Alvarez Proves Why There Are Weight Classes In Dominant Victory Over Charlo

 

The hype that preceded the encounter between Undisputed Super-Middleweight world champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and former Undisputed Jr. Middleweight world champion Jermell Charlo was largely based on the fact that for the first time in modern Boxing history, two fighters, who were undisputed world champions in their respective weight classes at the same time, would face each other as one would move up significantly in weight to challenge the other for his crown. There was however, the small wrinkle in that once Jermell Charlo entered the ring at the T-Mobile Arena on September 30th to face Alvarez, his status as an undisputed champion would no longer be current as it had been known in the weeks prior to the fight that the World Boxing Organization (WBO) would be stripping Charlo of it’s world championship in the 154lb. Jr. Middleweight division for failing to defend its championship against undefeated number one contender Tim Tszyu. A fight that was supposed to take place, but one that would not be due to Charlo opting to take a high-risk, high-reward gamble by moving up fourteen pounds and two weight divisions to challenge Alvarez.

While it is never good to see an undisputed world championship broken up for any reason, much less the business elements that be in the sport of Boxing, one could make what would be a persuasive argument that economically as things stand in the sport, the fight with Alvarez was the more financially rewarding of the two fights, despite the fact that Tszyu, much like his father, the Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu, is rapidly becoming a star on the rise in the sport in routinely drawing massive crowds in his native Australia. Nevertheless, whenever a fighter makes a leap up the weight scale as Charlo was attempting in this fight with Alvarez, it is intriguing because of the obvious challenge that it presents in facing a fighter who theoretically is naturally bigger, and stronger at a heavier weight.

Although Alvarez has spent the majority of the last several years fighting either in the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division or briefly at the 175lb. Light-Heavyweight division, he was once a Jr. Middleweight much like Charlo, so it was conceivable at least on paper, that Charlo may be able to move up and be competitive with Alvarez if not be as dominant as he had been at 154lbs. Alvarez would show from the opening bell that he is a fighter who is truly in rare company in having the ability to move up in weight and be dominant and in doing so, also show that it is something that is not an easy accomplishment to achieve. The Super-Middleweight champion of the world immediately put Charlo on the defensive in landing short, but thudding punches and in the process applying consistent pressure. 

What impressed me about this fight was Alvarez’ ability to not only apply pressure on Charlo, who tried to use lateral movement to be elusive and offset that pressure, but more specifically, the way he was able to cut off the ring. This limited Charlo’s ability to move and also established a clear pattern for which the fight would be fought. Alvarez, pushing Charlo back, landing hard punches and controlling the tempo of the combat from start to finish. A pattern that also limited Charlo’s offensive output. In some ways, Alvarez’ approach in this fight brought back memories of a legendary world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. in terms of how Alvarez looked to gradually break Charlo down. It seemed as though similar to so many opponents that Chavez fought over his Hall of Fame career, that Alvarez was on the verge of doing that in the seventh round when he connected with a right hand that forced Charlo to take a knee.

To Charlo’s credit, he was able to survive and as the fight progressed did try to land something in an attempt to turn the ebb and flow in his favor. It just was not Charlo’s night as Alvarez would close out the fight to earn a convincing twelve round unanimous decision to retain his Undisputed Super-Middleweight championship of the world. 

Ultimately, this proved to be a fight that can be summed up as a bigger fighter besting a smaller fighter. In terms of his performance, it is arguable that in addition to moving up fourteen pounds for this fight that inactivity in addition to time needed to recover from a broken hand, likely worked against Charlo in this fight. Jermell Charlo can hold his head up high however, for performing well and going the distance under circumstances where some may have been discouraged to the point where they might not have wanted to finish the fight. Charlo is still a unified world champion in the Jr. Middleweight division holding the world championships of the World Boxing Council (WBC), World Boxing Association (WBA), and International Boxing Federation (IBF). Coming out of this fight, Charlo has stated that he intends to move back down to 154lbs. and the obvious fight to make would be with Tim Tszyu, who is now recognized as the WBO’s Jr. Welterweight world champion in what would be an opportunity for Charlo to fully unify the division twice, something that has not been done in the history of the sport. 

When that potential fight could take place will depend on two things. The most obvious among them is Tszyu is scheduled to make his first title defense on October 14th against current WBO number two rated contender Brian Mendoza in Broadbeach, Australia. Charlo will obviously have to wait for the outcome of that fight before any potential plans could be set in motion for a fight between him and Tszyu. The second and perhaps more serious issue depending on one’s perspective might be the current state of the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) group of promoters, whom Charlo currently fights under. It is no secret to those that follow the sport that several fighters who have fought under the PBC banner for several years have begun to seek opportunities fighting under different promoters and different television and streaming networks that currently do not have broadcast deals with the PBC. This in addition to what has been an increasingly sporadic list of dates for the PBC to stage cards through its existing broadcast deal with United States premium cable network Showtime as well as persistent speculation that the network’s parent company Paramount Global is intending to exit the sport of Boxing at the conclusion of 2023, in a similar way as former longtime rival and one of the sport’s prominent players HBO had done at the conclusion of 2018 following a significant merger and restructuring of its then parent company AT&T and WarnerMedia. Paramount has been undergoing a significant restructuring of itself and its properties including Showtime over the course of 2023 and if a decision has indeed been made to back out of Boxing as many have speculated, it will likely put the PBC in a dire situation after previously losing its broadcast deal with Fox Sports here in the United States, who subsequently did not broadcast any Boxing programming either on Fox television stations throughout the country or on Fox Sports branded cable networks throughout 2023.  While if indeed Paramount does pull the plug on Showtime’s thirty-seven year involvement in the sport, and such a decision could likely be tied to an overuse as well as overpricing of the outdated pay-per-view model, in terms of the immediate impact on the fighters such as Charlo, who are affiliated with the PBC, it may lead to even more sporadic in ring activity, which has already proved to have at best mixed results for fighters who have sought opportunities under different promoters and networks.

As for Saul Alvarez, his victory over Jermell Charlo was the first in a three-fight agreement with the PBC and if the PBC group of promoters do indeed lose their broadcast deal with Showtime, it will be interesting to see if Alvarez attempts to return to digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN, who have broadcast many of his bouts since December 2018 either as part of its subscription service or on a pay-per-view basis, and perhaps if that previous working relationship might lead to the PBC seeking a deal with the network or at least as a means of fulfilling the remaining two fights in its deal with Alvarez. While obviously, we do not know currently who those potential fights will be against, Alvarez for his part says he just wants to fight and it is likely given that Alvarez is the undisputed champion of the Super-Middleweight division that he will spend his next few fights fulfilling his mandatory defense obligations of the various titles he holds. After previously scoring a twelve round unanimous decision over previous WBO number one contender John Ryder earlier this year, that would leave Alvarez with three defenses to fulfill obligations to the IBF, WBC, and WBA, before the process refreshes for a new slate of mandatory challengers. Who those fights will be against and on what broadcast/streaming platform is obviously up in the air.

