If you?re noticing an extra spring in Bob Arum?s 87-year-old legs, it?s probably because the Hall of Fame promoter sees himself as a kid in the proverbial candy store.
For a boxing businessman with a historical flair for signing top talent in a competitive business environment, this current boxing market has to be sending tingles to regions of Arum?s body that haven?t felt tingles since the Reagan administration.
In the present tense boxing scene, thanks to the influence of manager/advisor Al Haymon and the return of mainstream investment dollars to the sport, the promoter?s role has been so deemphasized that much of the top talent has decided to altogether forgo having a dedicated promoter at all.
Fighters such as Deontay Wilder, Errol Spence, Keith Thurman, Mikey Garcia, Jermall Charlo, Jermell Charlo, Shawn Porter, Adrien Broner?and much of Haymon?s Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) roster?are, technically, promotional free agents.
The new business approach allows the fighter more professional freedom and, arguably, bigger paydays while utilizing the services of hand-chosen promoters on a fight-by-fight basis.
This greater degree of self-determination also makes them ripe for the picking if one particular promoter managed to swoop in with the right monetary offer and an eye on turning some free agents into contract players.
UK promoter Eddie Hearn, handed a billion-dollar budget by streaming service DAZN to put together a bankable stable of fighters, has certainly tried his best to corral some of the best free agents in the business.
Despite dumping huge offers at the feet of fighters such as Wilder, Broner, Garcia, and the Charlos, Hearn has been unable to poach any of the PBC talent. He did manage, however, to secure the services of Saul ?Canelo? Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin?two fighters launched into the free agent market (at least in terms of broadcasting outlets) after the collapse of HBO Boxing?at a total cost of about a half-billion dollars.
Arum, using the money and prestige associated with his lucrative ESPN deal, managed to land a big fish in Tyson Fury for reportedly $100 million (as co-promoter alongside Frank Warren). He also leveraged the ESPN deal into signing (to exclusive or co-promotional deals) talent such as Sergey Kovalev, Artur Beterbiev, Carl Frampton, Eleider Alvarez, and Kubrat Pulev, as well as using ESPN money to re-sign welterweight champ Terence Crawford, who was set to enter the free agent market after his deal with Arum?s Top Rank Promotions expired last year.
Recently, public static over matchmaking issues that pitted Canelo Alvarez against his promoter Golden Boy and broadcaster DAZN, has opened up the possibility that Alvarez, the sport?s top draw at the moment, could also be up for grabs.
The disharmony prompted Arum to step forward and, seated right next to DAZN top promoter Hearn at the Jose Ramirez-Maurice Hooker pre-fight press conference, tell the assembled media that Canelo should be allowed to fight whoever he chooses to fight because ?He?s the only friggin? guy that DAZN has that can move the needle even this much as far as subscriptions.?
The Golden Boy-Alvarez relationship is reportedly more like a partnership than a true promoter-fighter arrangement and their deal with DAZN affords Alvarez plenty of autonomy in calling his own shots. Arum butting into Golden Boy business touched on the inherent insecurity when it comes to their grasp on Alvarez and ticked off Golden Boy president Oscar De La Hoya, who took some shots at Arum while staking his claim to Alvarez.
?Bob Arum, he was like fantasizing about Canelo,? De La Hoya told reporters. ?He was like salivating over him. Right? And then he has [Terence] Crawford ? what is he doing for him?!
?He?s not doing anything for him! I actually feel kinda bad that Crawford might not even get to the Hall of Fame one day because Bob can?t get him a fight! So, look, Canelo?s with us, Team Golden Boy for many more years?Bob Arum or whoever?s out there, stop salivating, leave our fighters alone and let us do our job.?
Crawford, by the way, is ripe for the poaching AWAY from Arum. The talented elite-level fighter under contract with Arum and ESPN is separated from all of the other top talent in the welterweight division, which just happens to be amassed under the PBC banner. There has been more than subtle pressure on Crawford to find a way to jump over to ?the other side of the fence? where big-money legacy fights with Errol Spence, Manny Pacquiao, Keith Thurman, Danny Garcia, and Shawn Porter could more easily be made.
Expect greater efforts from promoters to sign promotional free agents as pressure mounts from broadcast outlets to beef up rosters and bolster subscribers/ratings/buys. Given the money currently being tossed around and the nefarious nature of the boxing bossmen with their hands in the pockets of mainstream money sources, things should be heating up soon.
