THE BIG (& LITTLE) DRAMA SHOW RETURNS

Yo what up Douggy B. Fresh?

Should be a bad-ass atmosphere at The Forum this Saturday with it being an expected sell-out. Will you be in attendance?

Even though victory isn’t really in doubt for GGG and Chocolatito, I’m still looking forward to the fights. Dominic Wade’s wins over Dashon Johnson, Nick Brinson and Sam Soliman (in a s__tfest) make him kinda top 10ish to me. If Wade fights hard maybe he can pull a Willie Monroe Jr. (make the fight competitive until he gets KTFO). Same goes for McWillams Arroyo who I thought beat Amnat Ruenroeng. Also there may be some making weight issues for Chocolatito so that could also help make the McWillams fight competitive.

Lastly, I just want to talk some s__t about the craptastic April PBC/Showtime main events (Adrien Broner vs Ashley Theophane, Gary Russell vs Pat Hyland, Anthony Dirrell vs Caleb Truax). Can’t stand how Uncle Al’s logic seems to be A.) he has “main event fighters” B.) “main event fighters” only can fight in main events. C.) Main event fighters only fight twice a year and at least one of the fights is going to be a really soft touch. Therefore D.) crappy main events abound. Any word on if Richard Schaefer is coming back soon maybe he can right the ship? – T-Bone, El Paso, Estado de Chihuahua

Only Schaefer knows when he’s going to return to boxing. There have been rumors that he would return during any month from last August to the present. He’ll come back when it makes the most sense, which might not be until Floyd Mayweather Jr. makes his “triumphant” return. Current industry rumors suggest that Schaefer will come back in a leadership role with Mayweather Promotions. The PBC is too unstable at the present time for him to come back as an overseer to that scattered organization/business model. One theory is that as the PBC fades out, the most promising and highest profile Haymon-advised fighters – Deontay Wilder, Errol Spence Jr., Keith Thurman, Carl Frampton, Danny Garcia, Leo Santa Cruz – will move over to Mayweather Promotions with Schaefer guiding the ship in much the same manner as he did with Golden Boy Promotions when Oscar De La Hoya was still fighting (and helping to influence HBO and bring in major sponsors and venues).

We’ll see what happens. With the way things are currently going with the PBC, I think the aforementioned Haymon talent would welcome Schaefer back to the sport and gladly join TMT if it meant bigger, more significant fights along with a dedicated network partnership (most likely Showtime, as Richard and Stephen Espinoza are good friends who have always worked well together).

I just want to talk some s__t about the craptastic April PBC/Showtime main events (Adrien Broner vs Ashley Theophane, Gary Russell vs Pat Hyland, Anthony Dirrell vs Caleb Truax). Maybe I was just sucked into the “AB Drama” preceding the fight, but I watched that SpikeTV broadcast with interest. I knew Russell-Hyland was a mismatch, but at least Gary blitzed the Connor McGregor Mini-Me. As long as Russell faces Lee Selby or the Santa Cruz-Frampton winner in his next fight, I’ll tune in. If not, I’ll probably ignore the talented southpaw speed merchant. Dirrell-Truax? You know what? I’ve seen Anthony Dirrell go life and death with a lesser-talented fighter (former gatekeeper Don Mouton) in an entertaining scrap.

Should be a bad-ass atmosphere at The Forum this Saturday with it being an expected sell-out. Well DUH! It’s the Big Drama Show, Homie!

Will you be in attendance? Come on, my brotha, you know me. You shouldn’t have to even ask that question.

Even though victory isn’t really in doubt for GGG and Chocolatito, I’m still looking forward to the fights. Me too.

Dominic Wade’s wins over Dashon Johnson, Nick Brinson and Sam Soliman (in a s__tfest) make him kinda top 10ish to me. I view him as a mature prospect.

If Wade fights hard maybe he can pull a Willie Monroe Jr. (make the fight competitive until he gets KTFO). We’ll see. I don’t think he’s come all this way just to lay down once the bell rings. I think GGG is going to have to put Wade down and that might not be as easy as most think.

Same goes for McWillams Arroyo who I thought beat Amnat Ruenroeng. I think you can make an argument for Arroyo in that IBF title challenge, but there’s no shame in dropping a split decision to a difficult stylist like Ruenroeng in his native Thailand. Arroyo can box and fight, the Puerto Rican Olympian had a stellar amateur career that included gold medals at the Pan-American Games (2007) and World Amateur Championships (2009) at flyweight. I expect Arroyo to give Gonzalez a good fight.

