Fantasy Fight: Floyd Mayweather vs. Terence Crawford at 140, Who Wins?

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Terence Crawford is considered by many to be a top 5 P4P fighter. Some have even argued that he is number 1 P4P which is debatable. He shares similar traits to that of Marvin Hagler and Mark Too Sharp with a little splash of Pernell. Many have said that he is the next superstar in boxing and there have been many who have said that he is the air apparent to Floyd's throne. After Crawford dominated Postol and Diaz a debate emerges as to whether Crawford is the next Mayweather. There have been many, in the boxing community, who have claimed that Crawford is just as skilled, if not a better overall boxer compared to Floyd. I was once in agreement with these claims but after watching every fight that Floyd had from 130 to 140, I have drawn the conclusion that Floyd was on a whole other planet compared to where Crawford is now and that says a lot since Crawford is turning 30. First, let's breakdown each fighter. 

Floyd: 
5"8 
72" Reach
Defensive fighter, great counter punching, beautiful footwork, good power in both hands, very accurate, solid chin, and very high boxing IQ(there are only three other boxers who have a higher one.)

Crawford:
5"8 
70" Reach
Switch hitter, good power in both hands, accurate, pretty strong at 140, suspect chin, good jab, fast hands, good ring IQ. 

Both started boxing at a young age and both had pretty good amateur backgrounds. Only difference is Floyd one a gold metal while Crawford didn't. Crawford seems to have a killer instinct and a great will to win. What's impressive about Crawford is the fact that he is able to adjust and pick his opponent apart. But, looking back at history there were many fighters who were able to do the same thing, Oscar, Chavez, Pacquiao, Ali, Duran, Pernell, Wilfred, Bhop, Roy Jones, Dempsey and many others. And to be quite honest with you some of these fighters didn't have to wait after round two or three to figure their opponents out. You see, Crawford is special but I've always felt that there comes a time when you should already be in control of a fight.You shouldn't have to take unnecessary hits before you have your opponent figured out because you might not make it to the second round. Now, Crawford has been able to get away with this because he hasn't faced any great punchers in his career nor has he faced an opponent that is able to cut off the ring. Now, things may change and Crawford might change this nasty habit but habits are hard to break especially when you are use to getting away with fighting with fire. 

Now, Floyd has everything that you want in a fighter. Great offense, elite defense, perfect balance, fast hands, athleticism, chin. He is literally, in my opinion, the perfect fighter. You could place him in any era and he would be top 3-5 P4P. He is great at making adjustments but before figuring his opponent out he doesn't take any punishment. He is like a martial artist, in the Bruce Lee sense, that he is able to slow down time and control his opponent and make his opponent over think. Now, a fight between Crawford and Floyd would be a chest match don't get me wrong. I just don't think it would be as competitive as many people think due to the fact that there is such a disparity in boxing skill. Based off the eye test, Floyd is the bigger and more athletic fighter. Floyd had better defense, head movement, faster hands, counter puncher, more accurate, less sloppy, and he also had pretty good power from 130 to 140 which people forget. I will also argue that Floyd was the better offensive fighter due to being able hit off awkward angles, over power his opponent, and he was great at fighting off the backfoot which Crawford is above average at. Although Crawford is the better switch hitter, he often times gets hit way too much and his footwork is good but not great. Experience would also be in Floyd's favor due to the fact that he faced superior fighters from 130 to 140. Now, I do understand that Floyd only had one fight at 140 and that Crawford has had at least four. But if you look at Crawford's resume at 140(including indongo who Crawford will beat i'm sure) none of those guys are even better than the out of prime Gatti that Floyd defeated. Plus from 130 to 140 Crawford hasn't fought anyone that compares to the guys Floyd had to face like Corrales, Cortley, Hernandez, Bruseles, and Castillo. Now, this isn't to knock Crawford since he can only fight who is put in front of him but this has to be taken into consideration when you are matching a great fighter against another great fighter. Yes, Crawford has made things look easy but if you were to place him in an era where there's Mosley, Gatti, Tszyu, Oscar, Pryor, Pernell and Judah, he wouldn't be able dominate due to the fact that he would be facing fighters just as skilled and better defensively. Floyd on the other hand would still be a top 5 P4P due to his phenomenal footwork and defense. Crawford on the other hand, would be another great fighter but he wouldn't be placed on a high pedestal like he is now. Although Crawford is great, the hype around him is based off the fact that he hasn't fought anyone great. He hasn't fought someone who can dish it out and actually adjust and hurt him. Floyd faced that when he was at those lower weight classes and I have no doubt that facing Crawford at 140 would be no threat to him whatsoever. the early rounds will be a little competitive but after that Floyd will just counter and pick Crawford apart due to being the superior boxer with better defense. I project 9-3 or 10 -2 Floyd. Now, there is still a chance that Crawford could change my mind. He could, possibly, go up to 147 and clear out that division but the chances of that happening is unlikely due to the fact that he isn't stronger nor does he have the capabilities of bouncing around and not getting hit. To break it down in a single sentence, Crawford is a great fighter but Floyd is a phenomenal fighter. We will see another Crawford before we will see another Floyd.