Although as of this writing there is no word as to how successful the Alvarez-Charlo bout did in terms of pay-per-view buys at an $85 price point through Showtime Pay-Per-View here in the United States, with another longtime television network that overall has been good for Boxing appearing to be nearing an exit, Boxing’s Pay-Per-View problem and what appears to be an unwillingness of some promoters and maybe even some fighters, who have been conditioned to the belief that pay-per-view is the only way to earn additional revenue, even as evidence of the need to change continues to become more clear, remains an issue for the sport as 2024 nears. 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

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Alvarez-Charlo A Landmark Moment In Boxing History?

There are numerous stories throughout Boxing history where world champions in one weight division in seeking a challenge will opt to move up in weight to fight for another world championship. While the fact that there are multiple world sanctioning organizations and thus, multiple world championships per weight division has made the process of a champion moving up to challenge for another world title a bit easier, it is still an accomplishment that can prove difficult to pull off. 

In the case of former Undisputed Jr. Middleweight world champion Jermell Charlo, he is preparing to take what some would call a bigger risk as he will move up in weight by two weight divisions to challenge Undisputed Super-Middleweight world champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez for the Undisputed Super-Middleweight championship of the world on September 30th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV.

The fight, which can be seen here in the United States on Showtime Pay-Per-View, has been marketed as the first time in Boxing history that two undisputed champions have faced off against each other. Charlo will technically still be the undisputed champion of the 154lb. Jr. Middleweight division when he enters the ring to face Alvarez, when the bell rings for round one, he will no longer be an undisputed champion of the Jr. Middleweight division as he will be stripped of the World Boxing Organization (WBO) championship for failing to defend his title against undefeated WBO number one contender Tim Tszyu.

The technicalities and elements of the business of Boxing aside, Charlo is nevertheless attempting something that few have attempted by leaping up two divisions to challenge one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world in Alvarez, as well as one of the top drawing cards in the sport. What type of fight we might see from a stylistic standpoint may come down to who is able to dictate the pace early on as both Alvarez and Charlo are boxer/punchers who can do a little of everything, but each also has the ability to adapt during the course of a fight. 

While some may point to the weight issue in that Charlo is moving up fourteen pounds to face Alvarez, this observer feels the more telling issue might be Charlo's lack of activity going into this encounter. Charlo has only fought twice in the last two years and while that is due to both his suffering a broken hand while in training for a scheduled title defense against Tim Tszyu, as well as the current state of the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) group of promoters that have seen many of those who have fought under the PBC banner seek other opportunities in an attempt to stay active, the biggest enemy of any fighter is inactivity and this in addition to the moving up fourteen pounds might work against Charlo.

In contrast to his challenger, Alvarez has been quite active for a fighter considered to be on the elite level of the sport in fighting six times over the last two years with the only blemish coming against undefeated WBA Light-Heavyweight world champion Dmitry Bivol in May of last year in a failed attempt by Alvarez to become a two-time Light-Heavyweight world champion. Despite that setback and otherwise being dominant in the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division over that stretch, there are some who might wonder if Alvarez is approaching the twilight of his career in that he has only scored one knockout during that stretch, which came against Avni Yildirim in February 2021. Although some might question whether Alvarez might be in decline because of a perception that he might not be able to end a fight inside the distance, he has nevertheless been dominant and in comparison, he would appear to have the advantage going into this fight.

It can be all too tempting at times to fall into the hype they surrounds a fight. In this case, this could be viewed as a landmark moment in the history of the sport because of the fact of at least on the surface of two undisputed champions facing each other, but with Boxing fans once again being asked to shell out funds at an expensive price to see this encounter, one can only hope that it turns out to be a competitive fight if not a great one. With so many events of a similar price falling to live up to such hype, a competitive bout where each fighter brings the best of what they have into the ring would be seen as a success even if it is at the expense of the Boxing fan.

"And That's The Boxing Truth."

Alvarez vs. Charlo takes place on Saturday, September 30th at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The fight can be seen on Showtime Pay-Per-View in the United States for $84.99 at 8PM ET/5PM PT and will be available through traditional cable/satellite providers and the Showtime app on mobile, tablet, and connected streaming devices and Smart TVs. Contact your cable/satellite provider or visit www.SHO.com/PPV for information on how to order and view this event via the Showtime app as well as a list of compatible devices. 

(*Card and Start Time Subject To Change.*)

(*Check your local listings Internationally.*)

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Spence-Crawford: Boxing's Latest SuperFight For Welterweight Supremacy

Boxing's 147lb. Welterweight division has historically been one of the sport's most glamorous divisions full of historic battles featuring some of its biggest stars. Sometimes the term "SuperFight," which this observer only uses when he feels it is truly warranted and not as a mere term for the sole purpose of hype, not only features the top stars in the sport, but also has the rare distinction of bringing resolution to a division such as determining an undisputed world champion. Such a fight will take place on Saturday, July 29th as the two undefeated world champions of the division Errol Spence and Terence Crawford will finally meet to determine the first Undisputed Welterweight champion of the world since 1985 and the first since the inception of the World Boxing Organization (WBO) in 1989. A fight that can be seen on Showtime Pay-Per-View here in the United States

Quite frankly, one could write a column discussing why it has taken thirty-eight years for the Welterweight division to reach this milestone. For historical reference, in December 1985 Donald Curry scored a brutal second round knockout of Milton McCrory to unify the crowns of the World Boxing Council (WBC), World Boxing Association (WBA), and International Boxing Federation (IBF). While the title remained undisputed for a time, by 1988, the championship was broken up due largely to the politics that be in the sport, but despite numerous unification bouts having taken place over the last thirty-eight years where portions of the World Welterweight championship were at stake, things could not seem to make it to the finish line to determine an undisputed champion.

Although this observer could spend all day and night talking about the ills of the politics that be in the sport that all too often stand in the way of such progress, it is truly a rarity when two undefeated world champions take a gamble like this for all the marbles. Despite the efforts of some to prevent a fight between Spence and Crawford from happening for whatever interests there may have been, this is an even more rare circumstance where the fight was largely made by the fighters themselves rather than gamesmanship between rival promoters and/or TV and digital streaming networks.

