ESPN+, 7:30 pm ET, Jose Ramirez vs Viktor Postol, Arnold Barboza Jr vs Tony Luis. Ramirez defends his WBC and WBO junior welterweight titles against former titlist and current WBC mandatory Postol. This fight is forever linked with the coronavirus; it was the first notable event that was canceled by the pandemic, even before it really made it out of China, as these two were supposed to fight Feb. 1 in China. Then it was going to be May. Now it’s finally happening in August. They’ve certainly had a while to think about it. Barboza-Luis isn’t a terrible co-feature. Ramirez, 28, is the strong favorite in this fight, in his prime and fighting well, but the technical skills of the 36-year-old Postol can’t be completely discounted
Has there been any talk of doing it outside in a bigger space and getting some people in but being able to space out, or is that not even being considered over there?
Sept. 5: Las Vegas (ESPN+) Title fight: Jamel Herring vs. Jonathan Oquendo, 12 rounds, for Herring's WBO junior lightweight title Steven Nelson vs. DeAndre Ware, 10 rounds, super middleweights Janiel Rivera vs. Jesse Rodriguez, TBA, junior bantamweights Jared Anderson vs. Rodney Hernandez, TBA, heavyweights D'Andre Smith vs. Christopher Gonzalez, TBA, welterweights Ruben Cervera vs. Rennard Oliver, TBA, lightweights Edward Vazquez vs. Adan Ochoa, TBA, featherweights Jose Martinez vs. Rashiem Jefferson, TBA, featherweights Sept. 6: Los Angeles(FOX) Title fight: Yordenis Ugas vs. Abel Ramos, 12 rounds, for the vacant WBA "regular" title Jesus Ramos vs. Esteban Garcia, 8 rounds, junior welterweights Omar Juarez vs. Dakota Linger, 8 rounds, welterweights Cody Crowley vs. Josh Torres, 10 rounds, welterweights Batyr Akhmedov vs. Rey Perez, 10 rounds, junior welterweights Leduan Barthelemy vs. Recky Dulay, 6 rounds, lightweights
Sept. 19: Las Vegas (ESPN+) 6:30 central Jose Pedraza vs. Javier Molina, 10 rounds, junior welterweights Efe Ajagba vs. Jonnie Rice, 10 rounds, heavyweights Robeisy Ramirez vs. Felix Caraballo, 8 rounds, featherweights Christian Montano vs. Ryan Adams, 6 rounds, super middleweights Leo Ruiz vs. Rodrigo Solis, 6 rounds, junior middleweights Bryan Lua vs. Luis Norambuena, 4 rounds, lightweights Jahi Tucker vs. Deandre Anderson, 4 rounds, welterweights Kasir Goldston vs. Isaiah Varnell, 4 rounds, welterweights Frevian Gonzalez vs. Carlos Marrero, 4 rounds, junior lightweights Sept. 19: Uncasville, Connecticut (Showtime) 8:00 central Erickson Lubin vs. Terrell Gausha, 12 rounds, WBC junior middleweight title eliminator Tugstsogt Nyambayar vs. Eduardo Ramirez, 10 rounds, featherweights Jaron Ennis vs. Juan Carlos Abreu, 10 rounds, welterweights
ESPN+, 7:30 pm ET, Jose Pedraza vs Javier Molina, Efe Ajagba vs Jonathan Rice. Top Rank returns with yet another show, this one more in the spirit of the first run of “Bubble” shows, as was this weekend’s Kavaliauskas-Zewski event. Pedraza-Molina will maybe tell us a bit more about Pedraza at 140, where he’s lost to Jose Zepeda but handily beaten Mikkel LesPierre. Zepeda’s a contender and LesPierre has one of the most paper-thin records in boxing right now. Molina is somewhere between that, I’d say. Ajagba is making his Top Rank debut after recently moving over from PBC.