Saying Goodbye To Harold Lederman

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The most impactful pencil in boxing history will tally no more.

But when word of Harold Lederman’s death began making the rounds on Saturday evening, the responses generated provided sufficient evidence the Hall of Famer’s impact won’t be erased.

He was clearly a professional. He was certainly an expert.

Still, when it came to those who worked alongside him on HBO shows for parts of four decades, there were other qualities that’ll ensure he’ll not be forgotten.

“Sheer humanity,” said Jim Lampley, the network’s blow-by-blow man since 1988.

“Can't be imitated can't be duplicated. He was the world's most unabashedly awestruck and adoring boxing fan next door. Not a broadcaster, not just a judge: a hyper-enthusiastic historian/scorer/rules encyclopedia/on-air promoter, and the most consistently convincing scorer of the sport I have known.

“Could go on and on, but try to top this: the most imitated on-air voice since Cosell – and I worked with both. Just as with Howard, there are millions out there who can do Harold better than Harold did.”

Lederman’s arrival to premium cable came shortly before Lampley, when he called then-HBO executive Ross Greenburg in early 1986 after watching a broadcast whose commentary veered wildly from the final result. He floated the idea of adding a pair of licensed scoring eyes to the announce team to interpret rules and decode judging mysteries.

Greenburg invited him to help with coverage of a match between Pinklon Thomas and Trevor Berbick a few weeks later, though Lederman told me a few years back that the fight-week perception of Thomas as an easy winner convinced him the stint would be a short one.

“I said to my wife, ‘Pinklon Thomas is a 7-to-1 favorite. What's gonna happen is I'm gonna go to Las Vegas, Thomas is going to belt this guy out in the first round and my career on HBO is gonna be abruptly over,’” he said. “Little did I know that Trevor Berbick hired the very famous trainer, Eddie Futch, to train him, and that's the only fight that Eddie Futch ever trained Trevor Berbick.

“So anyway, Trevor Berbick wound up winning the unanimous decision, HBO liked what I had to say and they've been asking me back ever since. Every time I used to run into Eddie Futch, I would say, ‘Hey Eddie, you're responsible for my career on HBO. If it wasn't for you training Berbick, I would've never been on HBO.’ He used to get a big kick out of that.”

Thanks to the upset, he became a fixture.

“No station was using an unofficial judge to keep score for the public,” he said.

“And now every single station that carries boxing is using an unofficial to keep score. I really started something. After I was on HBO for five years, 10 years, all of a sudden the stations started to say, ‘You know what, Lederman is a pretty good idea, let's get ourselves a judge.' So now, I really feel like I'm the innovator in unofficial judging.”

Lederman’s run at HBO ended in December, when the network officially exited the boxing business.