In terms of how the fight might shape up once the fighters are in the ring at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV, it is truly an interesting fight between two fighters that seem evenly matched. Both can box and both have the capability to end a fight suddenly with punching power should the opportunity arise. What this encounter might come down to may center on the subject of activity.

The activity in terms of recent time in competition between the two fighters. In that aspect, it is Crawford who holds the edge. Despite being the longest reigning world champion in the Welterweight division, Errol Spence has fought only once in the last three years. While this could be attributed to both injuries he suffered in a horrific car accident in 2019 as well as a retina injury, which caused him to pull out of a scheduled title defense against Manny Pacquiao in August 2021, it may also be attributable to the current state of the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) group of promoters, which Spence has fought under for the majority of his career, in that many fighters who have fought under the PBC banner have struggled to get fights on a consistent basis.

Whether it is the injuries he suffered, the state of the PBC, or a combination of all three, Spence is at a disadvantage when it comes to activity as Crawford has averaged one fight per year in the last three years. While not a significant difference in activity, it is important to keep in mind that both due to the politics that be in the sport as well as the economics of it that it is not uncommon for world champions and other fighters on the top level of the sport to average between one and two fights per year depending on what the circumstances might be at a given time. 

It would not surprise this observer however, to see Crawford attempt to apply pressure on Spence from the outset. While both fighters have the capability to end a fight quickly should the opportunity arise and as Crawford demonstrated in his last defense of his WBO crown with a one punch knockout of European Welterweight champion David Avanesyan last December, Crawford has also shown the ability to gradually break opponents down with consistent pressure as well as the ability to swarm his opponents with offense. When he has been able to be active on a consistent basis, Errol Spence has many of the same attributes as Crawford, but the element that Spence has not faced both due to his inactivity as well as against his most recent opponents, has been a fighter that is going to apply the type of pressure that Crawford likely will in this fight.

It will therefore be interesting to see how Spence will respond to being in a fight where he might not be able to dictate the ebb and flow of it and will be under circumstances where he will have to adapt for the first time in a significant period of his career. At least on paper, the comparison between the two fighters seems to tip in favor of Crawford going into this fight when the recent histories of the two as well as the element of Spence having not faced a fighter that will implement the type of pressure that Crawford will attempt are factored into the equation.

Nevertheless, when two undefeated world champions enter the ring with an undisputed world championship on the line there is always the element of suspense because even the most knowledgeable fan, or the most respected members of media who cover the sport, like yours truly, are not quite sure what will happen. Boxing history is filled with so many memorable classic encounters not just in regard to the Welterweight division, but in the entire sport that were thought of as fights that elevated Boxing up to a higher level, whether that level be in terms of prestige or one of exposure that opened the sport up to new eyes that have not previously seen the sport before. While it remains to be seen what this fight will do in regard to exposure with yet another expensive pay-per-view price tag of $84.99 attached, one can only hope that at the very least, this fight will be free from any controversy in the ring and free from any headaches for consumers that have been all too often seeking refunds after events like this due to glitches of the pay-per-view broadcast both on traditional pay-TV as well as streaming providers. It is my hope, despite all the ills in the sport including, but not limited to the pay-per-view model, that at least for one evening the sport of Boxing will get a boost from a marquee event that frankly is long overdue.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

Spence vs. Crawford takes place on Saturday, July 29th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The fight and a three fight undercard can be seen here in the United States on Showtime Pay-Per-View beginning at 8PM ET/5PM PT and will be available through the Showtime app on mobile, tablet, and connected streaming devices/Smart TVs as well as the PPV.com app and traditional cable/satellite providers for $84.99. To order through Showtime to access the event through the Showtime app please visit: www.Sho.com/PPV. Or visit www.PPV.com or contact your cable/satellite provider for ordering information. 

(*Card and Start time subject to change*)

(*Check your local listings internationally.*)

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison 

Is It Time For Federal Regulators To Step In Following Yet Another Pay-Per-View Crash?

Readers may recall in the summer of 2021, it had been my intention to cover the heavily hyped Mayweather-Paul exhibition bout. Unfortunately, I would be prevented from doing so, not because of a lack of trying on my part, not because of a lack of my paying a fee to legally access the event, as all who cover Boxing should do when they are unable to attend events in person if they want to cover events, as fans who otherwise want to watch the event should do as well, but because of an issue that caused the servers of United States premium cable network Showtime's streaming app to crash resulting in the event being unwatchable for most consumers and those of us who intended to cover the event, yours truly included. 

Some may recall in the aftermath of what was a fiasco, I penned a column detailing my experience that evening. To be fair to Showtime, I did receive a refund and an apology from the network for my experience that evening, which I did appreciate despite being prevented from covering the event and no on demand access of the event being given, despite what I had been told by representatives of the network prior to the event. Fast forward nearly two years later and unfortunately for Boxing fans and those of us in the media who rely on technology to ply our trades were treated to a similar experience that was to be honest on a much more important scale for the sport and it's future. This observer is referring to the April 22 pay-per-view event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV that was hailed by some as one that would "Save Boxing." An event headlined by two of Boxing's unbeaten and highest rising stars Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia in a highly anticipated catchweight bout.

Unlike the Mayweather-Paul debacle, this event would involve the participation of another network in addition to Showtime. The digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN, one that has been marketed as an alternative to the status quo in Boxing including the pay-per-view model, of which longtime readers know that I am a staunch critic of. The network as of last year however, in a controversial, but in some ways understandable move due in part to the economic effects of the global COVID-19 epidemic, as well as a way to bring fighters and promoters, who insist on the pay-per-view model to the table, began to implement the use of pay-per-view on what they insist will be a sporadic basis all the while raising their standard subscription prices to $224 per year or $24.99 per month.

Before I go any further, it is important for me to state for the record and for any possible critics that, despite the fact that I do not currently work for any other media outlet or network besides the outlet that this observer owns and operates here at The Boxing Truth®️, I have been vocal in my support of a subscription-based streaming model for the sport of Boxing that networks like DAZN and ESPN+ offer that are of better value to consumers for the price of either a monthly or annual subscription as compared to the overpriced and under valued model that pay-per-view has become, particularly here in the United States. Nevertheless, I have also been critical of both networks for using the pay-per-view model even on an occasional basis and to take it a step further and be a little more specific, doing so at the same price points that often begin at $70 per event that is not economically reasonable for consumers, much less offering value for existing subscribers. Something that will continue as long as the use of pay-per-view exists in the sport and to be more specific, offers little value to consumers in the process as price points continue to increase to let's be honest, asinine degrees with little or no explanation, much less accountability.

