WBC light heavyweight titlist Jean Pascal is in a bit of a quandary. The WBC just recently mandated an immediate rematch between him and Bernard Hopkins, who Pascal fought on December the 18th in Quebec City. The verdict was a controversial draw. Most observers believed that ?The Executioner? deserved the nod on that night.
There is also the spectre of a rematch against Chad Dawson, who Pascal beat in August in what was considered a mild upset. As part of their fight contract, there was a clause that stated in the event of a Dawson loss, HBO had the option of basically enforcing a rematch, should they pony up a certain amount of money (said to be in the neighborhood of $2 million). They have till February 14th to make their decision.
So in essence, Pascal can either get stripped by the sanctioning body (should HBO pull the trigger) or he can go ahead with the return bout with Hopkins and face litigation from Dawson?s camp. It?s the ultimate Catch-22.
The question is, will HBO shove another Dawson fight down their subscribers? throat? The truth is that their investment in this guy has been a huge bust. Financing a fight that nobody without a vested interest in Dawson is remotely interested in would be another case of HBO pushing another ill-conceived agenda their audience doesn?t want. For that amount of money, they can subsidize a few ?Boxing After Dark? broadcasts. But perhaps they do this to make sure that their rivals across the street (Showtime) don?t get Pascal-Hopkins II. Certainly, everything is fair game in love and war (and programming). That?s understood.
But here?s the thing, rematch clauses are actually prohibited by some sanctioning bodies. They hinder movement within the sport and there becomes a repetition of the fights you see. Beyond all that, however, shouldn?t rematches be determined by one thing and one thing only- public demand? They certainly shouldn?t be in the hands of network executives, who, quite frankly, don?t have much respect for the fans of the sport and seem married to their bad decisions through thick and thin.
Let?s take a quick informal poll; who of you out there would rather see Pascal-Dawson II or the second edition of Pascal-Hopkins?
That?s what I thought.
Dawson is another case of HBO investing in what they thought was one of their future standouts, only to find out they may have gained a bill of goods from Gary Shaw. They tried to tell us who was a star instead of letting the public decide beforehand. As it turns out, Dawson?s a skilled boxer but a passionless fighter. Yeah, his record looks glossy; he certainly looks the part and he seems to have all the tools but his performances in the ring have been devoid of any real compelling action. And while Pascal has at least taken another fight in the interim, what has Dawson done to drum up interest in this rematch?
Nothing.
Well, outside of throwing Eddie Mustafa Muhammad under the bus and becoming more anonymous, he has been the quintessential HBO trust fund baby. Sit on the sidelines for months at a time and hope that he can cash in on basically losing the first fight. Remember what Dawson?s reaction was after his loss to Pascal? He basically stated, “Well, it?s OK; I got a rematch clause.”
Yeah, not exactly the most awe-inspiring response, is it?
This is not to knock Dawson; he and his representatives are just playing by the rules that are currently set in place. And he isn?t the only one to have these sorts of stipulations in place for him. Another example is the highly anticipated bout on January 29th between junior welterweights Tim Bradley and Devon Alexander. On the surface, it seems like great pick-up for HBO?but at what price?
Not only are both boxers earning over a million dollars for this fight (which, by today?s standards, isn?t out of line, even for a fight that had problems finding a home) but sources tell me that not only does HBO have another rematch option (for around $3 million) but both Bradley and Alexander are guaranteed another slot on the network (at over a million bucks) by June (since both Shaw and Don King?s promotional contracts end with Bradley and Alexander by that time). So in essence, we?re not just getting Bradley-Alexander; we?re getting a whole series of fights from them.
If it?s the best fight of 2011, great; the public yearning would make this fight a natural to occur again. In a worst-case scenario, let?s say the fight becomes as dreary as its setting in Detroit and both Bradley and Alexander stink out the joint. Well, it won?t matter because they are assured of return appearances, regardless. Basically, in order to make this fight, HBO has essentially committed a significant slice of their 2011 budget and slots.
For a network that perennially cries poor by mid-May, I think it?s interesting that they take this strategy.
I?ve also heard that Sergiy Dzinziruk, who was shoved down the throats of Sergio Martinez and his embattled promoter, Lou DiBella, may also get one of these ?Allstate? contracts, where he is also given insurance of another date on the network later in the year, win, lose or draw. Well, maybe it?s just my opinion but for a guy who will sell no tickets to this event (and if they?re truthful, Shaw and Artie Pellulo- who have done boxing?s version of ?flipping? a house with Dzinziruk- will admit this) and was fighting in a ballroom on ?ShoBox? in his first U.S. appearance- where he didn?t exactly set the world on fire versus Daniel Dawson- getting paid $850,000 because….well, HBO thinks he?s worth that much, is all the insurance he should receive.
In a perfect world, fighters would fight with no real safety nets and based on how they perform and the public calling for them, that is how their future prospects line up. But right now, with certain boxers basically knowing that no matter what the result of the fight is, what is the impetus to take real risks inside that ring when they are there simply to receive huge paydays from the network? Did Dawson fight like a guy with a sense of urgency in August?