Lampley said the extent of Lederman’s illness was known by colleagues at that time, which meant the judge’s presence on the final broadcast – a “Boxing After Dark” show from California that featured Juan Francisco Estrada, Cecilia Braekhus and Claressa Shields – was particularly meaningful.

Lederman turned 79 several weeks later on January 26.

“Just so happy he made our final bell,” Lampley said. “Critically important to the legacy of the franchise.”

The Bronx native was never shy about flexing his scoring muscles, particularly on nights when the official arbiters at ringside came up with verdicts that flew in the face of common mathematical sense.

Lederman had Jose Luis Castillo up, 115-111, in his first fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr., saw Lennox Lewis as a 117-111 winner in his initial match with Evander Holyfield, and gave Gennady Golovkin a 116-112 nod over Canelo Alvarez in their first get-together. For the record, Mayweather won a dubious unanimous decision, and both Lewis and Golovkin had to settle for disputed draws.

“Those nights he was always very brave and categorical,” Lampley said.

Lampley was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2015 and was joined a year later by his long-time HBO teammate, who became the first judge to get a plaque in Canastota.

Thanks, in part, to the blow-by-blow man’s own impassioned plea.

“All my experiences at ringside are deeply imbedded, including Harold,” he said.

“When I went to Canastota in June 2015 … his name had never been on their ballot. I went up on that dais with one huge objective, and I campaigned for him in my speech. The following January his name appeared on the ballot. I doubt any non-fighter has ever gotten a larger vote. We are bonded.

“Most unanimous decision ever.”

Lyle Fitzsimmons : Boxing Scene

Jose Benavidez Jr and Luis Collazo agree to terms for summer fight

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Jose Benavidez Jr and Luis Collazo have agreed to terms to meet this summer in a welterweight bout, according to Mike Coppinger, in what will be a must-win situation for both fighters, who are at very different stages of their careers.

The 26-year-old Benavidez (27-1, 18 KO) was at one point considered one of boxing’s top prospect, a true blue chipper who had great amateur success, including winning the National Golden Gloves at 139 pounds when he was just 16 years old in 2009.

He turned pro in early 2010, and started hot, living up to the promise early on, but his career seemed to stall out a bit in recent years, with his best wins coming over Mauricio Herrera in 2014 and Francisco Santana in 2016.

Last year, he took a big step up in competition and challenged Terence Crawford for the WBO welterweight title in October. Benavidez did OK, but eventually Crawford built up a sizable lead and then stopped Benavidez with just 18 seconds remaining in the 12th and final round.

Collazo (39-7, 20 KO) is a 38-year-old former titleholder, as he held the WBA welterweight belt back in 2005, beating Jose Antonio Rivera before losing the title 13 months later in a disputed defeat against Ricky Hatton.

Over his career, the southpaw Collazo has been in with a lot of top names — Hatton, Shane Mosley, Andre Berto when Berto was still on the rise, Amir Khan, Keith Thurman — and he’s come up short in those fights.

But other than that, he generally gets his hand raised, suffering only two losses (in 2002 and 2011) to fighters who weren’t considered upper-tier at the time. You’ve gotta be good to beat Luis Collazo.

Right now, Collazo is on a three-fight win streak, beating Sammy Vasquez, Bryant Perrella, and Samuel Vargas in those outings.

Frankly, I like this one. I don’t know if I love it as a main event, but it’s got potential to be a good matchup, and I think it’s a strong use of both fighters by Top Rank. Benavidez obviously has talent, he always has, but he’s lacking quality wins, and Collazo, while no top contender anymore, can still give you work if you’re not a real deal top of the line fighter. It’s a chance to find out more about who Benavidez really is as a pro — we know he’s better than a lot of guys, but he’s not quite at that Crawford level. There’s a lot of space in between to see what he really has, and Collazo is a solid opponent in that space.