As for the Davis-Garcia card, I chose to access the event through DAZN in thinking that since I as a longtime subscriber, who has covered the vast majority of their Boxing events since their launch in September 2018 here in the United States, would at least have on demand access to the event afterwards if there were any issues with the live broadcast or if I simply wanted to watch the event again, as is standard for all DAZN programming. Unfortunately for yours truly, who wanted to cover the event and in particular the main event as well as many others who are either longtime subscribers to the network or subscribed simply to access the event through DAZN, my experience with DAZN that evening would resemble my experience with Mayweather-Paul nearly two years ago.

Despite the involvement of two networks for this event, the broadcast in North America was produced and handled by Showtime and merely simulcast on DAZN. While that was not a red flag as to what was to follow over the course of the evening, I feel it important to point out due to this not being an in-house DAZN production, which in my experience is normally top notch. 

In fairness, the evening, much like virtually every event including the ones I have covered that have aired on DAZN seemed like it would be a smooth one as I was able to observe the opening bout of the card, featuring Middleweight Elijah Garcia scoring a ten round unanimous decision over Kevin Salgado to remain unbeaten. As the broadcast continued, the feed, would begin to become very glitchy and as was the case with Mayweather-Paul, resulting in app crashing making not just the broadcast inaccessible, but hard to even open the app on my streaming devices of choice, an Apple TV as well as Roku. In a scenario that mirrored my experience with Mayweather-Paul, once DAZN's app crashed on Apple TV, I attempted to switch over to Roku to see if I could get the app to open and subsequently restore my feed of the broadcast.

Unfortunately for yours truly, even when I did succeed in getting the app to open and clicking on the broadcast, the glitches including buffering, freezing, pixelation, and yes, app crashing continued for the remainder of the evening. Thus, making my task of covering the main event as well as other bouts on the card for subsequent material down the line for readers an impossible task, at least in terms of being able to do it live or so I thought. 

Based on my previous experience with DAZN, which to be honest, is significant due to the volume of the network's schedule year over year as well as often week to week in a given month, I assumed that an on demand replay of the event, which is standard for all DAZN programming including their select pay-per-view events for seven days in terms of the full broadcast before individual fights of each card are made available in the network's deep Boxing archives, would be made available either overnight or early on Sunday morning as I have also had to take advantage of from time to time when for whatever reason I have not been able to cover an event live.

To my surprise and disappointment, no on demand replay was made available by the network after the event and as of this writing, six days after the event, is still unavailable as is any single bout on the card in the network's archives. In the interest of full disclosure with the reader, I like many of you who also ordered the card through DAZN, have spent the last several days attempting to reach out to the network to inquire about not only if/when an on demand replay would be made available, which frankly would appease yours truly, or if a replay would not be available, a refund of the pay-per-view price, which in the interest of honesty with the reader was $67.99 (Applicable taxes and fees included) as was offered to existing DAZN subscribers, which I have been one since prior to the network's U.S. launch in 2018.

As of this writing, my attempts to reach DAZN, despite my status of being in Boxing media and having an established communication with the network dating back prior to the 2018 launch, has been unsuccessful beyond getting a reply from their support team expressively apologizing and saying they were investigating the matter. This process, which I have documented on this observer's respective social media platforms, not as a means of shaming either DAZN or Showtime, but more so as a way of showing folks that there are those of us in the sport that contrary to the belief of some, that are in the same position as the average consumer in that there is no special treatment for media members who are unable to travel to events to cover them in person. The inadvertent advocacy of yours truly, as well as many fans and even some fellow media members have also taken to social media to share their experience and their desire to be refunded for an event they as well as I could not see, has had one simple message comprised in a hashtag. #DoRightByConsumers. A hashtag that I first used in the aftermath of Mayweather-Paul.

(*Update to the previous statement to follow at the conclusion of this column.)

Much like that event, the issue here seems to be the same. Showtime's servers being inadequate and unable to hold up to the demand from a technological standpoint resulting in glitches, app crashes, and the event becoming inaccessible. Now, the reader is probably asking one simple question "Beau, if the issue you experienced was through DAZN's app, why would Showtime's servers ultimately be to blame here?"

The simple answer though I am not an expert in tech engineering is that the event was merely simulcast on DAZN in the United States and Canada, meaning it was a standard production of a Showtime Pay-Per-View event as opposed to a joint production between two networks that we have seen from time to time in the past. The only thing resembling DAZN on this simulcast feed was the simple presence of DAZN's logo, which was positioned in the top left hand corner of the screen shortly after the broadcast began. When I began to have those all too familiar issues that I have experienced in covering some previous Showtime Pay-Per-View Boxing cards purchased through the Showtime streaming app, I began to suspect seeing as it was only a simulcast made available to DAZN users here in the United States and Canada, there was no mention of DAZN at all  during periods where the feed was up, that somehow this was linked to Showtime's servers, meaning that the feed that DAZN was permitted to simulcast, was likely fed through a link to Showtime's servers as opposed to DAZN's in house engineering, which in my experience has been immaculate in the past. This in all likelihood created a scenario where once Showtime's servers started to experience problems and ultimately crash, due to the feed being linked to DAZN, it subsequently knocked the network offline in North America.

While some might think this is a conspiracy theory on the part of yours truly, akin to what one would see from various YouTubers and others who claim to be in Boxing media, it needs to be pointed out that outside of North America, DAZN was permitted to broadcast this same event in many countries in which it is available using a non-Showtime international feed as part of a standard DAZN subscription, which reported no issues with the broadcast and furthermore, on demand access to international subscribers to the network shortly after the event was made available. Although this should be viewed as a slap in the face to those of us in North America, it puts the blame more in the direction of Showtime as it is clear that their insistence that it be their production as opposed to truly working together with DAZN to not only bring this event, which saw two rival promoters the Premier Boxing Champions group of promoters (PBC), who promote Gervonta Davis and who have a broadcast deal with Showtime and Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions, who promote Ryan Garcia and who has a broadcast deal with DAZN come together to make the fight happen, not only accessible on both platforms as well as cable/satellite providers, but to ensure a smooth viewing experience for all. 

 It is indeed a sign of a network's selfishness in clearly putting their own interest above the interest of the sport and of the public/consumers who legally paid to access the event, even to their own detriment and that of its parent company Paramount Global. After another pay-per-view crash, the question is what now?

