First month is free and then only ten bones a month from then onward. These were the words which prompted many of us to sign up for the new dog on the sporting block, DAZN and its respective streaming service. The pros? Well, for one and perhaps for only was the fact that Saturday night?s WBA World Super Middleweight championship clash at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan was free, provided one signed up in time. The cons? Who among us really believes that the monthly fee of $9.99 will remain in place after Canelo Alvarez exerted more time and effort walking to the ring and staying warm though three national anthems than he did with dispatching of Rocky Fielding? We?ve seen it before.
New services sell various deals to the public with the simple caveat that once you cancel your subscription, the rate you were once given will no longer be valid. In any case, ten dollars against eighty for a bout featuring the sport?s current ?face? is not a bad deal at all. Of course, once May 4 rolls around and Canelo returns to the ring for his annual Cinco de Mayo showcase, we?ll have already shelled out over $50 to keep DAZN. Perhaps this was the thinking going into the contract Alvarez (50-1-2, 35 KO?s) signed with the company. Eleven fights for over $360 million total. That?s right, the redheaded champion from Guadalajara, Jalisco just pulled down north of $33 million for his walkthrough of the least talented super middleweight champion in boxing. Not bad for a night?s work.
That?s the good. For him, anyway. The perhaps not bad, yet not perfect is the fact that his time as a super middleweight is likely ?one and done.? As he relayed to the media about three weeks ago during an international conference call, ?the objective is to fight for this world title and then go back down to 160 pounds. It?s very important to win this world title.? So, there you have it. He?s now a three-division champion and can lay claim to the fact that he?s fought the best in at least two of the three. Fifteen years ago, Roy Jones, Jr. pulled off a similar feat. Although his absolute best nights in the ring were as light heavyweight, the Florida native also held titles as a super middleweight as well as middleweight. In early 2003, he became the first fighter in over 100 years to go from 160 pounds all the way up to the heavyweight ranks and win a championship.
Much like Canelo?s destruction of Rocky Fielding will prompt many respected boxing writers to call it out as an obvious wash, Roy Jones went after the most favorable target in WBA titleholder John Ruiz. He didn?t knock Ruiz down or out but managed a clear unanimous decision win, although he didn?t stick around to face Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield, David Tua or Vitali Klitschko. Likewise and despite his desire to face the best regardless of alphabet titles, we?re not likely to see him collect another $33 million after taking on say, Callum Smith.
If he stays true to his word, then so be it. We can?t fault the guy for not biting off more than he can really and truly chew. On the broadcasting side, can we call DAZN?s first tried and true fight night a success? There were many familiar faces, to be sure. If we don?t like the commentators, then we can always take the route used by this writer. Mute the TV, pop on the headphones and just groove to the music. Until further notice, let?s allow Canelo the same courtesy.
