-
Steve KimESPN
Boxing isn’t a league. It is one industry, but it’s fractured and divided due to the different promotional companies. Because of this, many of the sport’s best matchups are either delayed beyond the moment when they’d make the biggest impact or simply go by the wayside.
Promotional rivalries and network alliances are now as entrenched in the sport as 12-round championship fights and three-minute rounds. The promotion that represents a fighter determines their future fight options. Depending on their circumstances and the other fighters under the same banner, they could be right in the mix for big fights or left out looking for a matchup that will provide the profile-raising push that is most desperately needed.
But consider a scenario in which promotional entities in the sport would make trades in the same way they are done in MLB, the NFL and the NBA, where the talent can be acquired for both the benefit of the athletes and the franchise.
With that in mind, here are five fantasy trades between boxing’s major promotional companies — and fantasy is what they are, so take care not to take this too seriously — that would benefit the sport as a whole and those involved.
Vasiliy Lomachenko and Miguel Berchelt (Top Rank) for Errol Spence Jr. (Premier Boxing Champions)
How will the trade benefit Lomachenko? Lomachenko is a three-division world titleholder who has captured major titles at featherweight, junior lightweight and lightweight. During this stretch of time, he has earned acclaim as one of the premier fighters in the sport. The biggest thing that has eluded Lomachenko is that one career-defining victory. Yes, there is talk of a showdown with fellow lightweight titlist Teofimo Lopez Jr., which would certainly count as a significant, high-profile bout, but who knows when that fight will actually come to fruition, if at all, in 2020.
By being traded to the PBC, Lomachenko has a “Tank” awaiting him in Gervonta Davis, another blue-chip talent at 135 who has become a legitimate draw and owns a secondary title. By throwing in Berchelt in the deal, the current WBC junior lightweight world titlist, you have another well-known opponent whom the winner of this fight can face down the line.
How will this help Berchelt? For Berchelt, the longest reigning titleholder at 130, and one of the most physically imposing fighters in the sport, this puts him in alignment with fellow titlist Leo Santa Cruz, who currently holds the WBA “super” belt at junior lightweight. A fight between Berchelt and Santa Cruz would be a fun shootout. But the matchup that is really intriguing, and perhaps more enticing to the public at large, would be a bout against Davis, who twice held a title at junior welterweight and is now campaigning as a lightweight. Berchelt-Davis is one of the best pure fights that can be made at 135.
How will the trade benefit Spence? This trade opens the door for Spence to finally face Terence Crawford, the reigning WBO welterweight titleholder. Simply put, a matchup between Spence — who holds the IBF and WBC belts at 147 — and Crawford is one of the best fights to be made in all of boxing.
How do the companies benefit? Both Top Rank and PBC immediately get to make pay-per-view fights that both please boxing fans and succeed at the box office.
Fights we’d like to see: Lomachenko vs. Davis and Spence vs. Crawford.
Canelo Alvarez (Golden Boy Promotions) for Gervonta Davis and Leo Santa Cruz (PBC)
How will Canelo benefit? After Canelo, who currently holds titles at middleweight and super middleweight, signed an incredibly lucrative $350 million deal with DAZN in 2018, for one reason or another things have gone sour between Golden Boy and their star client. It’s clear Canelo wants a change of scenery.
Waiting for Canelo at PBC is Jermall Charlo, the current WBC middleweight titlist. If Canelo decides to settle in at 168, he has a few options in WBC belt-holder David Benavidez and IBF titlist Caleb Plant, who would both be enticing matchups and give Canelo an opportunity to add more quality names to his ledger. Both fights are very marketable, but really, isn’t everything involving Canelo?
How will Davis and Santa Cruz benefit? Both can still fight one another, just on a different platform, and there is fertile ground between 130 and 135 to make various fights.
At Golden Boy, a fight between Santa Cruz and Joseph “JoJo” Diaz would be a very interesting, all-Southern California battle that would do well at the box office. And at 135 — where “Tank” Davis currently resides — there is Ryan Garcia, the 2017 prospect of the year, and a matchup between the two would certainly be a must-see fight. Davis and Garcia have been jawing back and forth on social media the past several months, but due to their current promotional ties, there are significant hurdles that exist. Under this trade, there really are none.
How do the companies benefit? For PBC, it’s simple: It gains the services of one of the biggest attractions in the sport. Given its Fox deal, PBC is still very much in the pay-per-view business and now has someone such as Canelo to anchor that platform at least twice a year. As for Golden Boy, it gets a chance to move on from a seemingly unhappy Alvarez and work with one of the brightest young stars in the sport and a longtime champion.
Two fights we’d like to see: Canelo vs. Charlo and Davis vs. “JoJo” Diaz.