Well, despite the fact that I have yet to receive a refund from DAZN, I do believe that it is possible that a reason for lack of communication and resolution with customers and yes those of us who cover the sport, may be due to a potential legal battle that might be brewing between the two networks over the circumstances of what happened on April 22. Although this is purely speculation on my part at this point, just as an observer, I cannot see how a scenario of essentially "Forgive And Forget" could take place when potentially one network might be out millions of dollars due to the obvious server crash and said network clearly being prohibited from producing their own dedicated feed of the event at least in the North American market, despite a proven track record of reliability and dependability when it comes to streaming as compared to the network that insisted upon control. Even as there are some online touting that the event did between 1.2 and 1.4 million buys, which is unheard of in present day with regard to pay-per-view for all too obvious reasons, my question is what will those numbers look like once either refunds are issued or potential litigation due to lack of refunds is brought to both networks by consumers due to the crash of Showtime's servers, which has happened in the past.

(*Update to the previous statement to follow at the conclusion of this column.)

What can realistically be done moving forward? It is no secret and should not be to longtime readers that I as someone who truly cares about the sport and it's future in wanting to see it grow and become more accessible to all regardless of what one's economic standing might be, have been saying for years that the pay-per-view model either needs a significant revamp where it is made considerably more affordable for consumers, in addition to the frequency in which the model is used being reduced, or it needs to be done away with completely in favor of reasonably priced subscription-based options that put the consumer first. After this latest fiasco, perhaps the first line of action that a consumer might want to take at least as far as the United States is concerned would be to file a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission as well as to reach out to your respective state representatives both in Congress, as well as the United States Senate, who are the lawmakers and tell them not only of your experience with this event, but also to voice your wish to see lawmakers intervene via legislation that would hopefully address both the inadequate experience consumers have to incur when ordering these pay-per-view events as well as to address the issue of the ever increasing price points for these events in the United States, which more often than not, is considerably more expensive than what consumers are charged in other countries for pay-per-view access to the same events, if not offered as part of a subscription network like DAZN or for free in some cases internationally.

The bottom line is something needs to be done to not only benefit the sport of Boxing, but also and more importantly consumers, who do not resort to means of piracy, who do go about access to pay-per-view the right way, by legally paying for it, but unfortunately cannot be guaranteed a smooth experience for the price they paid, much less be given on demand access to these events, which given both the price that consumers continually are asked to shell out, as well as the technology in 2023 being available, should be standard with one's purchase of an event. At the end of the day, no matter what network executives might say in an attempt to spin things to suit their narratives, no matter what a promoter might say about criticizing price points of pay-per-view events, but at the same time not doing anything about it and charging those same price points for their events, no matter what fighters are led to believe that pay-per-view is the only way they can make additional money for their efforts in risking their lives every time they step into the ring, despite the increasing evidence that pay-per-view with only rare exceptions is a failing practice, something needs to change and perhaps the only way to drive that point home if you're in the position of a consumer will be to seek federal intervention by way of the respective lawmakers to force change. 

Unfortunately, without intervention and oversight to force the issue, there will be no accountability for these networks and promoters and unfortunately, in the end both the Boxing fan/consumers as well as the sport will continue to suffer because there will be no incentive to change even as inadequate technology and frankly selfishness/stupidity of some networks take revenue out of their own pockets by failing to deliver what they advertised to consumers. Sadly, both for the sport and the fans that support Boxing in good times and bad, the issues that led to this latest pay-per-view crash was not the first time it has happened and without some form of intervention and accountability, nothing will change.

"And That's The Boxing Truth."

(* UPDATE: As this column was being prepared for release, after several days of attempts to reach DAZN, communication between Beau Denison and DAZN did breakthrough on Thursday, April 27, 2023. In an email sent to Mr. Denison, he was informed that DAZN would be issuing refunds for the Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia pay-per-view event, which will take up to seven business days to process. Mr. Denison was also advised that customers who purchased the event via the DAZN website can contact their support team at www.DAZN.com for more information about obtaining a refund.

If however, customers purchased the event via the DAZN app on mobile/tablet, or connected streaming devices and Smart TVs, those customers will need to contact the platform in which they made the purchase including Google Play, Apple iTunes /Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon /Fire TV, which the network listed as examples of who to contact. If you purchased the event through the DAZN app on a platform that is not listed here, contact DAZN Support  for more information. DAZN also expressively apologized both to Mr. Denison as well as all customers and subscribers who experienced issues accessing the event.

There was no attempt by Mr. Denison to reach out to Showtime regarding the issues discussed in this column as he strictly dealt with DAZN in an attempt to cover the Davis-Garcia event. Customers who purchased the event through the Showtime app can contact the network at www.SHO.com for information obtaining refunds.

We here at The Boxing Truth®️ would like to again apologize to readers who were expecting post-fight coverage of Davis-Garcia as was originally planned as it was not in our control.)

The Boxing Truth®️is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison 

Schedule Update: Davis-Garcia Pay-Per-View Crash

We would like to let our readers know that a column discussing the issues that prevented many, including us here at The Boxing Truth®️, from being able to access and cover the April 22 pay-per-view bout between Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia, will be released on Friday, April 28th during the evening hours.

While it was obviously the intention to cover the bout as was originally planned and scheduled for this week, unfortunately we were prevented from doing so, which will be discussed in the column by Beau Denison. We do nevertheless apologize to readers who were expecting our standard post-fight coverage as it unfortunately and in the simplest terms was not in our control. Stay tuned.

"And That's The Boxing Truth."

The Boxing Truth®️ is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison 

Davis-Garcia Will The Hype Result In A Great Fight?

There are some criteria when it comes to the signing of a fight that qualifies it as one that might be a classic encounter that might be talked about for years to come. One among them is when you get two rising stars with significant fan followings, who are both approaching their athletic primes to face off against each other. When you also add into the equation stats such as both being unbeaten and each having crowd pleasing styles, you have the ingredients for not only hype, but also what just might be a great fight.

Such criteria exists in the upcoming catchweight battle between undefeated former Jr. Lightweight world champion Gervonta Davis and undefeated former Lightweight turned Jr. Welterweight contender Ryan Garcia. A showdown between two of Boxing rising stars that will take place at a 138lb. catchweight, but essentially for all intents and purposes will be occuring in the 140lb. Jr. Welterweight division, five pounds above the 135lb. Lightweight division where until recently both Davis and Garcia had fought many of their bouts. The bout between the two will take place on April 22 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV and can be seen in the United States on both DAZN Pay-Per-View and Showtime Pay-Per-View as well as internationally as part of a standard streaming subscription to DAZN.