Scott Christ : Bad Left Hook

Julian Williams in a Masterful Performance against Jarrett Hurd

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In a shocking upset, #1 IBF Julian ‘J-Rock’ Williams (27-1-1, 16 KOs) out-boxed IBF/WBA junior middleweight champion Jarrett Hurd (23-1, 16 KOs) in beating him by a 12 round unanimous decision on Saturday night on Premier Boxing Champions on FOX and FOX Deportes at the EagleBank Arena, in Fairfax, Virginia. The judges’ scores were scores were 116-111, 115-112, and 115-112. Boxing News 24 had Williams winning 115-112.

It was a good fight. Williams looked too strong for Hurd, who appeared to be depleted from making weight. Hurd needs to think about moving up to 160 or possibly even 168. He looks way too big for the 154 pound weight class, and it finally caught up to him tonight. Williams was beating Hurd to the punch all night long.

William dropped Hurd in the 2nd round late. Hurd was badly hurt, and he was lucky the knockdown came late in the round.

If this had been a closer fight, Hurd would do well to try and get a rematch with Williams, but it wasn’t close enough for there to be a second fight. If Hurd wants to mess up his career, he can go ahead and fight Williams again, but he needs to move up to 160 already. If that’s not enough weight for him, then super middleweight would be ideal. Tonight, Hurd looked like a 168 pounder inside the ring with Williams.

With the victory, J’Rock can go after the winner of the June 23 fight between WBC junior middleweight champion Tony Harrison and Jermell Charlo. A fight between J-Rock and the Harrison-Charlo winner will have three of the four 154-pound titles on the line with the IBF, WBA and WBC straps. The WBO champion Jaime Munguia, but he might not be staying at 154 for too much longer.

Jim Dower : Boxing News 24

Danny Garcia vs. Mikey Garcia possible for August

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Former world champions Mikey Garcia (39-1, 30 KOs) and Danny “Swift” Garcia (35-2, 21 KOs) are in negotiations to fight each other in August at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

The winner of the Danny Garcia vs. Mikey fight is expected to be face the winner of the July 20th fight between Manny Pacquiao and WBA Super World welterweight champion Keith ‘One Time’ Thurman, according to Lance Pugmire of the LA Times.

“Al Haymon trying to secure a late summer date at STAPLES Center. The premise is that the winner fights Manny Pacquiao [vs.] Keith Thurman winner,” Pugmire said.

Danny and Mikey are in “advanced” talks for a fight possible for August 31 on Fox Sports PPV. Mikey didn’t do well against the unbeaten Spence (25-0, 21 KOs) in their fight on May 16 on on Fox Sports pay-per-view at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. There’s a huge difference between the talent that Spence possesses and that of Danny Garcia. Spence threw 1,000 punches against Mikey.

Sean Jones: Boxing News 24


Badou Jack not worried about nasty cut, says “I’m a fighter, not a model”

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Badou Jack suffered a really ugly cut on his forehead during last weekend’s fight with Marcus Browne — a cut that only seemed to get worse with each punch landed on him — but Jack largely dismissed any concerns about the injury, which will surely leave a lasting scar.

At one point in the fight it look like Jack lost big chunk of flesh when he was hit with a clean shot on the existing cut, and following the fight it was readily apparent just how deep the cut was.

Jack didn’t use the cut or the tremendous amount of blood flowing down his face as an excuse to get out of a fight he was losing badly on the cards, and reflecting on the bout Jack says he was simply determined to to fight until the very end.

“I’m a fighter. I ain’t gonna quit. I’m not gonna tell ‘em to stop no fight,” he said. “They took me to the doctor a couple of times. I was worried they were gonna stop it. But I kept fighting. (Browne) wasn’t hurting me. (The cut) was annoying and it was bleeding a lot and it messed up my game plan, but no matter what I’m going to keep fighting. I’m a fighter to the end. You’re going to have to kill me if you want to stop the fight. The blood affected me a little bit but no excuses. I tried my best.”

