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I’m sure you’ve heard by now that Showtime, which is staging the “Super Six” round-robin tournament in the super middleweight division was hoping to do the same at bantamweight. On board are Yonnhy Perez, Joseph Agbeko, Vic Darchinyan and Abner Mares. Ken Hershman, boxing czar at Showtime, was hoping to include Top Rank’s duo of Fernando Montiel and Nonito Donaire. But alas, Top Rank has declined the offer. So as it stands now, we will have a four-man single elimination tournament with Perez and Agbeko rematching and Darchinyan facing Mares, with the two winners squaring off. I’m told that both fights could take place on the same night.
So why did Top Rank pass? Well, Ricardo Lois of theboxingtruth wrote this on Tuesday as he was able to catch up with Bob Arum:
There has been a lot of buzz in boxing’s ever-active knitting circle regarding a proposed 118-pound tournament being pieced together by Showtime.
Taking after the super middleweight tournament that is currently being decided, Showtime aims to kick off a tournament with bantamweights in the fall.
According to reports, Showtime’s Ken Hershman, who was not available at the time this was being written, is building a tournament featuring network alumni Abner Mares, Yonnhy Perez, Vic Darchinyan, and Joseph Agbeko.
Rumors of Fernando Montiel and Nonito Donaire being invited are correct, as promoter Bob Arum confirms they were invited, but he turned down the opportunity.
“Montiel and Donaire were invited,” Arum told the Los Angeles Boxing Examiner. “But I told Showtime I was only interested in an elimination tournament.”
Arum balked at the idea of Montiel and Donaire being locked into a multi-fight tournament. When asked about his trepidation surrounding a multi-fight format, Arum cited the fighters’ health.
“I don’t want my guys fighting in there just because there are big paydays,” said Arum. “If one gets hurt and is in a condition where he should not keep fighting, I don’t want them in there.”
Showtime allowed Jermain Taylor to exit the super middleweight tournament after being pulverized by Arthur Abraham in the first series of bouts.
No word if Showtime would amend the tournaments format to account for Arum’s concern."
OK, Lois already addressed Arum’s concern about a fighter who may not be fit to continue as he cited the example of Taylor, who was pulled from the “Super Six” after his knockout loss at the hands of Arthur Abraham in October. But if Arum is concerned about the wear-and-tear on his boxers, well, if this was a single elimination tournament with eight boxers, that’s still three fights. Participating in a “Super Six” format is just two more fights. And looking at how the 168-pound scrum is spaced out, it’s not like the fighters are being forced to come back any sooner than usual in this day and age.
But I think the bottom line is this- while the decision to pull Donaire is really Fernando Beltran’s- when it comes to Donaire- I’ve been told that they have a lucrative output deal with Filipino television that they don’t want to share and that Donaire is the centerpiece of. And Top Rank has plans to eventually match Montiel and Donaire. There’s a reason why I’ve dubbed them “Top Incest.”
I wonder though, while it’s certainly their prerogative to do whatever they choose with their clients, is this decision a bit short-sighted? In what other circumstance can bantamweights be guaranteed at least three slots on premium cable and HBO doesn’t do much- if at all- below 135 pounds and doesn’t expect Showtime to do any bantamweight bouts that are not a part of their tournament (A source told me that Showtime had planned on opening up their September 18th broadcast featuring Juan Manuel Lopez-Rafael Marquez with a bout between Jorge Arce- who is represented by Beltran- and Perez but pulled the plug when Beltran wasn’t playing ball)?
While it’s certainly a buzzkill that this tournament will not involve two of the very best fighters in the world, the way I look at it, praise those who are involved (the boxers involved and the likes of Gary Shaw, Don King and Golden Boy Promotions). The “Super Six” has been well-received by the boxing public and has been great for the sport overall.
But I guess, what’s good for boxing isn’t always what’s good for Top Rank.
I’m sure you’ve heard by now that Showtime, which is staging the “Super Six” round-robin tournament in the super middleweight division was hoping to do the same at bantamweight. On board are Yonnhy Perez, Joseph Agbeko, Vic Darchinyan and Abner Mares. Ken Hershman, boxing czar at Showtime, was hoping to include Top Rank’s duo of Fernando Montiel and Nonito Donaire. But alas, Top Rank has declined the offer. So as it stands now, we will have a four-man single elimination tournament with Perez and Agbeko rematching and Darchinyan facing Mares, with the two winners squaring off. I’m told that both fights could take place on the same night.
So why did Top Rank pass? Well, Ricardo Lois of theboxingtruth wrote this on Tuesday as he was able to catch up with Bob Arum:
There has been a lot of buzz in boxing’s ever-active knitting circle regarding a proposed 118-pound tournament being pieced together by Showtime.
Taking after the super middleweight tournament that is currently being decided, Showtime aims to kick off a tournament with bantamweights in the fall.
According to reports, Showtime’s Ken Hershman, who was not available at the time this was being written, is building a tournament featuring network alumni Abner Mares, Yonnhy Perez, Vic Darchinyan, and Joseph Agbeko.
Rumors of Fernando Montiel and Nonito Donaire being invited are correct, as promoter Bob Arum confirms they were invited, but he turned down the opportunity.
“Montiel and Donaire were invited,” Arum told the Los Angeles Boxing Examiner. “But I told Showtime I was only interested in an elimination tournament.”
Arum balked at the idea of Montiel and Donaire being locked into a multi-fight tournament. When asked about his trepidation surrounding a multi-fight format, Arum cited the fighters’ health.
“I don’t want my guys fighting in there just because there are big paydays,” said Arum. “If one gets hurt and is in a condition where he should not keep fighting, I don’t want them in there.”
Showtime allowed Jermain Taylor to exit the super middleweight tournament after being pulverized by Arthur Abraham in the first series of bouts.
No word if Showtime would amend the tournaments format to account for Arum’s concern."
OK, Lois already addressed Arum’s concern about a fighter who may not be fit to continue as he cited the example of Taylor, who was pulled from the “Super Six” after his knockout loss at the hands of Arthur Abraham in October. But if Arum is concerned about the wear-and-tear on his boxers, well, if this was a single elimination tournament with eight boxers, that’s still three fights. Participating in a “Super Six” format is just two more fights. And looking at how the 168-pound scrum is spaced out, it’s not like the fighters are being forced to come back any sooner than usual in this day and age.
But I think the bottom line is this- while the decision to pull Donaire is really Fernando Beltran’s- when it comes to Donaire- I’ve been told that they have a lucrative output deal with Filipino television that they don’t want to share and that Donaire is the centerpiece of. And Top Rank has plans to eventually match Montiel and Donaire. There’s a reason why I’ve dubbed them “Top Incest.”
I wonder though, while it’s certainly their prerogative to do whatever they choose with their clients, is this decision a bit short-sighted? In what other circumstance can bantamweights be guaranteed at least three slots on premium cable and HBO doesn’t do much- if at all- below 135 pounds and doesn’t expect Showtime to do any bantamweight bouts that are not a part of their tournament (A source told me that Showtime had planned on opening up their September 18th broadcast featuring Juan Manuel Lopez-Rafael Marquez with a bout between Jorge Arce- who is represented by Beltran- and Perez but pulled the plug when Beltran wasn’t playing ball)?
While it’s certainly a buzzkill that this tournament will not involve two of the very best fighters in the world, the way I look at it, praise those who are involved (the boxers involved and the likes of Gary Shaw, Don King and Golden Boy Promotions). The “Super Six” has been well-received by the boxing public and has been great for the sport overall.
But I guess, what’s good for boxing isn’t always what’s good for Top Rank.
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