This is an encounter between two fighters who have shown the ability to score quick knockouts, but one where one fighter, Davis is known for his punching power. What can be a bit deceiving about Davis is in actuality, he is a well-rounded boxer/puncher who, like his opponent in this fight Ryan Garcia, has shown that he can do a little of everything inside the ring.

In thinking of how this fight could go, this observer started thinking of the differences between the two fighters rather than their similarities. Although Davis has fought as high as 140lbs. before in earning Interim/Regular champion status in the World Boxing Association's (WBA) ratings in both the Lightweight and Jr. Welterweight divisions after being a unified world champion in the Jr. Lightweight division, he will be going against a fighter in Garcia that has over five inches in height over him at 5'10 and a three inch reach advantage. While that may seem like Garcia might have the edge over him, the reality is we won't know until the two fighters are in the ring in the midst of battle. Where Davis has an indisputable advantage over his opponent is the fact that he is a former world champion and has fought a higher caliber of opposition as compared to Garcia, who has yet to fight for a world championship in his career beyond fighting for an interim designation when he was still a Lightweight.

Garcia however, is no stranger to overcoming adversity. Some may recall in January 2021, Garcia scored the biggest win of his career in knocking out former world title challenger Luke Campbell after being knocked down for the first time in his career in that fight. Despite appearing to possibly be on the verge of fighting for a world championship after that fight, Garcia, who has been open about his struggles with mental health chose to take time off to address some of those struggles he had been dealing with, something that he should be commended for in putting his health and well-being as the main priority over further lucrative opportunities or world championships. Since returning to the ring in April of last year, Garcia has remained unbeaten, but with his return came a move up in weight to the 140lb. Jr. Welterweight division as well as a new trainer in the legendary Joe Goosen.

While Garcia clearly passed the test that Luke Campbell had given him two years ago, and keeping in mind that he has shown no negative effects from his hiatus in terms of inside the ring, this will likely be the most significant test in his career in his twenty-fourth professional fight. Garcia is also facing a fighter in Davis that has twenty-six knockouts in his twenty-eight career wins. The challenge for Garcia here will be both dealing with the magnitude of the event in this being the first time he is fighting on something akin to a world championship level, but also to deal with Davis' punching power, which can come out of nowhere at times and be quite explosive when it does.

Garcia having the guidance of Joe Goosen in this fight will likely be a strong asset because having trained many world champions in a Hall of Fame career, Goosen is certainly experienced in bringing fighters to the top level of the sport and Garcia will likely need a calm voice in his ear as he tries to navigate both the event/hype and a very dangerous opponent in Davis across the ring. 

While it is logical to expect Davis to try and systematically walk Garcia down as he has done to several of his previous opponents, it is crucial that Garcia find a way to get the respect of Davis early in this fight, but must do so tactically. Though it may be tempting at some point during this fight especially if he is able to have success early to trade shot for shot with Davis, the logical approach for Garcia will be to box and try to take advantage of any openings Davis might leave him.

Although Garcia was able to get up from being knocked down by Luke Campbell, he will now be facing a fighter in Davis, who hits harder with both hands and there are likely some who will question how Garcia will stand up to Davis' power if Davis is able to land flush. Gervonta Davis does have underrated Boxing ability, which would likely surprise some if he chose to box rather than looking for a chance to end the fight if an opportunity arises, but logic would suggest that he will likely spend the early rounds studying what Garcia will bring as Garcia will likely try to do the same.

An element that has brought this fight to fruition is the fact that two networks Showtime, who is aligned with the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) group of prompters who promote Davis and DAZN who are aligned with Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions who promote Garcia are each involved in the distribution of this pay-per-view event on their respective streaming platforms as well as cable/satellite pay-per-view. While on one hand the fact that it takes two networks who have exclusivity with the respective promoters to make a fight like this happen is a flaw of the business of the sport, perhaps another flaw could be both networks counting on the fact that both fighters have significant fan followings/social media presence in thinking that will translate into pay-per-view revenue at the same inflated price points that have turned many consumers in the United States and even elsewhere off. With DAZN a subscription -based digital streaming network that was marketed as an alternative to the pay-per-view model insisting that they will only use pay-per-view sparingly when they have no other alternative, and Showtime continuing to rely heavily on the pay-per-view model, despite dwindling returns including most recently, the David Benavidez-Caleb Plant bout, which only generated 49,000 total buys at a $74.99 price point, you do have to wonder, despite all the hype surrounding this fight if consumers will be willing to buy it at an $84.99 price point for most consumers. A question that is especially valid when one considers the rantings of many on social media directed at both networks that they will look for a third-party streaming option rather than paying for it legally.

While the issue of piracy is something that should not be condoned, it is an issue that unfortunately is not going to go away even as many in Boxing continue to rely on a model that consumers with only very rare exceptions continue to reject. Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia checks just about every box a Boxing fan could ask for in terms of what could be an exciting bout, perhaps it will take a fight like this that has been heavily promoted and hyped to underperform to finally convince those making decisions at the networks that it is time to change. It would be sad for a fight that has been hyped as one that will "Save Boxing" turns out to be yet another example of the need to change the model to subscription-based options that fans/consumers are more likely to embrace, especially if this turns out to be a truly great fight.

"And That's The Boxing Truth."

Davis vs. Garcia takes place on Saturday, April 22 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The card can be seen on both Showtime Pay-Per-View and DAZN Pay-Per-View in the United States and Canada for $84.99 beginning at 8PM ET/5PM PT and will be available on both the Showtime and DAZN streaming apps on mobile, tablet, and connected streaming devices/Smart TVs as well as traditional cable/satellite providers. To order through Showtime to watch via the Showtime app please visit: www.SHO.com/PPV. To order on DAZN please visit: www.DAZN.com for ordering information and to verify access in your region of the world either through pay-per-view or through a standard DAZN subscription.

*Card and start time subject to change* 

*Check your local listings internationally for local start time.*

The Boxing Truth®️ is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved. 

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison 

Benavidez-Plant Preview

On Saturday, March 25th, two former world champions will enter the ring at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV with the goal of taking one step closer to challenging once more for a world championship. This observer is referring to the encounter between David Benavidez and Caleb Plant. Two fighters who each know what it is to be a world champion in the talent-deep 168lb. Super-Middleweight division. A division currently ruled by Undisputed world champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez.