Following the bout Jack required a plastic surgeon to sew his face back together, which included roughly 100 stitches, including about 30 on stitches on three different layers of skin. That’ll be sure to leave a mark, but Jack says he’s a warrior and in good spirits, and that he hopes to land a rematch against Browne going foward.

Via: Wil Esco, Bad Left Hook

Manny Pacquiao Aligns Himself With Al Haymon, Eyes Big Fights

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Via Boxing Scene - By Rick Reeno

In a move that could pave the way for a 2019 rematch with Floyd Mayweather, eight division world champion Manny Pacquiao has aligned himself with powerful adviser Al Haymon

Haymon, who runs Premier Boxing Champions, is the longtime adviser to Mayweather.

Multiple sources with knowledge of the details have confirmed to BoxingScene.com that Pacquiao (60-7-2, 39 KOs) has indeed signed on with Haymon.

Pacquiao, 39-years-old, was in action back in July when he scored a seventh round knockout over Lucas Matthysse to capture the WBA "regular" welterweight title.

Last year, Pacquiao became a promotional free agent after his contract expired with Top Rank - who guided the boxer's career for over a decade.

Earlier in the year, Pacquiao parted ways with head trainer Freddie Roach, and is now being trained by best friend Buboy Fernandez, who led the entire camp for the Matthysse fight.

And according to multiple sources the boxer has also cut ties with longtime business manager Michael Koncz.

Haymon is the adviser to nearly all of the big names at or around 147-pounds - including WBA "super" champion Keith Thurman, IBF champion Errol Spence, and WBC champion Shawn Porter.

Haymon also works with other potential Pacquiao opponents at 147, like Danny Garcia, Adrien Broner, Jamal James, Josesito Lopez, Andre Berto, Yordenis Ugas, John Molina, Victor Ortiz, Devon Alexander and several others.

Haymon, through his PBC banner, has no shortage of television dates - after finalizing content deals with both Showtime and FOX.

Pacquiao lost a twelve round unanimous decision to Mayweather, 41-years-old, in 2015. Their fight broke revenue records in the U.S. with over half a billion brought in. And it generated the highest-grossing pay-per-view in history, with 4.6 million purchases.

Last month, Mayweather and Pacquiao were spotted having a conversation at a concert in Tokyo - and soon after Mayweather announced his intention to resume his career for a Pacquiao rematch. Mayweather retired in August 2017 after stopping UFC champion Conor McGregor in the tenth round of a boxing match.

Showtime Sports head Stephen Espinoza had previously informed BoxingScene that Mayweather was very serious about the possibility of returning to the ring for Pacquiao.

“I think Floyd is very serious,” Espinoza told BoxingScene.com last week. “I think people doubted him because of the way it was announced and the timing of the announcement. I think that was just another added bonus for him. But having had discussions with him and discussions with his business people, he’s definitely serious.”

DAZN Exec: No Reason Boxing Fans Shouldn't Come Check Us Out

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Boxing Scene - By Keith Idec - 9/21/18

LAS VEGAS – In the United Kingdom, Anthony Joshua-Alexander Povetkin is what the Brits consider a “massive” stadium event, comparable to a significant soccer match there.

A crowd in excess of 80,000 is expected Saturday night at Wembley Stadium, where Joshua will defend his IBF, IBO, WBA and WBO heavyweight titles versus Povetkin.

In the United States, Joshua-Povetkin is much more important in terms of how it’s broadcast to American fight fans. It is the first boxing main event for DAZN (pronounced Da-Zone), a new streaming service attempting to make its imprint in the most crowded broadcasting market in the world.

Having one of boxing’s biggest stars headline its inaugural show will test Americans’ willingness to begin paying another subscription fee to watch boxing. Most hardcore boxing fans already pay monthly subscription fees for premium cable networks HBO and Showtime and basic cable channels ESPN and FS1, as well as a $4.99 monthly fee for ESPN+, that cable giant’s streaming service.

DAZN costs $9.99 per month. It is offering a free one-month trial, though, to watch its boxing and mixed martial arts content through various connected devices, including game consoles, laptops, PCs, phones, smartphones, Smart TVs and tablets.

