Boxing’s Big Week
By Eddie Sanchez
2020 has been a wild ride so far and the boxing industry has been heavily impacted, similar to most professional sports leagues and organizations. The one exception has been the UFC, which has done tremendous work to take advantage of the open market.
But as we close out the second-to-last week of July, boxing is letting their sport finally be heard! Yes, this is a shot at Top Rank, who has given us weak cards to date.
Golden Boy has returned with hot prospect Virgil Ortiz taking on veteran Samuel Vargas and he did not disappoint! Virgil Ortiz has improved to 16-0 with all 16 wins by way of knockout. He battered Samuel Vargas and demonstrated the combinations and angles that has the boxing community excited for the next steps in his career. The future has arrived to the welterweight division and we are all here ready to witness.
PBC has also laid out the majority of their schedule for the rest of 2020. While this schedule does not include confirmations for Deontay Wilder, Manny Pacquiao and Errol Spence among others, it is rich with competition and received much fan excitement on social media.
This is the time where we collectively say, “Thank you Al Haymon!”
Now about those matchups, there are some exciting cards to check out. I am interested to see if Nonito Donaire can win another championship and continue to build on his legacy, but the clear-cut two that stick out the most are the PPVs currently scheduled:
September 26, PPV Double Header
Jermall Charlo, WBC vs Sergiy Derevyanchenko (160 Pounds)
Jermell Charlo, WBC vs Jeison Rosario, WBA & IBF (154 Pounds)
October 24, PPV (@ 130 Pounds)
Gervonta Davis (WBA Regular Lightweight) vs Leo Santa Cruz (WBA Super Featherweight)
The return of the Charlo brothers is exciting! Both of their matchups are equally difficult and will help to confirm their status in their respective divisions.Â
The Junior Middleweight Unification bout is a refreshing matchup. Jermell avenged his lone defeat to Tony Harrison this past December and is not shying away from the elite competition in his division. If victorious, this would put him one step closer to becoming the unanimous champion. Jermell has performed well in his career and despite the lone hiccup, he is in prime position to solidify himself in his division as the premier top-dog.
The Middleweight Championship bout between Jermall Charlo and Sergiy Derevyanchenko is the one that he me the most excited. So far Jermall Charlo has built a solid undefeated resume, as a two division champ, including victories over Cornelius “K9” Bundrage, Austin Trout, Julian Williams and Matt Korobov. The issue is he has yet to face an elite-level fighter in his prime.
Much of the issue has been that Canelo Alvarez, Gennady Golovkin and Daniel Jacobs have each fought each other and the promotional issues within boxing that have distanced himself from his contemporaries. Sergiy Dervyanchenko is game and this matchup has potential for fight of the year written all over it. In his most recent fight, he took GGG the distance and most within the industry felt he had done enough to win the belt. Given this distinction, boxing fans are thrilled to see Charlo tested and are anxious to see if he is up for the challenge.
The second confirmed PPV date is an interesting case which will feature Lightweight Gervonta Davis competing at the Super Featherweight limit against Leo Santa Cruz. Each of their respective belts, despite being at different weight classes, will be up for grabs. It will be interesting to see if Gervonta can make weight for this fight given he has had trouble making weight at his class, which is five pounds heavier. Assuming all is well, this will be a nice fight when Leo will have the edge in experience and Gervonta will have the size advantage.
In addition to PBC offering boxing fans a glimpse at what to look forward to, there is an Iron of an elephant in the room. Mike freaking Tyson has officially confirmed his comeback! As if that wasn’t enough news, his opponent will be the great Roy Jones Jr. They will compete in an eight round exhibition on September 12th in Mike Tyson’s brand new Legends Only League.
This exhibition will be featured on PPV, have no headgear and each fighter will wear twelve ounce gloves. Mike (54) and Roy (51) will give the fans a spectacle and on some level, everyone will be interested to tune into this fight.
I believe fans are generally appreciative with where Mike stands as a human being. There were many years where it felt like he had fallen so low that he would not be able to reach a point of happiness. In the past few years he has proven this is not the case and we will finally see him reborn in a sense.
Roy Jones Jr., a legend in his own right, will step in back into the ring just two-and-a-half years after his last fight in February 2018 where he won the German-based WBU Cruiserweight championship.
Given that both were megastars in their hayday and Iron Mike was regarded as “The Baddest Man Alive,” many PPV buys will come their way.
To amplify this card even further (from a certain point of view), Youtuber Jake Paul will fight former NBA star Nate Robinson on the undercard.
The Bad Promoter suggested that unconventional matchups such as these are easy ways to attract viewers that might not have been boxing fans before. This matchup has the possibility of adding his YouTube base and NBA fans to the numerous casual boxing fans already checking in to see Iron Mike.
This is going to be an interesting case study and executives will definitely be following the viewing trends. They will see if there is a jump going into the Paul-Robinson fight and then see how much a further jump leads into the main event. The difference of these two amounts will represent how much of an impact these non-traditional competitors have towards the final viewership numbers.
Regardless of how you feel about all of these matchups, it’s a great feeling to have boxing truly back in the headlines. This is also hopefully the beginning! Announcements are still pending for the Heavyweight stars, Canelo’s decision should be announced soon, if September is still in his plans, and PBC will likely find solutions for the gauntlet of Welterweight stars that he advises.
Until then, it’s nice to be back!Â