While the goal of both men is obviously an eventual fight with Alvarez, the encounter between the two, which will headline a pay-per-view card broadcast by Showtime Pay-Per-View here in the United States, could possibly be one of the best fights of the year. The reason for that is it is an interesting clash of styles between two boxer/punchers, but one who is more noted for his punching power than the other. David Benavidez is a former WBC Super-Middleweight world champion. He also has a rare distinction for being one of the few fighters to have held a world championship, but never lost his title in the ring. Some may recall that Benavidez, who won the title in 2017, becoming the youngest world champion in the history of the Super-Middleweight division in the process, was ultimately stripped of it by the World Boxing Council due to having tested positive for cocaine shortly after defeating Ronald Gavril for the title. The WBC then ruled that Benavidez was a "Champion in Recess," which allowed him to fight for the title again only to ultimately be stripped for failing to make weight prior to a scheduled title defense against Roamer Angelo.

Despite his struggles out of the ring, Benavidez has remained unbeaten in twenty-six professional fights and has scored knockouts in twenty-three of those bouts. Inside the ring, Benavidez has been a dominant force that has yet to be tested. Enter Caleb Plant.

Plant, as some may recall, had a lengthy reign as the International Boxing Federation (IBF) Super-Middleweight world champion before being stopped in eleven rounds by Saul Alvarez in a unification bout for the Undisputed Super-Middleweight championship of the world. While Plant lost that fight, he made a good account of himself in defeat, particularly in the early rounds before eventually being broken down by Alvarez' pressure and body attack. While that loss is to date the only one Plant has suffered in his career, he obviously would like another opportunity against Alvarez. In his only fight since that loss, Plant scored a devastating knockout of former WBC Super-Middleweight world champion Anthony Dirrell in February of last year.

What this fight will come down to in my eyes is whether Plant will be able to deal with the punching power and hand speed of Benavidez. At his best, Caleb Plant is an elusive fighter, who in addition to having hand speed of his own, is known for his lateral movement and ability to use angles. These aspects of his skillset did for a time create problems for Alvarez before he was able to eventually break Plant down as that fight progressed. While Plant's knockout of Dirrell in his last fight was a brutal hook to the body/hook to the head combination, he is not known for his power and logic would suggest that he will need to try and implement a similar approach as he attempted to use against Alvarez, but obviously will look to correct the flaws in that approach that Alvarez ultimately took advantage of, if he wants to be successful in this fight.

The reason for this is Benavidez has exceptionally quick hands in addition to his punching power and Plant will need to be meticulous and tactical for the duration of the scheduled twelve round bout. Perhaps a flaw in Benavidez that Plant will look to take advantage of is that at times he can start slow and not let his hands go much in the early rounds. While obviously Plant should not base his entire approach on this, he must be elusive and try to resist the temptation to go toe to toe with Benavidez if he is able to connect more than occasionally with offense in the early rounds.

For David Benavidez, he must study Plant's fight with Alvarez and look at what Alvarez did that led to his being able to stop Plant late in the fight. Although implementing a similar strategy can be easier said than done, there are two aspects that Benavidez must keep in mind at all times in this fight. One, he needs to find a way to cut off the ring and try to limit Plant's ability to move and must do so early on in the fight as to not allow Plant to establish the tempo of the fight or give him the chance to potentially build up a lead on the scorecards. Benavidez must avoid following Plant around and must limit his movement. Secondly, Benavidez must let his hands go consistently from the outset. If he starts slow and allows Plant to dictate the combat, Benavidez might be in a position where he might need a knockout in the later rounds in order to maintain his undefeated record.

While this fight being the main event of a pay-per-view card in the present time when Showtime as the last premium cable network televising Boxing in the United States may be on its way out in similar fashion as former longtime rival HBO had done in 2018 following a corporate restructuring of its parent company, has drawn criticism of some as a similar restructuring is now taking place in Showtime's parent company Paramount Global, the fight between Benavidez and Plant is still one of the best fights that has been made recently at least on paper. Whether or not that ultimately translates to a memorable battle inside the ring on Saturday night March 25th remains to be seen, even if those broadcasting the fight are likely setting themselves up for failure in the form of underwhelming pay-per-view buy numbers as Boxing fans continue to reject what has become an overpriced, undervalued, and outdated revenue model for the sport that needs to change.

"And That's The Boxing Truth."

Benavidez vs. Plant takes place on Saturday, March 25th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The fight can be seen in the United States on Showtime Pay-Per-View beginning at 9PM ET/ 6PM PT. The pay-per-view event will be available on traditional cable/satellite providers as well as through the Showtime streaming app on mobile, tablet, and connected streaming devices and Smart TVs. Contact your local cable/satellite provider for ordering information.

To order via and stream on the Showtime streaming app please visit: www.SHO.com/PPV for ordering information.

The event is also available for streaming for the aforementioned price through PPV.com and the PPV.com app on mobile, tablet, and connected streaming devices and Smart TVs. To order through PPV.com and for more information about compatible streaming devices, please visit: www.PPV.com

*Check your local listings internationally*

*Card and start time subject to change*

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison 

Davis-Garcia Weights

The official weigh-in for Saturday’s Lightweight bout between undefeated former unified Jr. Lightweight world champion Gervonta Davis and current WBA Jr. Lightweight world champion Hector Garcia took place on Friday in Washington, D. C. Weights for the four bout televised card, which can be seen here in the United States on Showtime Pay-Per-View are as follows.

*Main Event: Lightweight – 12Rds.

Gervonta Davis 134lbs. vs. Hector Garcia 134lbs.

(* Bout will determine Interim/Regular champion status in the World Boxing Association’s Lightweight ratings. A designation currently held by Davis.*)

*Welterweight – 12Rds.

Jaron Ennis 145 3/4lbs. vs. Karen Chukhadzhian 146 1/2lbs.

(*Bout will determine Interim/Regular champion status in the International Boxing Federation Welterweight ratings.*)

Welterweight – 12Rds.

Rashidi Ellis 146 1/2lbs. vs. Roiman Villa 145 3/4lbs.

Super-Middleweight – 10Rds.

Demetrius Andrade 167lbs. vs. Demond Nicholson 167 1/2lbs.

Davis vs. Garcia takes place Tonight Saturday, January 7th at the Capital One Center in Washington, D. C. The fight as well as three undercard bouts can be seen in the United States on Showtime Pay-Per-View on cable/satellite as well as the Showtime and PPV.Com streaming apps for $74.95 beginning at 9PM ET/6PM PT. Contact your local cable/satellite providers or visit: www.SHO.com or www.PPV.com for ordering information.

*Check your local listings internationally.