“There’s no reason why a boxing fan should not come and check us out,” Joseph Markowski, DAZN’s senior vice president for North America, told BoxingScene.com. “They’re gonna be surprised and delighted, I think, by the quality of the app, by the quality of the production, by the quality of the talent that we’re working with, the breadth of the original programming and the broadness of the shoulder content that we’re gonna have on the platform. You get to try that all for free, and then roll on to a pretty low cost, a pretty inoffensive price point of $9.99. So come and check us out.”

Depending on when you sign up, that free one-month trial could include several boxing cards.

Six days after the Joshua-Povetkin event Saturday, DAZN will stream the World Boxing Super Series’ super middleweight final Friday from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. That fight will pit Brits George Groves and Callum Smith against each other for Groves’ WBA and IBO 168-pound championships and the WBSS’ Muhammad Ali Trophy.

DAZN’s free trial also could include an October 6 card from Chicago, in which welterweight contender Jessie Vargas will meet Thomas Dulorme in the main event, as well as an October 20 show from Boston, which will feature WBO middleweight champ Billy Joe Saunders against Demetrius Andrade in the main event.

The same night as Saunders-Andrade, DAZN also will begin broadcasting fights within the World Boxing Super Series’ bantamweight and cruiserweight tournaments from Orlando, Florida. DAZN also owns the broadcast rights to the WBSS’ super lightweight tournament, which will begin October 27 in New Orleans.

In all, DAZN has committed to offering at least 50 live boxing events each year.

“I think one of the challenges we face is boxing fans, some of them are probably thinking, ‘Who are these guys? What is this thing?,’ ” Markowski said. “But I think when we start showing the production quality and you start seeing what DAZN looks and feels like, the perception challenge we have I think will start to shift.

“I think you’re not far away from, before the end of this year or early into next year, seeing major pay-per-view-level fights on DAZN delivered in that standard – a free first-month trial and a rolling $9.99-per-month subscription. So no pay-per-view, but pay-per-view-quality fights. That’s what makes or breaks our business on the boxing side.”

Making what truly would be considered pay-per-view-level boxing events for its subscribers obviously will be easier said than done. Thus far, promoter Eddie Hearn, who’s working on DAZN’s behalf as part of an eight-year deal announced in May, has had difficulty luring established boxers away from other networks.

He has either made offers or expressed interest in welterweight champions Errol Spence Jr. and Keith Thurman, and former four-division champion Adrien Broner, one of the most proven ratings producers in the sport, among others.

Beyond Joshua and Amir Khan, both of whom have contracts with Hearn’s promotional company, Matchroom Boxing, Hearn has been able to secure DAZN deals with Vargas, Andrade, IBF light heavyweight champ Artur Beterbiev, IBF super featherweight champ Tevin Farmer, WBO junior welterweight champ Maurice Hooker, heavyweight contender Jarrell Miller, WBA super bantamweight champ Danny Roman and IBF women’s lightweight champ Katie Taylor. Those are all quality fighters, but those signings haven’t quite made the type of widespread splash fans and media might’ve expected when Hearn announced the DAZN deal could be worth as much as $1 billion during a press conference in Manhattan four months ago.

Sensibly, DAZN won’t restrict itself to showing fights that only include boxers Hearn promotes through Matchroom Boxing or Matchroom Boxing USA.

It recently made an aggressive bid to win the broadcast rights for the Eleider Alvarez-Sergey Kovalev light heavyweight rematch. The promoters for Kovalev (Kathy Duva) and Alvarez (Yvon Michel) ultimately chose to bring that fight to ESPN, which they chose over DAZN and HBO, which has televised each of Kovalev’s past 14 fights either live on that network or on pay-per-view.

Hearn will continue to take that ambitious approach to other attractive fights thanks to the deep pockets of Perform Group, the parent company of DAZN.

