Lomachenko-Walters OFF because Top Rank has no leverage

[Scipio2009]

TR has a lot of good fighters available that would make it worthwhile if guys like Garcia, Khan, Proter, Thurman, Broner, etc are available. A lot of doors would open for both sides.

And while Arum is a crook, Haymon isn't exactly a saint either. While Arum has a lot of faults in prior years, I'm not going to criticize him if he decides to extend the olive branch and the other side wants to be bitter about it. That goes both ways too with Haymon and HBO.

Simple point is that the guys mentioned won't be available, largely because Arum is involved and has burned bridges with basically everyone sans HBO (with that relationship starting to fray as well). Arum isn't just seen as a crook; he's seen as arguably the biggest crook in the modern history of boxing, with Don King the only guy close.

Todd DuBoef seems to have none of the baggage that Arum has, with anyone really, and has been in a major role in the company for years now.

Bob Arum has extended olive branches before, only for the folks accepting of it finding out that he was really offering poison sumac (offering Pacquiao's services to Showtime in the explicit aim of goosing the HBO offer, the tirade against MGM Resorts, suing Al Haymon/etc for $100m for being anti-competitive after earning $100m working with Haymon/etc on a fight, tricking Paquiao out of his position, etc). Nobody trusts Arum and, frankly, that's understandable.

give DuBoef the shot to reconcile things behind a clean slate.

[original zero]

there's no reason for al to reconcile with TR, regardless of whether arum's involved.

why rescue TR when he can slowly kill them instead?

[Sugar Adam Ali]

Should have made this fight for a PPv card..

Crawford-marquez
Loma-Walters
verdejo-???

[Mitchell Kane]

Should have made this fight for a PPv card..

Crawford-marquez
Loma-Walters
verdejo-???

Supposedly Jose Felix Jr. is the leading candidate.

[Nubia]

Supposedly Jose Felix Jr. is the leading candidate.

Marquez wouldn't dare fight a guy like Crawford unless he wanted to get embarrassed.

[Mitchell Kane]

Marquez wouldn't dare fight a guy like Crawford unless he wanted to get embarrassed.

Doesn't sound like Marquez is even in the running for the Crawford date.

Even if he does come back, he'll probably take a soft touch.

[Pigeons]

Should have made this fight for a PPv card..

Crawford-marquez
Loma-Walters
verdejo-???

Crawford-Postol is a great fight in itself. Add Lomachenko-Walters, Donaire-TBA, and Zurdo Ramirez or Jessie Vargas in a title defense and I think that is worth $30-40.

Unfortunately it looks like it will be Crawford-Postol, Vargas-TBA, and two showcases fight for $50-60 in HD.

[Raonic]

Simple point is that the guys mentioned won't be available, largely because Arum is involved and has burned bridges with basically everyone sans HBO (with that relationship starting to fray as well). Arum isn't just seen as a crook; he's seen as arguably the biggest crook in the modern history of boxing, with Don King the only guy close.

Todd DuBoef seems to have none of the baggage that Arum has, with anyone really, and has been in a major role in the company for years now.

Bob Arum has extended olive branches before, only for the folks accepting of it finding out that he was really offering poison sumac (offering Pacquiao's services to Showtime in the explicit aim of goosing the HBO offer, the tirade against MGM Resorts, suing Al Haymon/etc for $100m for being anti-competitive after earning $100m working with Haymon/etc on a fight, tricking Paquiao out of his position, etc). Nobody trusts Arum and, frankly, that's understandable.

give DuBoef the shot to reconcile things behind a clean slate.

And sure, Arum was at fault in prior years. But if ST doesn't want to make a deal now, then it's as much on them as with Arum. It may have been on Arum before but if he makes a (fair) offer and they refuse, what do you want me to do? Call Arum a crook for being a bad guy before even if he's different now?

[Scipio2009]

And sure, Arum was at fault in prior years. But if ST doesn't want to make a deal now, then it's as much on them as with Arum. It may have been on Arum before but if he makes a (fair) offer and they refuse, what do you want me to do? Call Arum a crook for being a bad guy before even if he's different now?

I simply don't believe that Arum, at all of 85 years old, has it in him to ever be different, and my guess is that that is the sense that ST will take with them towards any Arum offer.

Because, let's keep to reality here; if Kovalev gets beat(no other marketable fighters under the Main Events umbrella), and Andre Ward walks(HBO's backing was whatever, and he's built his entire career on Showtime; a deal could be worked out similar to the Provodnikov/Banner Promotions deal), HBO would be seriously hurting for boxing contact.

If you seriously doubt Arum wouldn't say '**** you' to whatever handshake deal he had with Showtime (contracts cut both way) to head back to HBO (who have basically let him operate as he wished for the vast majority of the last 15 years), you're kidding yourself.

If you want to blame Showtime for not wanting to risk getting burned again, so be it.

[Lester Tutor]

And you wonder why rogue HBO affiliates hire Hauser to stir controversy against the competition.