With Canelo Alavarez having left Showtime for HBO, Showtime’s future in PPV boxing is looking bleak these days.
The loss of Alvarez, coupled with Floyd Mayweather’s impending 2015 retirement, may leave the cable network without a PPV attraction in the onset of 2016.
By contrast, HBO will likely have a plethora of fighters such fighters as Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto and, of course, Canelo Alvarez and, possibly, Gennady Golovkin, Andre Ward and Julio Cesar Chaver Jr.
Given HBO’s presumed lineup, the prospect of not having a PPV attraction at the start of 2015 is a very ominous one.
So what will Showtime do over the next 14 ? months to create their next PPV attraction?
They will likely put extra effort into promoting three men who have the best chance to become the next PPV star.
The three fighters, Danny Garcia, Adrien Broner and Keith “One Time” Thurman, will likely be showcased on Mayweather’s undercard fights next year in hopes of them giving more recognition. Each of have unique characteristics and attributes that could make them a PPV attraction.
For Garica, it’s his power punching which led to knockout victories over recognizable opponents such as Amir Khan and Erik Morales. What Garica may lack in personality, his father Angel Garcia more than makes up for. Whether you’re a fan of Angel or not, he’s usually very entertaining often controversial.
For Broner it’s his brash personality and bravado, and well as his desire to become Mayweatheresque as he promotes himself as boxing’s next PPV attraction. Many of Mayweather’s detractors are also critical of Broner, especially given his wild antics. But regardless, people will tune in to see Broner fight whether they love or not. Keith Thurman brings explosiveness and drama; he can end a fight in seconds due to his devastating punching power. Everybody likes a knockout artist and though he has yet to face a top 10 welterweight, fans are anxious to see him in the ring with one of the powerbrokers in that division.
Question: How will Showtime promote these fighters?
Will they have them fight one another or setup some kind of tournament similar to the Super Six would involve other fighters such as Amir Khan or Marcos Maidana?
It’s inevitable thatGarcia moves up to welterweight and Broner has already fought twice there, so a tournament at 147 LBS is high possibility, especially if it opens with interesting intriguing rematches such as Garcia vs Khan 2 and/or Broner vs Maidana 2.
Another strategy would be to carefully cultivate them by having them face fighters such as Andre Berto and Lamont Peterson who are marketable names but would be solid underdogs against Garcia, Broner and Thurman. With this strategy, each man would have the potential to build their resume over a ‘name’ opponent without having a significant risk of losing.
Whichever strategy Showtime and Golden Boy Promotions employs, it needs to be a sound one because at least one of the aforementioned fighters must emerge as a big star. If not, Showtime may fail to produce one PPV fight in 2016.
If fight fans think 2014 has been a down year for Showtime, just imagine what 2016 could be.