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison 

BREAKING: Silva Cleared To Fight By AZ Commission, Paul Fight To Move Forward As Scheduled

It has been announced per the Arizona Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) commission that former UFC Middleweight world champion Anderson Silva has been cleared to fight undefeated Cruiserweight and YouTube star Jake Paul on Saturday night at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, AZ. The fight was put in doubt after Silva claimed in an interview with an MMA news outlet that he had been knocked out twice in sparring while training for the fight, which will headline a Showtime Pay-Per-View card. The claim by Silva prompted an investigation and hearing by the Arizona Boxing and MMA commission to determine whether the forty-seven year old Silva would be permitted to to compete in the bout. 

The green light from the commission ensures that barring something unforeseen, the eight round Cruiserweight bout and its full undercard can move forward as scheduled. We will keep readers updated on any potential changes as they become available. 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison 

Paul-Silva: Another Novelty Or A Legitimate Test?

 

Ever since the influx of social media celebrities led largely by brothers Logan and Jake Paul began to enter the sport of Boxing one persistent question has continued to be asked, are they legitimate fighters or are they strictly appealing to a segment of the population for whom Boxing is a casual interest at best, a novelty? Although Jake Paul has compiled a record of 5-0, with 4 Knockouts in Boxing’s Cruiserweight division, he has yet to face someone with legitimate Boxing experience with his wins coming against a fellow social media influencer, a former NBA player, and two former Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) world champions, one of whom Paul fought twice. The second of those bouts against Tyron Woodley came as a result of a planned bout against unbeaten Cruiserweight prospect Tommy Fury, a boxer falling through due to Fury coming down with an illness and injury.  

 

As most know, Paul attempted to reschedule the bout with Fury to take place in the month of August in Madison Square Garden, but for the second time, Fury was unable to hold up his end to bring the fight to fruition this time due to travel restrictions preventing him from traveling from the United Kingdom to the United States for the bout. Although this should not be viewed as something of Paul’s doing, the fact that a fight against a fighter with a Boxing background fell through twice followed by replacement opponent Hasim Rahman Jr. being disqualified from the bout by the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) due to difficulties cutting weight in an attempt to move down from the Heavyweight division to face Paul, criticism of Paul and questions regarding whether he should be taken seriously as a boxer remain. 

 

Following the fall through of both a second attempt to fight Tommy Fury and a planned substitution being KO’d by the NYSAC, Paul will go back to the well once again, this time against another former MMA world champion in the form of former longtime Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight world champion and future Hall of Famer Anderson Silva. A fight that will take place on October 29th at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, AZ and will headline a Showtime Pay-Per-View card here in the United States. On the surface, this seems like, yet another novelty bout based largely on the fact that Silva is forty-seven years old and is several years removed from his competitive prime in combat sports. 

 

The irony however, despite Silva’s Hall of Fame career in the sport of MMA is he actually began his combat sports career as a professional boxer and boasts a record of 3-1, with 2 Knockouts to his credit, which in an odd way presents something akin to what Paul would see if he took the conventional route to begin his Boxing career. Although Silva’s Boxing resume is not a long one, he did score an eight round split decision win in June of last year over former WBC Middleweight world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.  

 

Silva’s last bout in a Boxing ring was a first round knockout over fellow UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz in September of last year on the undercard of the highly controversial bout between Boxing Hall of Famer Evander Holyfield and UFC Hall of Famer Vitor Belfort. Although that entire event is something that should be viewed as a bad moment in the history of the sport for several reasons, Silva nonetheless did show that he still had punching power at an advantaged age as he quickly took Ortiz out in eighty-one seconds.  The obvious criticism of that particular fight even though Silva did produce a devastating knockout is he was facing someone in Ortiz, who did not have Boxing experience.  

 

The question that should be asked as this scheduled eight round Cruiserweight bout approaches is whether Silva still has enough in him to hopefully provide a bit of a test of the twenty-five year old Paul. While Paul has scored knockouts of MMA world champions Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley in his aspiring career, both of those men had wrestling backgrounds before entering the Boxing ring to face Paul. If there is a difference for this fight even though he will again be facing someone who’s primary sport is not Boxing is, at his best, Anderson Silva was a devastating fighter that could hit opponents with both his hands and feet, resulting in several brutal knockouts in his Hall of Fame career.  

 

Even though Paul has not taken the conventional route into Boxing, it should be pointed out that he is still very much a work in progress and if Silva has any semblance of his hand speed and punching power that he had during his prime years in the sport of MMA, this could prove to be a test that some including Paul himself may not expect. This observer believes that the answer to what Anderson Silva will bring into this fight will be answered very early as Silva has always been a slick fighter that looks to bait his opponents into making mistakes and attacking suddenly. Even with limited Boxing experience, Silva does hold a significant edge in overall combat sports experience compared to Jake Paul who is still a novice learning the sport. As such and keeping in mind the skills Silva has displayed both in MMA fights as well as in the Boxing ring, it is crucial that he use every bit of his experience to test Paul and make him uncomfortable. Jake Paul meanwhile has shown a solid right hand in his previous five bouts and it is logical to think that he will be looking to land what has proven to be a primary offensive weapon for him in this fight. 

 

 Although criticism will likely remain of Jake Paul as well as the concept of what has been dubbed “Influencer Boxing” regardless of the outcome of this fight, if Paul wins those advising him should say that it is time to focus on facing fighters with a primary Boxing background exclusively, if indeed he wants to be taken seriously as a boxer. For all his boasts, which like it or not does draw attention about how he wants to be taken seriously and hopes to become a world champion down the road, without focusing on facing boxers, and to be specific, fighters that will not only help him develop, but also if successful help him move up the ranks, same as any boxer attempts to do, he should not talk about facing anything resembling the top stars in the sport of Boxing, because frankly even though he has proven to be a good promoter, there will come a point where the novelty and curiosity of Paul will wear off. For the time being, it remains to be seen if Silva will be able to provide the unbeaten Paul a test. 

 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.” 

 

Paul vs. Silva takes place on Saturday, October 29th at Gila River Arena in Glendale, AZ. The fight can be seen on Showtime Pay-Per-View in the United States for $59.99. The event will be available through the Showtime app on mobile, tablet, and connected streaming devices/Smart TVs as well as through digital combat sports streaming network and pay-per-view platform FITE beginning at 9PM ET/6PM PT. Paul vs. Silva will also be available through traditional cable/satellite providers. Contact your cable/satellite provider for ordering information.  

 

To order and stream on the Showtime app, download the Showtime app on your streaming device of choice or visit www.SHO.com/PPV to order and for instructions on how to download the Showtime app. 

 

To order on FITE, download the FITE app on your streaming device of choice or visit https://www.fite.tv/watch/paul-vs-silva/2pbx1/ to order and for instructions on how to download the FITE app. 

 

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved. 

 

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison