As previously reported by BoxingScene.com, Top Rank's CEO Bob Arum - who promotes WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford - lashed out at Al Haymon - the head of Premier Boxing Champions. Arum claims that Haymon is doing everything possible to prevent a unification between Crawford and IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence.
Frank Warren, promoter for heavyweight contender Tyson Fury, has given high praise to WBC world champion Deontay Wilder for rejected a potential deal with DAZN. Wilder rejected a multi-fight deal with DAZN, reportedly worth over $100 million.
Shawn Porter and Yordenis Ugas didn’t draw quite as many viewers for FOX as Keith Thurman and Josesito Lopez attracted for the previous welterweight title fight the network aired. According to Nielsen Media Research figures released Tuesday, the 12-round bout between Porter and Ugas was watched by an average audience of 2,142,000 viewers Saturday night. Their main event, which Porter won thanks to a questionable split decision, drew a peak audience of 2,197,000 toward the end of their fight for Porter’s WBC welterweight title at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
Top Rank's CEO Bob Arum believes Al Haymon, who created the Premier Boxing Champions banner, has no interest in making fights with other promoters. Haymon and Arum have been at odds for a very long time and rarely come together to make big fights. Their respective companies have exclusive content deals with rival networks. Haymon has deals with Showtime and FOX Sports, while Arum's company is aligned with ESPN.
The final televised boxing card of February was pretty much in line with the rest of the month—down from the start of the year, but with plenty of room for growth. Saturday’s live installment of Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) drew a combined 358,000 viewers across all Fox Sports platforms. The main FS1 telecast—topped by Anthony Dirrell’s technical decision win over Avni Yildirim live from the Minneapolis Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota—drew 291,000 viewers according to Nielsen Media Research.
Saturday evening saw Chris Eubank Jr overcome the valiant effort of two-time world champion James DeGale to claim the IBO world super middleweight title for the second time. Eubank Jr outworked DeGale throughout, sending the former British, European and world champion to the canvas on multiple occasions as he recorded a unanimous decision victory at London’s O2 Arena.
Junior middleweight Vanes Martirosyan (36-4-1, 21 KOs) is regretting his departure from Al Haymon's Premier Boxing Champions banner. Back in 2017, Vanes was a bit frustrated with career push and made a decision to part ways with Haymon.
Former multi-division world champion Yuriorkis Gamboa is looking to rejuvenate his career with a new promotional deal with Premier Boxing Champions. Boxing manager and adviser Luis DeCubas Jr., who works very closely with PBC and company founder Al Haymon, believes the Olympic gold medal winner from Cuba is still very much a force in the lower weight division.
Former two division world champion Marcos 'El Chino' Maidana (35-5, 31 KOs) is planning to return to the ring in the coming months. He intends to return to the ring under the banner of Premier Boxing Champions, which is no surprise with his long relationship with PBC founder and powerful boxing manager Al Haymon. Maidana also works with adviser Sebastian Contursi.
Keith Thurman and Josesito Lopez didn’t just deliver a more entertaining, competitive welterweight title fight Saturday night than many expected. The gritty veterans attracted more viewers for FOX, too. Nielsen Media Research figures released Tuesday indicated the “PBC on FOX” tripleheader lured a peak audience of 2,765,000 during the 12th round of the compelling main event between Thurman and Lopez at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The 12-round Thurman-Lopez fight, in which Thurman overcame serious trouble during the seventh round to win a majority decision, drew an average of 2,480,000 viewers.