by Cliff Rold
Anyone for even more pay-per-view?
The on paper fight of the week asks that question. It’s likely to be lightly answered. The same can’t be said of a big name Johnny Drama special that might draw a lot of eyes in Mexico and more than expected here. One of them shares blood with the biggest story of the week.
That story, the defection of Canelo Alvarez to HBO, is the sort of grist for the mill social media can’t get enough of. We live in an odd era of sports fandom where it’s not just about personal favorite competitors and their win/loss mark. Too many get their heart aflutter worrying about bottom lines.
Here’s what matters: Alvarez will still be fighting somewhere. HBO is probably going to overpay for a fight no one really wants against Joshua Clottey. Then, Cotto. The back end looks good. No one watching is going to do anything but spend.
With the previously planned Fox Sports 1 airing of the Anselmo Moreno-Juan Carlos Payano Bantamweight title fight off the docket (but likely to officially stream by Panamanian television), these are the picks of the week.
Pick It: #2 Krzysztof Wlodarczyk vs. #5 Grigory Drozd (Saturday, PPV, 12 PM EST/9 AM PST)
If on the US west coast, and in no mood to watch Saturday kids fare, there will be boxing to go with waffles. It might even be good boxing. Poland’s Wlodarczyk (49-2-1, 35 KO) often makes good scraps and will attempt to defend his WBC Cruiserweight belt for the seventh time. He hasn’t lost since the Steve Cunningham rematch in 2007 and, at 33, still appears close to prime form. Drozd (38-1, 27 KO) is a serious threat and has the fight on his turf in Russia. He hasn’t lost since a 2006 stoppage versus Firat Arslan and posted one of the best wins of his career last year against undefeated Mateusz Masternak. It’s $24.99 but fans pay three times that for fights less likely to excite these days.
Pick Big Names: Omar Chavez vs. Ramon Alvarez (Saturday, BeIn Sports Espanol, 11 PM EST/8 PM PST)
And, look, here we go with BeIn again. One week after another Fight of the Year contender, we have Canelo’s brother Ramon (19-4-2, 12 KO) against the brother of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Omar (32-2-1, 22 KO). The biggest fight between two Mexicans possible on Earth right now is probably too far apart in terms of size and professionalism to be realistic. Insert avatars and let the leather fly.
Pick Deportes: Javier Prieto vs. Ivan Cano (Saturday, Fox Deportes, 10 PM EST/7 PM PST)
So Fox punted Moreno but kept this and it might be a fun scrap. Prieto (24-7-1, 18 KO) and Cano (22-6-1, 15 KO) are in position to get traction in the WBC ratings at Lightweight here. That means one of them could be a foe for Omar Figueroa in the next year. That makes this one worth a look, or at least a DVR in case it turns out properly violent.
For BoxingScene’s latest full divisional ratings, log on to: https://www.boxingscene.com/forums/view.php?pg=boxing-ratings
Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com