Also there may be some making weight issues for Chocolatito so that could also help make the McWillams fight competitive. I agree. Gonzalez looked heavy at the kick-off press conference for Saturday’s event back in mid-February, and he didn’t stay very long for the media workouts this past Wednesday (some say because he was so woozy from being down near the 112-pound limit) and, just yesterday, he was spitting into a cup during a roundtable interview with several members of the Southern California boxing media. He admitted that it’s hard to make 112 pounds, but added that it’s a hell of a lot easier than it was to make 105. Chocolatito’s got a sense of humor.

HOW WELL HAS GGG BEEN PROMOTED?

Hey Doug,

Hope all is well man! Wanted to check in with you on a few things going on in the boxing world and get your take. First off, we had a brief exchange on Twitter, disagreeing about how well GGG has been promoted. It is my belief that while his persona has been built well, he’s been made more marketable, and his fan base has grown… his promoter has failed to secure him major fights.

He is 34 and has spent 8 years of his prime knocking out guys who are not challenges to his skill level. I see that as a problem because when he finally does step up, he’ll be used to pushing guys around and not getting hit with authority. I have to believe the responsibility for this lies with his promoter. Would Golden Boy or Top Rank let him continue to knock out contenders for years without pushing him up or down in weight to make big fights? Vincent Santino. – Winston-Salem, NC

I think GBP or Top Rank would do the same thing with Golovkin that K2 Promotions has done – or at least they’d try to (Tom Loeffler has done a masterful job of taking an unknown middleweight from Kazakhstan and making him a draw in the greater L.A. and NYC areas, as well as an athlete that corporate American is interested in sponsoring) – while trying to make fan-friendly matchups against credible opponents.

I don’t think K2 is looking for soft touches for Golovkin. They’ve put the pressure-fighting boxer-puncher in with several durable middleweights (Daniel Geale, Martin Murray, Willie Monroe Jr., Osumanu Adama, Grzegorz Proksa and Nobuhiro Ishida had never been stopped in the pro ranks prior to facing GGG – and joke all you want about Ishida, but the gangly Japanese journeyman went the distance with both Paul Williams and Dmitry Pirog and hasn’t been halted since Golovkin iced him with a one hitter quitter), GGG is just an expert at breaking down his opponents.

Loeffler has also tried to make high-profile fights against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Carl Froch – both big, rugged super middleweight stars at the time of the negotiations – for Golovkin. So there has been a willingness to “push” him up in weight to make “big fights.”

It is my belief that while his persona has been built well, he’s been made more marketable, and his fan base has grown… his promoter has failed to secure him major fights. Apart from attempting to get super middleweights Chavez Jr. and Froch into the ring with Golovkin, Loeffler shrewdly maneuvered GGG into the WBC mandatory position – cornering Miguel Cotto and later Canelo Alvarez, two of the biggest stars in boxing. Cotto, who is winding down his career, had no intention of fighting GGG and had no problem dumping the WBC title (after previously paying out some step-aside money to hold Golovkin off). And while it’s true that Golden Boy Promotions isn’t 100% committed to making Canelo-GGG this year, the demand for that eventual showdown has been created and it will only get stronger as the young Mexican star matures into the middleweight division. If Canelo-Golovkin doesn’t happen this year, I think it will definitely take place in 2017 and GGG will finally have his “mega-bout.”

He is 34 and has spent 8 years of his prime knocking out guys who are not challenges to his skill level. OK, first of all you can’t blame K2 for Golovkin’s last eight years. His first fight on a K2 card was in December 2011; he didn’t sign with the company until early 2012. It’s been four years and counting. When Golovkin joined K2 he was 22-0 and only three fights into his WBA title reign. He did what every other beltholder does – fight challengers rated in the top 15 of the sanctioning organization that recognizes him as the “world champ.” (Seven of GGG’s title defenses have come against middleweights that were ranked in the top 10 by THE RING, ESPN.com and the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board.) He’s made 15 defenses of his WBA title and it wasn’t a given that every challenger would “not be on his skill level.” There were questions about his caliber when he stepped into the ring to face respected former two-time title challenger Matthew Macklin. A lot of fans forget that. I don’t forget things like that. There were questions about his ability to take a shot from a world-class hitter when he faced Curtis Stevens. I haven’t forgotten. I remember when Golovkin wasn’t rated by THE RING. I remember his climb up the magazine’s middleweight top 10. It didn’t happen overnight. His place on pound-for-pound lists didn’t happen overnight. Too many fans are looking at Golovkin’s record and judging the level of his competition as though he’s been a top-five pound-for-pound player for the past five or six years. Stop being so silly. American boxing fans didn’t know who the f__k he was five years ago.