Or a guy with an insurance policy in his back pocket?
Because of that, boxing fans aren?t in good hands.
MARCH 12TH
It?s not completely finalized but it looks like the Martinez-Dzinziruk card will move from the Theater in Madison Square Garden in New York to the Foxwoods (in the same room where Carl Froch stopped Jermain Taylor in the final seconds of their April 2009 battle) and HBO will add an opening bout between Andy Lee and John Duddy.
Yeah, I know some of you will be against this fight. Not me. Here?s the reality: Martinez-Dzinziruk is a great fight- on paper. It may not be a particularly enthralling fight on the actual canvas. Again, styles make fights. And sometimes, styles don?t make fights. And you need a ticket seller on this show; with this card being close to St. Patrick?s Day and all, this is a natural pull.
And guess what? Lee-Duddy will be a fun fight. Yeah, I know, some of you will say, ?Well, they aren?t HBO caliber fighters? or ?They aren?t top ten fighters in their divisions.? OK, well, to that I ask, have you seen the roster of no-hopers that Andre Berto has faced on ?The Network of Champions?? Also, does anyone remember when Arturo Gatti and Micky Ward first fought back in 2002 on HBO? I heard many of the same cries. Gatti was butchered by Oscar De La Hoya two fights prior and Ward was coming off a loss to Jesse James Leija. Were these two guys considered true contenders in the 140-pound class at that time?
But those fights are etched in our collective minds, right?
Sometimes, fans should just enjoy a good scrap for what it is (Remember, this is ultimately the entertainment business) instead of just looking up records on BoxRec or where boxers are rated by The Ring magazine because ultimately, it doesn?t matter and those things don?t make a good fight.
BERTO
Speaking of Berto, I was told on Saturday that one of the names being seriously considered for his next fight is Randall Bailey. Now, I don?t know if this is an indictment on whom he?s faced prior but I actually like this fight (Seriously, I do). In fact, I included it last week as one of the 11 bouts I?d like to see this upcoming year. Yeah, I know Bailey?s a career 140-pounder but he?s a big guy who can bang. At the very least, he brings a certain element of risk that has been missing in most of Berto?s opponents.
But I guess Berto?s had a rematch with Shane Mosley this past weekend- on Twitter. Seriously, both guys look a bit juvenile in their 140-character sparring but here?s the thing, as much as I?m against the Pacquiao-Mosley fight, at least Mosley?s career track record suggests he has earned a certain emeritus status and if this is his version of a gold watch, so be it. Berto had more than one opportunity to face Mosley last year and with a win, might have been under serious (not cursory) consideration to face the ?Pac-Man? himself.
Instead, they spar on Twitter and ultimately, that might be as close as they ever get to fighting each other.
JUST SAYIN?
There?s a certain belief that in this world, you?re worth what you can get. I don?t necessarily disagree with that. Hey, boxing?s a tough game and if you?re a fighter, you need to get what you can while the going is good.
But I just want to point out again that with what Dzinziruk will be receiving from HBO to face ?Maravilla? ($850,000), you could?ve make the first bout between Humberto Soto and Urbano Antillon three times. The license fees of whole ?Boxing After Dark? broadcasts don?t equate to that.
Again, Dzinziruk is not overpaid; I?m just sayin?…
FINAL FLURRIES
In a perfect world (which we certainly don?t live in), Pascal rematches Hopkins and Dawson faces IBF beltholder Tavoris Cloud…Is it just me or are you a bit suspicious of Demetrius Andrade and his progress?…Freddie Roach told me that he will leave on Wednesday to Mexico to prepare Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. for his Jan. 29th bout versus Billy Lyell…Told that a bout with Joshua Clottey and Pawel Wolak could end up on the Miguel Cotto-Ricardo Mayorga pay-per-view show on March 12th. Hearing that Yuri Foreman and Top Rank are far apart on the money; that?s why Foreman may not face Wolak…Another bout on that show could be IBF 135-pound titlist Miguel Vazquez against Lenny Zappavigna…The February 18th ESPN2 card could be of the 3-D variety, I?m told…?Trader Tim? finally procured the Miguel Acosta-Paulus Moses fight that took place last year. It was broadcast by NBC- the Namibia Broadcasting Company. By the way, Acosta is certainly no pushover for Brandon Rios, whom he faces on Feb. 26th. I think it?s a 50-50 fight…For a short spell, it looked like Ray Lewis had turned old and the Ravens were on their heels versus the Chiefs. Then reality set in and ?Ray-Ray? and his ?D,? as he likes to say, ?went huntin?…Was the Seahawks-Saints the biggest playoff upset ever? I still go with Super Bowl III and ?Broadway Joe.? After all, it was the Super Bowl and all…Marshawn Lynch ran through another Saint defender…I said on Twitter on Friday that I like the Pats and Packers to make the Super Bowl…When it?s all said and done, I always go with the SEC. Gimme Auburn over Team Swoosh…I can be reached at [email protected] and I tweet at www.twitter.com/stevemaxboxing.
