Not too long ago, it looked as though the light heavyweight division was destined to be forever divided, with each world champ soon to be protected behind the shielding wall of a different network or streaming service.
WBC champ Adonis Stevenson was aligned with PBC and tied to Showtime and Fox; WBA champ Dmitry Bivol was an HBO player and then rumored to be a target of streaming service DAZN?s talent grab; Eleider Alvarez, who stopped Sergey Kovalev to take the WBO strap, was an Al Haymon-advised fighter who seemed likely to drift over to Haymon?s PBC homes; and Artur Beterbiev, the IBF titlist, was a DAZN talent.
But a lot can change in a short period of time in the tumultuous world of boxing and, in less than a month, the 175 lb. division seems to have curved away from becoming a one-champ-per-company weight class.
Top Rank-signed Oleksandr Gvozdyk stopped Stevenson to take the WBC title?and presumably take it to Top Rank?s TV broadcast outlet, ESPN. Meanwhile, Bivol is still very much a free agent, not tied to anyone.
This week, Canada-based Colombian, Eleider Alvarez made news by signing a multi-year co-promotional deal with Top Rank, bringing his belt and the positive buzz from his KO of Kovalev to ESPN. His February 2 return bout with Kovalev was already tied to the all-sports network well before this promotional deal was signed. HBO passed on airing the contractually-obligated rematch, making way for Top Rank to ink a deal with Kovalev?s promoter Main Events and bring the fight to ESPN.
The 34-year-old Alvarez knows that this rematch has an added importance now that a reported seven-figure per fight deal with a potential unification bout against Gvozdyk in the immediate future rides on his ability to emerge victorious.
?The incentive with this deal is really the unifications, I think, now, they?re going to be possible, and I?m ready to embrace the opportunities to do that and to prove that I?m a great champion,? Alvarez recently told Boxingscene.
?But right now, I?m really focused on Sergey Kovalev, because if I don?t win against Kovalev than there are no unification fights. All of the hard work has paid off, and I?m really proud of how everything has developed to allow my career to continue to grow. But first, I have to take care of Kovalev.?
The Alvarez signing sets the stage for Top Rank/ESPN being able to do some big things at light heavyweight. With him and Gvozdyk on board, it may be easier to coax Bivol into putting his name on an exclusive contract. Then, they?d have three of the four recognized world champs at 175?arguably, the three that matter the most. There?s also Top Rank rising star and current WBO super middleweight champ, the 6 ft. 2 Gilberto Ramirez, who indicated that he may move up to 175 if the right fights at 168 don?t materialize. Plus?win, lose, or draw on February 2?the Bob Arum-run promotional firm could possibly pursue a co-promotional deal with Main Events for the rights to show the heavy-handed Russian?s future bouts on ?The Worldwide Leader in Sports.? A hard-punching bad guy with a fan-friendly style will always be a draw worth pursuing, even if the ?Krusher? never again becomes an elite-level player.
By March of next year, Top Rank/ESPN could be one fighter short of cornering the entire top-level light heavyweight market. The winner of Badou Jack vs. Marcus Browne, a contest between two Haymon/PBC fighters January 19 for the interim WBA title on the Manny Pacquiao-Adrien Broner undercard, could be the only remaining high-end, prime 175-pounder not on ESPN (or the ESPN+ app).
But, as we have seen many times before (and specifically with this group of light heavyweights), things can change in a hurry and even the best laid plans of Hall of Fame promoters and mainstream sports networks can fall apart with just a well-placed punch or two.