I see that as a problem because when he finally does step up, he’ll be used to pushing guys around and not getting hit with authority. First of all, it’s not like Golovkin has simply walked through everyone he’s faced. Stevens and David Lemieux both lasted into the eighth round and landed a few bombs (that would’ve hurt most middleweights) during their respective fights. Martin Murray took Golovkin into the 11^th round. Kasim Ouma went 10 hard rounds (in a grueling fight).

But apart from Sergey Kovalev (and MAYBE Andre Ward) at LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT, who the hell is going get in there and manhandle GGG (and expose how “soft” he’s gotten from rolling over all of these “non-challenges to his skill level” for all these years)? If and when Golovkin moves to 168 pounds, who’s gonna punk him? James DeGale? Badou Jack? Gilberto Ramirez? I don’t see that happening, my man.

SCRAP IRON JOHNSON

Greetings, Doug,

A word or two, please, on George “Scrap Iron” Johnson, who passed away earlier this month. He was as tough as sun-baked shoe leather and deserves better than to be shoveled into the ground without someone saying something. Thanks. – Clarence in NYC

Thank you for saying something about Scrap Iron, Clarence.

He was one of the most durable and reliable gatekeepers during the 1960s and the early part of the ’70s, two of the deepest and most talented decades for the heavyweight division. During his 17-year career the Oklahoma native (who later made his name fighting in Los Angeles) faced a dozen top prospects and contenders, two of whom – Joe Frazier and George Foreman – went on to win the championship and forge hall-of-fame careers. Johnson also fought Sonny Liston late in the former champ and future hall of famer’s career.

Other notable heavyweights Scrap Iron scrapped with include Ron Lyle, Eddie Machen, Joe Bugner and Thad Spencer.

KELL BROOK

Hey Doug,

Loving the mailbags still, we all have a short list of go-to places on the web and The Ring is one of mine and the mailbag is top of the interest list for me.

Re Brook v Spense as a potential match up, I have to shout the old Eddie Murphy line (from a song) which he uses in stand-up, “What have you done for me lately?” Yeah Brook beat Porter BUT WHAT HAS HE DONE FOR ME LATELY!? In fact, outside of Porter, what has he done? A career of wasted opportunities, pull outs, injuries and missing the big fights. He may pull a Calzaghe out of the bag and have a strong finish but I doubt it.

In fact, I bet he is eyeing the buffet for an inevitable, “we cannot make the weight” interview from Camp Eddie when they are pushed towards the mandatory. My bet, Brook gives up the belt and fights Liam Smith for the WBO 154lb title. Cheers. – Toby, Cornwall, UK

Thanks for the kind words about RING mag/RingTV.com and the mailbag column, Toby, but damn, you should have more confidence in your countryman.

Let the record show that I, Doug Fischer, an American fight columnist born in New York City and raised in Columbus, Ohio, and Springfield, Missouri, have more respect for and faith in undefeated IBF welterweight titleholder Kell Brook than A LOT of British boxing fans.

If Brook beats Spence this year (or next) I expect most UK fans to go ga-ga for Special K and act like they always had his back. That’s fine, but just know that I know the truth about your loyalties.

Re Brook v Spense as a potential match up, I have to shout the old Eddie Murphy line (from a song) which he uses in stand-up, “What have you done for me lately?” I always think of the Janet Jackson song when I hear this line. Control was one of my favorite R&B/pop albums of the mid-1980s. Anyway, as I noted in Monday’s mailbag, Brook has done about as much as the other active welterweights ranked in THE RING’s top 10.

A career of wasted opportunities, pull outs, injuries and missing the big fights. He may pull a Calzaghe out of the bag and have a strong finish but I doubt it. Dude, calm down. It ain’t over yet. Brook is 29 years old, not 39. Despite that gruesome machete attack in 2014, he appears to still be in his physical/athletic prime. And he’s got his eyes set on unbeaten WBC titleholder Danny Garcia, according to Sky Sports, not Smith. (He also mentions Spence and Broner in the article.)

BEER BOXING MUSINGS

Hey Doug a few thoughts while I drink a beer out here in your hometown of LA.

