The
Middleweight unification bout between Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Daniel Jacobs
was much-anticipated. Anticipated because like most “Big” or “Mega” fights,
this unification fight pitted two of the best fighters not only in their
division, but in the entire sport against each other with both putting their
respective claims to a world championship, in this case the World Middleweight
championship on the line. A fight like this also had something unique going for
it that in a way set it apart from other battles like this throughout the
history of the sport. Instead of an encounter like this being sold on a
pay-per-view basis as many similar bouts over the last thirty years have been,
this unification bout was the first “Major” fight to be offered exclusively on
an Over The Top (OTT) digital streaming network platform.
As
readers might recall, this observer penned a column that was released here at
The Boxing Truth® back in December 2015 titled “Is It Time For “Big Time”Boxing To Go Over The Top?” A column that discussed the rise of OTT digital
distribution and the rise of streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon
Prime Video to name a few. The primary intention of that column now going on
four years ago was to illustrate the potential the growing OTT realm had for
the sport of Boxing and the sports genre as a whole. In the years since I wrote
that column, a regular theme here on the website has been the continued growth
of streaming platforms and how the sport should gradually shift toward the
future and away from the traditional “Pay-Per-View” medium, which yours truly
has called an overpriced and undervalued model.
While I don’t want to go into every aspect that I covered in that
column, I did conclude the column by saying “Even though seeing Boxing’s next “Big” or “Super” fight
offered on an OTT basis to consumers may appear to be wishful thinking in the
eyes of some, as the trend of “Cord-Cutting” continues to grow one can only
imagine the potential audience that Boxing’s next marquee event could be
missing out on. It is something that the powers that be in the sport should
consider.”
As
most Boxing fans know, the growth of streaming as a preferred choice of
consumers has only continued to grow in the years since I wrote that
column. Boxing fans are also likely aware that the year 2018 saw a major shift
in terms of the broadcast options that are available to consumers, which will
over time have a significant impact on the pay-per-view medium. The advent of
digital sports subscription-based streaming networks ESPN+ and DAZN.
Two
digital streaming network platforms that have served as game changers for Boxing
as well as all of sports. Although readers who regularly read the work of this
observer are likely aware of the coverage I have provided regarding both
networks, for the purposes of this column, we will be focusing on DAZN.
DAZN,
(Pronounced DA-Zone) which initially launched internationally in 2016,
officially entered the U.S. market in September of last year. In the time since
their entrance into the U.S. market, DAZN has quickly become one of Boxing’s
major players and has served as a viable competitor to traditional
cable/satellite networks as well as the pay-per-view medium. Despite providing
great value staging multiple cards per month all included with a DAZN
subscription with multiple promoters and their respective stables to Boxing
fans, there remains a segment of fan that remains skeptical to the changing
times. One complaint yours truly has heard on more than one occasion has been a
perceived lack of cards deemed pay-per-view level or “PPV quality” for short.
While I as I have said in the past disagree with this, the first event for DAZN
that most would call pay-per-view due to the anticipation of the event took
place on May 4th at the
T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV as Saul “Canelo” Alvarez met Daniel Jacobs. Two
world champions putting their respective crowns on the line to further unify
the 160lb. Middleweight division.
While
this fight also pitted two of the best fighters in the world against each
other, this also was an interesting clash of styles between two boxer/punchers.
In previewing this fight, I stated that it was crucial in my mind that Jacobs
impose his will on Alvarez early in the fight given his naturally bigger size.
Although Jacobs did not implement this strategy, it was not surprising to see a
tactical fight fought between the two fighters.
While
I do not want to give the reader a long drawn out round by round analysis of
this fight as it might be too complex for some, this was what one would think
of when they think of a close battle between two highly skilled boxers. As is
often the case when it comes to close fights as this observer has said
frequently over the years, it will often come down to what a judge prefers in
their own individual criteria based on clean punching, effective aggression,
ring generalship, and defense. It can however, be a challenge for both those
watch a fight as well as those scoring a fight to determine who got the better
of the action particularly in rounds where both fighters are able to have
periods of success. Rounds that are commonly referred to within the sport as
“Swing Rounds” where what can determine who wins a round could come down to a
moment, a notable punch, and can have varying opinions as to who got the upper
hand.
The
challenge in this fight was in part to distinguish a fighter’s overall activity
from what may have been more effective. From my perspective it appeared while
Jacobs was the more active of the two in spots, it was Alvarez who seemed to
land the harder punches throughout the fight. This resulted in my scoring
several close rounds that were on the table in Alvarez’ favor. It did not
however, take away Jacobs’ ability to be dangerous and effective in spots
including nailing Alvarez with a flush left hook to the jaw in the ninth round
that was attention-grabbing. Quite frankly the type of left hook that Jacobs
was able to land would have knocked many Middleweights down if not have been a
fight ender for some.
Although
Jacobs landed the punch of the fight in my eyes, Alvarez showed he had the
ability to take it and this in addition to Jacobs not seeming to land more
telling blows consistently led to him losing this fight in my opinion as I
ended up scoring the fight 117-111 or nine rounds to three in favor of Alvarez.
Two of three official judges scored the fight 115-113 or seven rounds to five
in Alvarez’ favor, while the third judge scored it 116-112 or eight rounds to
four making Alvarez the winner by unanimous decision at the end of the twelve
round world championship unification bout.
