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The numbers for Mikey's recent fight with Robert Easter just came out, and like all his other fights on Showtime (minus the Broner fight), it produced pitiful numbers. He's been fighting on the network for two years now and has failed to break out. It's very obvious that the Broner fight was an outlier and generated the views because of Broner, not Mikey.
Keep in mind, Wilder does at least 1M on all of his fights on Showtime, so you can't play the low subscriber card anymore. The reality is that Mikey is not as big of a star as he, and his team, think he is.
Which brings me to the potential Lomachenko fight, and why the fight won't happen. Last week, Mark Kriegel interviewed Mikey for ESPN, which can be found here:
http://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/i...ican-superstar
He asked Mikey about the Lomachenko fight, and reminded him that the fight is the most lucrative for him, Mikey's response says it all:
That right there tells you all you need to know.
Bob Arum was right, Mikey is beyond delusional. He thinks he's a bigger star than he is. That's why Top Rank cut bait with him. But the numbers say otherwise. In this situation, with his pitiful numbers, he's not the ASide fighter but he thinks he is.
Keep in mind, Wilder does at least 1M on all of his fights on Showtime, so you can't play the low subscriber card anymore. The reality is that Mikey is not as big of a star as he, and his team, think he is.
Which brings me to the potential Lomachenko fight, and why the fight won't happen. Last week, Mark Kriegel interviewed Mikey for ESPN, which can be found here:
http://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/i...ican-superstar
He asked Mikey about the Lomachenko fight, and reminded him that the fight is the most lucrative for him, Mikey's response says it all:
Dollar for dollar, however, he knows the fight is Lomachenko. "He's a champion at 135. I'm about to unify the title at 135. But different promoters, different networks ... He brings the most -- more than Crawford, more than Spence -- less risk, more money."
So what's the problem? I remind him that Jorge Linares, promoted by Golden Boy, pushed hard to make his fight with Lomachenko.
"I wouldn't let Bob dictate all the terms after leaving his company," he said. "Linares gave up all his leverage in negotiation. ... He had to go to New York, fight on an ESPN show, under a Top Rank banner."
It didn't exactly spell doom for Linares' career. He fought on national television in Madison Square Garden. In fact, even after losing, Linares is bigger than he ever was. And he deserves it. He bet on himself, not a promoter.
Still, I can't help but wonder, if Linares could knock down Lomachenko, what would Mikey do?
"I'm not saying I could only fight on Showtime, but I wouldn't want Top Rank to be in charge of those decisions," Mikey said. "I'm not an 'opponent.' I don't believe I should be treated as an opponent." He pauses for a moment. "Would Lomachenko come to me?"
So what's the problem? I remind him that Jorge Linares, promoted by Golden Boy, pushed hard to make his fight with Lomachenko.
"I wouldn't let Bob dictate all the terms after leaving his company," he said. "Linares gave up all his leverage in negotiation. ... He had to go to New York, fight on an ESPN show, under a Top Rank banner."
It didn't exactly spell doom for Linares' career. He fought on national television in Madison Square Garden. In fact, even after losing, Linares is bigger than he ever was. And he deserves it. He bet on himself, not a promoter.
Still, I can't help but wonder, if Linares could knock down Lomachenko, what would Mikey do?
"I'm not saying I could only fight on Showtime, but I wouldn't want Top Rank to be in charge of those decisions," Mikey said. "I'm not an 'opponent.' I don't believe I should be treated as an opponent." He pauses for a moment. "Would Lomachenko come to me?"
Bob Arum was right, Mikey is beyond delusional. He thinks he's a bigger star than he is. That's why Top Rank cut bait with him. But the numbers say otherwise. In this situation, with his pitiful numbers, he's not the ASide fighter but he thinks he is.
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