Pacman vs Bradley’s figures are branded as ‘terrible’ with 400,000 PPV buys. I thought those numbers were not bad considering it was a fight no one was interested in, certainly did better than another certain fighters final outing. I think dear ol Bob is making it clear Bradley was NOT his pic for Pac Man!

I think Bob should ship Bradley over to England to fight Brook, his breakout performance against Witter made everyone one take note so why not throw the dice and do what no one else wants to do. Who do you see Bradley fighting next?

Are any of the ‘champs’ at middleweight going to have a unification fight soon? If Alvarez vs GGG needs marinating then surely BJS can take on Jacobs?

I’m a bit down that GGG isn’t getting major matchups it would be a shame not see him have suitable dance partners but just one of those things I guess….

I’m not overly impressed with Joshua’s shortlist brazeale, Stirvine or Molina but guess they are reasonable yard sticks. Personally I’m not interested in those matchups, I would be with Stirvine but I think he’s done based on his last outing and age, my choice would would be for him to face Haye, but failing that get Parker in there, wouldn’t last long but def more interesting!

I guess what my overall feelings are, if boxing is ‘prize’ fighting then make prize fights that are fun to watch, if it’s trying to be a real sport then make fights that mean something. The middle ground is no man’s land but I guess us fans tune in anyway so are we the ones to blame? Cheers. – Seth

Jeez, Seth, why ya gotta be such a mope? It’s not THAT bad. Seriously, some of you boxing fans need to start taking St. John’s Wort or something to help you cope with your non-stop anxiety and “glass-half-empty” outlooks. No more beer for you!

You want prize fights that are fun to watch? You got ’em coming up. The Ortiz-Berto rematch next Saturday is going to be fun. Some of the Canelo-Khan undercard fights on May 7 – mainly Lemieux-Tapia and Stevens-Teixeira – will be all action. There’s a WBA lightweight title bout in Manchester, England, on May 7 – Anthony Crolla vs. unbeaten Venezuelan puncher Ismael Barroso – that should make for a good style clash. Badou Jack vs. Lucian Bute on April 30 should be fun. There’s no doubt in my mind that Mares vs. Cuellar on June 7 will be badass.

The WBC 130-pound title showdown between Francisco Vargas and Orlando Salido is gonna be a bloody barnburner (and I think it’s a significant match).

You want significant fights? How about Thurman vs. Porter on June 25? How about Wilder vs. Povetkin on May 21? How about Lomachenko going for a 130-pound belt (vs. Rocky Martinez) in his seventh pro bout on June 11? How about the Fury-Klitschko rematch on July 9?

And by June or July, we should know if we’re going to get Canelo-Golovkin or Kovalev-Ward later this year. So stop fretting! It’s annoying!

Pacman vs Bradley’s figures are branded as ‘terrible’ with 400,000 PPV buys. I thought those numbers were not bad considering it was a fight no one was interested in, certainly did better than another certain fighters final outing. Once upon a time 400,000 PPV buys was considered very good numbers. It still is, but when you gotta guarantee a fighter $20 million, it’s kinda hard to turn a profit. When Pacquiao-Marquez II did 400,000 PPV buys in 2008, the good folks at HBO Sports were doing cartwheels and sending out press releases announcing that the junior lightweight showdown garnered $20.2 million. Of course, back then the PacMan was “only” guaranteed $3 million (JMM made $1.5 million). Pacquiao’s three PPV fights vs. Erik Morales did around 350,000 each time and all three events were considered successes (by Top Rank and HBO PPV).

I think Bob should ship Bradley over to England to fight Brook, his breakout performance against Witter made everyone one take note so why not throw the dice and do what no one else wants to do. Who do you see Bradley fighting next? I don’t think it will be Brook. Bradley would need to bounce back from the Pacquiao loss first before that UK-vs.-US welter showdown can be pitched. Jessie Vargas, the new WBO beltholder, wants a rematch with Bradley, and both fighters are under the Top Rank banner, so maybe that’s one that Arum can make.

Are any of the ‘champs’ at middleweight going to have a unification fight soon? If Alvarez vs GGG needs marinating then surely BJS can take on Jacobs? Saunders and Jacobs called each other out on Twitter a few weeks ago for whatever that’s worth. We just had a middleweight unification six months ago when Golovkin fought Lemieux, so it’s not like it’s an impossible feat. It can happen and I think at least one more 160-pound (hint) title unification will take place during the next six months.