“We understand that Eddie Hearn can’t make the blockbuster, pay-per-view-level show every weekend,” Markowski said. “It’s impossible. The world of boxing can’t produce that. But we’ll work with a number of promoters to maintain a level of interest every month for a fight fan for them to see value in maintaining a subscription, and at a low price point of $9.99.”

DAZN – which plans to eventually broadcast more sports than boxing and mixed martial arts – has spared no expense in launching this ambitious venture in the United States.

It has made Michael Buffer, the famous ring announcer synonymous with big boxing matches, to an exclusive deal that only permits him to introduce fighters for DAZN cards. DAZN also has hired a broadcasting team that’ll feature former ESPN boxing analyst Brian Kenny as its blow-by-blow announcer and “Sugar” Ray Leonard as an analyst.

Perform Group’s investment also has enabled Hearn to pay substantial sums of money to the fighters willing to compete on an unknown platform.

Speculation persisted prior to an official announcement that DAZN would cost more than $10 per month.

It’s still twice as expensive as ESPN+, which offers more live events in a variety of professional and college sports. Markowski stressed, however, that it’s less expensive than HBO and Showtime per month and doesn’t cost much more for one year ($119.88) than what most cable and satellite subscribers paid to watch the Canelo Alvarez-Gennady Golovkin rematch Saturday night from T-Mobile Arena ($84.99 in HD).

“For the working man, $84.99 is a lot of money,” Markowski said. “And $9.99 is an amount of money that people pay in New York City for a beer or a small plate of food at a bar. It’s not an amount of money that is gonna impede people from joining the platform. We are all about the democratization of sport. We think you shouldn’t be impeded from consuming content because you can’t afford a $200-a-month cable subscription, plus a regular pay-per-view. That’s insane. It actually harms the sport long-term. Having a low price point of $9.99 engages you with fans, a younger base of fans, potentially, who may have spent their time on YouTube or elsewhere if we had priced it at a higher price point.

“From a business perspective, we wanted to make sure it’s an amount of money that people, even if they’re not watching it on a daily basis, because it’s a fight sport channel and by nature an event-based business model, they can live with parting with $9.99 a month. When they look at their bank statement at the end of the month, it’s not an amount of money that they say, ‘I’ve got to get rid of that.’ ”

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.

Robert Garcia: I Want Mikey-Loma, But Spence is Easier To Make

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Boxing Scene - 8/30/2018 - By Miguel Rivera

Robert Garcia, the head trainer and older brother of IBF, WBC lightweight champion Mikey Garcia (39-0, 30 KOs), would love to see his brother in a unification with WBA champion Vasiliy Lomachenko.

Mikey is hoping to move up by two weight division, to the welterweight limit of 147-pounds, to challenge IBF world champion Errol Spence.

Mikey has captured world titles at featherweight, super featherweight, lightweight and junior welterweight.

But Robert would rather see his brother take on other opponents - with Lomachenko being at the top of that list.

The fight Lomachenko is very difficult to make, because the two-time Olympic gold medal winner fights exclusively on ESPN - while Mikey is aligned with Showtime. Regardless of the money involved, Lomachenko is not fighting on a network outside of ESPN.

And the fight that Mikey likes is a clash with current WBA "regular" welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao.

There have been some discussions with Pacquiao's team, and the fight could be a lot easier to make since the Filipino star is promotional free agent and not tied to any network.

Robert does admit that a clash with Spence is the easiest to make of the three. Spence fights on Showtime - and both he and Garcia have a working relationship with powerful adviser Al Haymon.

"I would like Lomachenko first, it's a very big fight, he's regarded as one of the best in the world, very smart, fast, calculating and difficult and it was a good challenge for Mikey in Lightweight, that was the ideal fight for me," Robert Garcia told ESPN Deportes.

"After that, it's Manny Pacquiao. There are possibilities of that fight right now, now that he's free of his contract. And then there is Spence, but I think the easiest fight to do is with Spence... the two work with Al Haymon, they have the support of Showtime and it's probably the one we will see."