The fights boxing fans want to see could be on the way.
Per ESPN.com?s Dan Rafael, the antitrust lawsuit filed by Top Rank Boxing promoter Bob Arum against Premier Boxing Champion?s creator Al Haymon has been settled. Arum sued Haymon 10 months ago claiming that the PBC series created a monopoly and that Haymon?s role as a manager violated the Muhammad Ali Reform Act.
The latter prevents an individual or entity from acting as a manager for a fighter and a promoter. Many have argued Haymon occupies both roles in the careers of the 200-plus fighters he manages.
The terms of the deal weren?t made public and Arum will not share the information. He told Rafael:
?We settled, but the terms of the settlement are confidential, and I?m not going to talk about it. I?d be pissed if they said anything about it, and I am not going to.? Most fight fans could care less about the amount of money the multimillionaires exchanged to make this matter go away. Fans of the sweet science can only hope that this resolution ends the Cold War between Top Rank Boxing and fighters managed by Haymon.
The unofficial embargo of sorts has prevented an innumerable amount of potentially classic fights from taking place over the years. Top Rank and Haymon hold significant influence over a huge percentage of the sport?s top fighters. Thus the negative impact of the issue could be felt in almost every weight class.
The beef helped to keep Floyd Mayweather Jr. (who is managed by Haymon) out of the ring with Manny Pacquiao (who was promoted by Top Rank) for years until the two sides decided there was too much money to be made from allowing the fight to take place. The future Hall of Famers finally met in 2015 with Mayweather winning an easy unanimous decision, but both took home enormous paychecks for their efforts.
That fight was made despite the fact that tensions appeared to be at the highest point between Haymon and Arum. The compromise was likely caused because of the insane money both Arum, Haymon and Mayweather stood to collect. Other great matchups don?t carry the same earning potential for the two sides, thus the probability of more Top Rank vs. Haymon fighter matchups looked dim before the settlement.
Some have wondered if the settlement was reached to help facilitate a big-money rematch between Mayweather and Pacquiao. Arum says that isn?t the case. He appears to be looking more toward the future.
If that?s true, it should be music to the ears of boxing fans. As great as Mayweather and Pacquiao were in their careers, the two men are now retired. There?s reason to doubt that one or both will remain inactive, but at 39 and 37 years old, respectively, there?s no doubt if there time in the ring isn?t over, the end is very near.
It?s time for boxing to move into a new era; one that sees an Erroll Spence (Haymon) vs. Terence Crawford (Top Rank) scrap, or a Leo Santa Cruz (Haymon) vs. Vasyl Lomachenko (Top Rank) fight?
If you love boxing, those are the types of fights you long to see. According to Arum, he hopes the settlement will usher in that era.
?I?m optimistic that everybody is going to work together and make big fights,? Arum said. ?I think there?s a realization on everybody?s part that in order to get big fights, you?re gonna have to work together.?
Hopefully Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions feel the same way. Their similar lawsuit against Haymon is still pending. Fight fans, keep your fingers crossed. The competitive spirit and future legitimacy of the sport could be at stake.
Follow Brian “FranchisePlay” Mazique on Twitter @UniqueMazique and subscribe to his gaming YouTube channel: FranchisePlay Sports