What
can be a misunderstanding about a scorecard that gives the impression of a
lopsided fight in the eyes of some, such as my 117-111 score of this fight, is
it can give the wrong impression as to how competitive and close a fight can be
round by round. Speaking only for myself, if two of those close “Swing Rounds”
that I ended up scoring for Alvarez particularly in the first half of the fight
had been scored the other way, I would have arrived with a 115-113 (7-5)
scorecard at the end of the fight. In short, Daniel Jacobs simply left too many
rounds on the table to win this fight, in my opinion.
As
for what comes next for both Alvarez and Jacobs, there are some interesting
possibilities that could be open to both. For the former IBF Middleweight world
champion Daniel Jacobs, I believe it is logical to think that he will now
attempt to move up to the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division where he will
likely be in the discussion for some lucrative fights against some of the top
fighters the division has to offer. Who Jacobs might face first as a
Super-Middleweight is anyone’s guess, but I would like to see him face someone
who is viewed as a fringe contender to test the waters at the higher weight
before setting his sights on challenging for a world title in a second weight
class.
For
Saul Alvarez, all attention will now be focused on the June 8th bout
between former longtime Middleweight world champion Gennady Golovkin and undefeated
contender Steve Rolls, which will take place at Madison Square Garden in New
York, NY. If Golovkin is successful against Rolls, the logical next step would
be a third encounter between Golovkin and Alvarez.
While
Alvarez himself could move up again in weight to the Super-Middleweight
division or, look to a fight with undefeated WBO Middleweight world champion
Demetrius Andrade, in a fight that would be for the Undisputed Middleweight
world championship, there is likely more demand for a third fight with Gennady
Golovkin at the present time. More demand after two highly competitive fights
that are still the subject of debate as to who won those battles among Boxing
fans, but more specifically demand from a different entity.
This
brings us back to DAZN. DAZN has invested significantly in Boxing, but a
challenge that the network will face as a subscription-based digital network that is
aiming to end the pay-per-view model in the sport is to continue to look to put
on fights that will be in demand. While this is a subject that can change
frequently depending on one’s perspective, the network has been wise to invest
in several promoters in the sport and to not for lack of a better term put all
their eggs in one basket. Among the fighters that have signed with DAZN in
addition to Alvarez is Gennady Golovkin.
As
most Boxing fans know, the first two bouts between Alvarez and Golovkin were
each main events on pay-per-view cards broadcast under the now inactive HBO
Pay-Per-View banner with each card being sold to the public for $70. With both
fighters now fighting under the DAZN banner and with unfinished business
between the two to be resolved, it makes all the sense in the world that the
network would want to stage a third fight as not only a major event for its
network platform, but for it to be used as a way to further drive home the value
of the subscription-based model as compared to the pay-per-view model.
One
of the major news stories to come out in the days following Alvarez’ victory
over Daniel Jacobs was the announcement from DAZN that 1.2 million subscribers
viewed the event. When one factors in that traditional pay-per-view numbers
have generally declined with few exceptions in the last decade, this is an
indication that the sport is moving in the right direction by adapting a
reasonable cost subscription-based direct to consumer option compared to the model
of pay-per-view. If a third encounter between Alvarez and Golovkin is not in
the works for later this year, of course assuming Golovkin gets by Steve Rolls,
there is one alternative that I believe will satisfy Boxing fans if a third
fight is not made until some time in 2020.
Demetrius
Andrade, the undefeated WBO champion is currently rumored to defend his crown
in the summer. Although yours truly doesn’t necessarily like to gossip on
rumors, if Andrade does indeed defend his portion of the World Middleweight
championship in the summer and is successful, and if Golovkin is successful
against Steve Rolls, a viable option could be for Andrade to face Golovkin
later this year with the winner facing Alvarez for the Undisputed Middleweight
crown in 2020. While there obviously is no guarantee that Golovkin will defeat
Rolls then go on to face and defeat Andrade, if such a scenario were to happen
and ultimately result in another chapter in the Alvarez-Golovkin rivalry, it
would make the third encounter even bigger as it would be a “Winner Take All”
scenario where one world champion would finally be determined.
Such
a scenario would also be in place for Andrade if he were to face and defeat
Golovkin. For a fighter who up until recent times had had difficulty fighting
frequently, this would pretty much resemble a winning lottery ticket for
Andrade to go from being sporadically active, to becoming a world champion, to
getting an opportunity to potentially face two of the top stars in the sport as
a world champion.
How
this will all play out remains to be seen. If however, all of this can take
place in a relatively reasonable timeframe on DAZN’s platform and in the
process also provide further exposure to rising prospects also competing on
these cards, the real winners will continue to be DAZN subscribers and the
sport in the long-term. Even though there were reports that some experienced
problems streaming the Alvarez-Jacobs card, overall it was a win for the
network and a significant sign of continued building momentum. If the network
can set an example of continuing to put on solid cards for its subscribers,
continue to look to put on fights where there is significant interest, and to be
more specific do so in s reasonable timeframe, a frequent issue throughout the
history of the sport when rival promoters and networks have been involved in
staging major fights, it will force other networks and platforms to raise their
game to put on the best fights and cards possible.
If
it all results in the Boxing fan no longer being asked to pay an inflated fee
for one Boxing card where said fan is only offered a portion of a full card for
the price, it will be an even bigger win for the sport.
“And
That’s The Boxing Truth.”
The
Boxing Truth®️ is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.
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