I’m a bit down that GGG isn’t getting major matchups it would be a shame not see him have suitable dance partners but just one of those things I guess…. Seriously, Seth, give St. John’s Wort a try. It might help. Regardless, Golovkin’s going to be alright. I promise.

I’m not overly impressed with Joshua’s shortlist Breazeale, Stiverne or Molina but guess they are reasonable yard sticks. Personally, I’m not interested in those matchups. I would be with Stiverne but I think he’s done based on his last outing and age. Stiverne probably has seen better days, but like you said, he’s a yard stick for AJ. If Joshua can stop the Hatian-Canadian, he “one-ups” Deontay Wilder. Joshua-Breazeale would be fun while it lasts (not long). But given Joshua’s lack of fights and rounds, even Eric Molina is a decent opponent provided the British star fights once or twice more in 2016 (vs. better opposition).

My choice would be for him to face Haye, but failing that get Parker in there, wouldn’t last long but def more interesting! I think Joshua-Haye and Joshua-Parker will happen eventually. There’s too much money on the table for those matchups not to take place. For now, Haye is still knocking off his ring rust, while Parker is cutting his teeth against seasoned vets like Carlos Takam.

RING MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

Doug,

The Ring Rankings are a breath of fresh air in a sport that’s otherwise riddled with conflicts of interest that fly in the face of the tenants of the sport and the spirit of competition. That said, The Ring Rankings aren’t without their flaws.

Will the Rankings committee strip Canelo Alvarez of the Middleweight title if he does not face his WBC mandatory challenger in Gennady Golovkin at the full 160 lb limit? As a fan of the sport I believe it would be shameful for The Ring to allow Alvarez to maintain his belt if he chooses not to face GGG. We’ve all known who the best middleweight in the sport is for the last several years. And while no-one can force Canelo to step into the squared circle with GGG, at the very least The Ring should recognize that allowing Canelo to retain The Ring belt makes it complicit in this charade.

While sanctioning bodies and shameless commercial interests will always be a part of the sport, The Ring magazine’s rankings committee has the opportunity to operate in a vacuum of sound logic and reason. I know you don’t control the rankings committee but I’m guessing you have at least a barometer for their thinking on this subject.

Thanks in advance, and thanks for all your hard work. – Taylor (New York)

I’ve got some questions for you, Taylor:

Why would THE RING strip Canelo for not facing a fighter that the WBC mandated he defend against? They did that. We didn’t. We’re not the WBC. We don’t do mandatories. And if we follow suit with the WBC’s actions does that mean we should follow other WBC mandates or the actions of the other sanctioning bodies? Should we have vacated the RING heavyweight title when the IBF stripped Tyson Fury of their belt?

And why would we strip Canelo of the RING title when he hasn’t even held the championship for more than half a year? Why the impetuous and indignant attitude toward the red-headed Mexican?

The RING title has been on the line in numerous catchweight bouts in recent years (from the Hopkins-Wright light heavyweight bout to the Mayweather-Canelo junior middleweight clash to the Cotto-Canelo middleweight showdown) and there wasn’t any demand from the fans for the magazine to vacate its championships prior to those high-profile bouts. How come when Canelo is the star/champ/diva who sets the catchweight, fans lose their s__t and want THE RING to strip him?

Here’s the bottom line: There are six situations that Canelo can lose THE RING title:

1.) He loses in a middleweight bout (and, yes, 155 pounds counts as middleweight).

2.) He moves to another weight class (such as back down to junior middleweight).

3.) He doesn’t schedule a fight in any weight class for 18 months.

4.) He doesn’t schedule a fight at his champion weight for 18 months (even if he fights at another weight).

5.) He doesn’t schedule a fight with a top-five contender from any weight class for two years.

6.) He retires.

If you really want Canelo to lose his RING title if he doesn’t face GGG this year, your best bet is the No. 2 situation. Maybe, if he beats Khan and opts to do a rematch with Cotto in September, he and the Puerto Rican veteran could agree to doing the fight at junior middleweight. If that happened (and this is all speculation, of course) perhaps The RING Editorial Board and Ratings Panel would discuss what to do with the magazine’s middleweight title, since it would not be on the line if the contracted weight for both fighters would be at or under 154 pounds. Even then, Canelo would have to hint at not returning to middleweight. I think most of the Panel would be against stripping him if they thought his very next fight would be at middleweight.

Email Fischer at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @dougiefischer