power and skill was responsible more than any medical condition Don King can muster up.
Wilder’s boxing skills have come a long way in a short time. I recall being thoroughly unimpressed when frequent In the Clench co-host E. “Mr. Factoid” Allen brought the wild-swinging prospect to my attention a few years ago. I did notice that he seemed to get better little-by-little in each fight and became a fan of the concussive and charismatic fighter. He has now taken a gigantic step forward and will be a problem for anybody in the division, including the lineal and universally recognized heavyweight king, Wladimir Klitschko.
I’m not foolish enough to claim that Wilder is better than Dr. Steelhammer, he’s not, but with a consistent jab, a monster right hand and a 6’7” frame, Wilder has the length to reach where most fighters can’t. Versus Klitschko, he wouldn’t have to lunge in recklessly versus the 6’6” Ukrainian giant and end up asleep like the long list of failed and fallen opponents. Klitschko’s advisors should target “The Bronze Bomber” after their fighter dispatches of Bryant Jennings in April. If he waits much longer, who knows how good Wilder will get. It’s good to finally have another respectable American heavyweight with gold around his waist.
Haymon brings boxing back to NBC
NBC has been dying to get back into the boxing business for years and seems like the network may have finally found a successful venture. No, the network isn’t bring back the crappy Contender series. It has teamed up with the most powerful man in boxing, Al Haymon, to present a new “Premier Boxing Champions” series. “PBC on NBC” pledges to bring elite fighters back to network TV.
Haymon has secured 20 dates on NBC for his new series. The first two dates include the following bouts: Keith Thurman vs Robert Guerrero, Adrien Broner vs John Molina Jr. and Danny Garcia vs Lamont Peterson. The competitive matchups are a far cry from the awful, mismatched bouts in which Haymon’s fighters participated during 2014. I essential shut down In the Clench last year due to the dearth of interesting fights. It’s clear now that Haymon’s crappy fights were an attempt to protect his fighters until his NBC master plan came to fruition.
HBO and Showtime (which is owned by CBS) execs must be reeling at the news that Haymon and his 150+ fighters are making the move to free TV. While Mayweather still has two fights remaining on his Showtime deal, other Haymon fighters such Wilder, Garcia, Broner, Leo Santa Cruz, Erislandy Lara and Devon Alexander will soon no longer see their fans forced to shuck out the extra dough for premium cable/satellite in order to see them fight.
Not biting on Mayweather-Pacquiao
A wise man George W. Bush once said “Fool me once, shame on…shame on you. Fool me – you can’t get fooled again.”
I kept that train wreck of a quote in mind as rumors of Manny Pacquiao signing a contract to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. surfaced. I won’t believe in that bout (nor waste too many breaths discussing it) until I see them in the ring. Throughout the years of fight rumors, Mayweather has rarely ever stated that he actually wants to fight Pacquiao. If Mayweather wanted to make the fight, he could do so in the drop of a hat. His silence is reminiscent of Stan Kroenke’s during this whole St. Louis Rams ordeal.
According to Dan Rafael of ESPN, it appears that Mayweather’s next bout will be a rematch with WBC Middleweight Champion Miguel Cotto. The bout won’t generate as much money as a lucrative bout versus Pacquiao but it gives Mayweather the opportunity to win a title in a sixth division.
Mayweather apologists are already blaming Pacquiao for the (seemingly) failed bout despite the fact that Pac-Man is the only one to have signed on the dotted line. Go figure.
Follow Ishmael and In the Clutch on Twitter @IshmaelSistrunk
