Algieri Defeats Provodnikov. Pacquao Looming for the Fall?
It looks like the community is split right down the middle about Chris Algieri's shocking split decision win over Ruslan Provodnikov last weekend, but one man couldn't be any happier. That man is Algieri's promoter, Bob Arum.
In Algieri, Arum may just have found an opponent cheap enough to put in front of Manny Pacquiao this Fall as to satisfy the purse demands of the Filipino champion. Provodnikov was also promoted by Arum for a time, but the Algieri fight was the last fight he had under contract with Top Rank before the rights to promote him reverted back to Banner Boxing. Now that Provodnikov has been sent packing back to Banner (and presumably ESPN), Algieri might have just landed himself the opportunity of a lifetime.
Top Rank's anemic roster has made it that Pacquiao only had three possible opponents for the Fall: A fifth fight with Juan Manuel Marquez, a third fight with Bradley, or Provodnikov. According to Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach, Marquez is asking for too much money to stage a fifth fight, something I alluded to a few weeks back. Bradley isn't going to take a backwards step in pay either, so Provodnikov was probably the best option to satisfy the tax-beligued Pacquiao.
That option has now been replaced with Algieri, who made a little over $100k for his title winning performance and would fight for what could be a bargain for Top Rank. This would allow Pacquiao to get back into the mid $20 million range and put a considerably low bar of success for a pay per view broadcast, even as Pacquiao's numbers continue to dwindle.
Top Rank has shown that they have a knack for putting together legitimately appalling fight cards, and Pacquiao/Algieri could be one of the worst pay per view fights since Mike Tyson came out of prison in the mid 90s. Are you willing to pay $70 for a card that features Zou Shiming on the undercard? There aren't enough Tecate rebates to convince me otherwise.
HBO Turning Up the Heat for the Summer.
Boxing's "network of champions" has been a popular target here in the Bucket, but their finicky approach to the sport and their fight choices as of late have made them an easy target. Despite the outcome of last weekend's fight, did anybody honestly see this doubleheader and say "This sure looks like it belongs on HBO?" That night we got two extremes, in one instance there was the hideous Andrade/Rose fight where Rose fought like a guy they paid out of the audience and in the other was the main event.
It looks like we may be through the worst of it as HBO has a summer schedule that dwarfs the quality of fights it has had all year. At the end of the month we will all bear witness to Terrance Crawford's arrival as an elite talent as he easily handles the faded and inactive Yuriorkis Gamboa and the July bout between Gennady Golovkin vs. Daniel Geale is a big fight with big implications. Of course we'll get some mismatches along the way, like Sergey Kovalev's summer bout against another nondescript opponent or Bryant Jennings beating up a listless Mike Perez, but there are good fights incoming.
With their Fall schedule holding out on who Pacquiao is fighting, the network should really find a way to get better quality fights on regular TV as opposed to waiting for the pay per view. Now is as good of a time as any to do a rematch between Timothy Bradley and Provodnikov, or if they really want to impress people, they can send out an APB and try to locate James Kirkland and put him in the ring with Andy Lee in what could turn out to be a hellacious fight.
The cherry on top? If Pacquiao does fight Algieri, why not have it as a major thank you to the fans and make it a regular broadcast? It might do worse than Pacquiao's fight with Brandon Rios, but it could be a rating's success if done on regular HBO much like Oscar De la Hoya's fight with Steve Forbes. With Showtime not having any fights scheduled past July, it's the perfect time for HBO to catch up.
The Furious Flurries
- Speaking of De la Hoya, the walls keep tumbling down at Golden Boy. Their COO Bruce Binkow has stepped down from his position, making him the second major departure for the company in as many weeks.
- Andre Ward did an excellent job calling the action last weekend and has shown he's just as talented in the mic as he is inside the ring. I wish him all the luck in retirement, since I'm having my doubts he's ever going to fight again.
- Robert Guerrero's return to the ring this weekend against Yoshiro Kamegai may just be a precursor for a fight with Keith Thurman, which would be amazing. Last year, Guerrero turned down a chance to fight Thurman, who knocked out Jesus Soto-Karass instead. Guerrero/Thurman is one of the best fights that can be made right now, and I sure hope we see it.
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