SHO, 9:00 pm ET, Erickson Lubin vs Terrell Gausha, Tugstsogt Nyambayar vs Cobia Breedy, Jaron Ennis vs Juan Carlos Abreu. This isn’t a MASSIVE card or anything, but three decent matchups. Lubin-Gausha is a WBC eliminator at 154 pounds, while Nyambayar-Breedy is a replacement for Nyambayar vs Eduardo Ramirez. Ennis-Abreu figures to be more showcase, but “Boots” Ennis is one of the most exciting prospects in the sport and is in the right camp to make a significant push at 147
I just want to say what a complete joke the Charlo fights are PPV next week. They will get no buys for that
Sept. 23: Los Angeles (Fox Sports 1) Now Nestor Bravo vs. Jose Luis Gallegos, 10 rounds, lightweights Ranfis Encarnacion vs. Victor Pasillas, 10 rounds, featherweights Maidel Sando vs. Genc Pllana, 8 rounds, super middleweights
Canelo Alvarez offered deal from DAZN worth upward of $20M per bout: Sources A 10-hour mediation session on Tuesday between Canelo Alvarez, DAZN chief operating officer Ed McCarthy, Golden Boy Promotions’ Oscar De La Hoya and Eric Gomez, along with the respective legal teams of all three parties, brings renewed hope boxing’s top star could return this year, sources tell The Athletic’s Mike Coppinger. The session wrapped up around 11 p.m. ET, sources said, and the tenor of the meeting was described as calm. The mediator received DAZN’s contract with Golden Boy along with the promotion’s pact with Alvarez during the Zoom meeting. The language pertaining to approval rights over Alvarez's opponents doesn’t mesh in the two deals, a major point of contention in the lead-up to the boxer's lawsuit against both parties. DAZN offered Alvarez a restructured deal during the mediation process, sources said, that would pay the Mexican icon upward of $20 million guaranteed per fight, along with upside tied to how many DAZN subscribers each event generates. The offer is similar in structure to the way boxers are paid for pay-per-view events, where they earn a certain amount of dollars for every show purchase over a certain plateau. How we got here Lance Pugmire, senior writer: What began as the coronation of the richest contract in North American sports history (11 fights, $365 million) quickly unwound because the streaming service DAZN and Alvarez, the sport’s pound-for-pound best fighter, had separate contracts with De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions. DAZN’s deal with Golden Boy called for one bout against a “premium” opponent each year at the steaming service’s sole discretion, and they fully expected a trilogy fight between Alvarez and his fierce rival and middleweight champion Gennadiy Golovkin. Golden Boy’s deal with Alvarez suggested opponent approval was up to fighter and promoter. Thus, friction built as Alvarez selected non-Golovkin opponents, with DAZN insisting they were verbally promised Alvarez-GGG 3 by Golden Boy. When it came time for DAZN to pay another $35 million for another non-GGG event this fall, they paused and Alvarez’s counterpunch was this month’s $280 million breach-of-contract lawsuit against both DAZN and Golden Boy. What comes next? Mike Coppinger, boxing insider: The new offer suggests Alvarez and DAZN share in the opponent approval process with a wider pool of fighters available. In theory, Alvarez could earn more than the $35 million guaranteed in his original deal signed in 2018 if he fought someone like Golovkin. The first two meetings between Alvarez and GGG each pulled in over 1 million PPV buys. Alvarez is mulling the offer, per sources, as he weighs continuing the legal battle and the opportunity cost of pushing ahead. He already missed out on his spring payday due to the novel coronavirus and if he’s going to fight in 2020, time is of the essence. Super middleweight titleholders Callum Smith and Billy Joe Saunders are considered the front-runners if an agreement is struck that would allow Alvarez to fight in November or December. After the lawsuit was filed earlier this month, it was dismissed due to an error related to properly identifying where DAZN and Golden Boy do business. It’s an easy fix, and Alvarez’s side has until Monday to refile the suit. If he doesn’t, of course, that would be an indication a deal is near.
Not sure $20M and some DAZN sub upside is enough. Is Smith or Saunders going to drive a bunch of new subs to watch the fight? I wouldn’t think so.
That fits for Manny. Big payday, not in the US for tax purposes, and minimal risk so he can fight more afterwards.