Manny Pacquiao (PBC) for Devin Haney and Callum Smith (Matchroom)
How will Pacquiao benefit? While most of the marquee welterweights are under the PBC umbrella, it’s clear Pacquiao and his management are looking for the biggest money fight possible — and that might mean going to the Middle East, where Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn now does business. Money talks, and if the price is right, Hearn will be able to entice a well-known dance partner to Saudi Arabia.
Mikey Garcia, who is now with Matchroom, has yearned for a fight against Pacquiao and he is a well-known figure to most boxing fans. A dark-horse candidate would be Regis Prograis, a top junior welterweight. Prograis, while not technically a Matchroom fighter, was scheduled to face Maurice Hooker on a DAZN card on April 17. Promoted by DiBella Entertainment, he’s the type of boxer who has the flexibility to make a deal for such a fight, and Hearn has shown a willingness to reach across the aisle and make fights with rival promoters.
How will Haney and Smith benefit? Haney is one of the best young natural talents in the sport, and at just 21, his future is bright. Right now, he is having problems enticing the other lightweight belt-holders to face him, but eventually, he’ll move up in weight. His career could very well get the same type of push Spence and Davis got from PBC. As for Smith, the WBA “super” champion at 168, his career has stalled since winning the World Boxing Super Series in 2018. This is a chance for him to get in the ring with the other super middleweight belt-holders Benavidez and Plant.
How do the companies benefit? PBC gets younger. For as iconic as Pacquiao is, 41 is 41. At a certain point, you always look to get younger with your roster, don’t you? Pacquiao is not the pay-per-view draw he once was, but it’s all relative. He matchups very well with everyone else currently in the division. The reality is that he is still one of the biggest attractions in the sport. When Pacquiao performs, it transcends boxing because of his global popularity, and it’s very much an international event.
Two fights we’d like to see: Pacquiao vs. Garcia and Smith vs. Benavidez
Three-way trade: Terence Crawford (Top Rank) to PBC, David Benavidez (PBC) to Golden Boy and Vergil Ortiz and Alexis Rocha (Golden Boy) to Top Rank
How will Crawford benefit? Crawford is atop many pound-for-pound lists, but the fights the public yearns for have eluded him at welterweight since he won the WBO title from Jeff Horn in 2018. Good competition against PBC fighters such as Pacquiao, Spence and Porter would be must-see fights in the welterweight division.
How will Benavidez benefit? There will come a time when Canelo will settle in as a full-time super middleweight, and by being with Golden Boy, it makes this particular bout against Canelo much easier to put together. It’s a fight that looks to be a can’t-miss given the overall skills and star power of Alvarez and the offensive firepower of Benavidez.
How will Ortiz and Rocha benefit? In Ortiz, you have one of the most highly regarded American prospects. Ortiz has 15 fights (with 15 stoppages) to his credit, and he’s just 22 years old. He is a future star and now gets to be showcased on ESPN. Rocha is another solid young boxer and a possible foe for Ortiz in the future.
How do the companies benefit? Everyone involved here fills a specific hole. Some will benefit immediately, while others look toward the future. PBC gets a key piece on the welterweight chessboard with Crawford, who can be matched right off the bat with their other top 147 pounders. Golden Boy gets a current world titleholder at super middleweight and a natural opponent for Canelo. If Benavidez continues to develop his skills, a fight with Canelo is exactly the type of event that should be headlining on Cinco De Mayo weekend. In Ortiz and Rocha, Top Rank gets two young exciting fighters with a very high ceiling.
Two fights we’d want to see: Crawford vs. Spence and Canelo vs. Benavidez.
Jermall Charlo (PBC) for Mikey Garcia (Matchroom)
How will Charlo benefit? Despite having the WBC title, Charlo is on the outside looking in at middleweight, because the other belt-holders are under different promotional banners that have content deals with DAZN. In certain respects, what Crawford is to welterweight, Charlo is to middleweight.
But with this trade, Charlo could face Canelo at 160 or 168, Gennadiy Golovkin, Jaime Munguia or finally settle a long-standing grudge match against WBO middleweight belt-holder Demetrius Andrade. All of these names fight on DAZN.
How will Garcia benefit? For better or worse, Garcia insists he will stay at welterweight even though he has acknowledged he might be more effective at 140. So why not have him back at PBC, where he had a productive run between 2016 and 2019? During that stretch, Garcia captured a lightweight and a junior welterweight title. There’s an abundance of fights to make for him at 147, including a rematch with Spence, who blanked him last year. Some will groan, but Garcia has stated that he wants another crack at him. Beyond Spence, fights against Danny Garcia, Keith Thurman and Pacquiao would be available and easy to make.
How do the companies benefit? PBC gets another key addition at 147 in Garcia, a Mexican-American boxer who has become a solid attraction in both California and Texas. As for Matchroom/DAZN, they pick up the services of the fiery Charlo, who brings another dangerous element to their middleweight stable of Canelo, GGG and Andrade.
Two fights we want to see: Garcia vs. Thurman and Golovkin vs. Charlo.