It's Monday. Welcome back for another edition of Observe and Fight, The Boxing Observer's compilation of observations and random thoughts from the week that was in boxing. Get caught up on some of the most recent events you may have missed out on, including the rise of another American star, a lawsuit against Richard Schaefer by Golden Boy Promotions, a recap of All Access: Canelo/Lara, the growing stable of Al Haymon fighters, and much more. Without further ado, check out the latest observations from the Boxing Observer, David Kassel.
Is Terence Crawford the next great American fighter? After his outstanding knockout of Yuriorkis Gamboa this past Saturday night, believe it or not, the jury is still out. Once Crawford figured out how to time Gamboa after the 4th round, he dominated the fight. However, those first 4 rounds may have provided insight into how to beat Crawford. Gamboa used speed and movement to frustrate Crawford. Gamboa was unable to sustain his attack, but a bigger, more active fighter could have caused Crawford many more problems. I'm not downplaying how good Crawford is. He is one of the most promising fighters in America. However, before crowning him as a Top 10 superstar, I think he needs better opposition. Prior to Saturday, his best win came on foreign soil against Ricky Burns (which was extremely impressive), but the guy he beat in Gamboa is a blown up featherweight. Gamboa landed some flush shots on Crawford and only one hurt him. Against a true lightweight, Crawford may have been hurt more and that fight could have played out completely different. Crawford stated he wants to move up to 140lbs for his next fight, and I commend him for taking the step up. The competition is much stronger at 140, and Crawford needs to take it slow if he wants to succeed. A fighter like Humberto Soto, who could test Crawford's chin but wouldn't be quick enough to keep up with him, would be a great first test at junior welterweight.
Yuriorkis Gamboa made one of the worst decisions of his career by signing with SMS Promotions. Gamboa needs to drop back to featherweight, where the talent pool is rich and the paydays are even better. Lightweight is not the best place for the small Gamboa. Can you imagine Gamboa vs. Vasyl Lomachenko? Gamboa vs. Nonito Donaire? Gamboa vs. Abner Mares? Gamboa vs. Jhonny Gonzales? The list goes on and on. Gamboa needs a career ressurection (it's weird to say that about a guy who just suffered his first pro loss), but inactivity has destroyed his career. SMS Promotions has zero TV dates, and 50 Cent has no bargaining power in boxing. How is Gamboa supposed to get his career back on track with odds like that?
The crowd in Omaha was spectacular! Don't be surprised to see more Crawford fights land in Nebraska.
Golden Boy is going directly for the jugular against Richard Schaefer. Golden Boy Promotions has filed arbitration seeking $50 million in damages against Schaefer. The case will be heard through a private arbitrator because it was written into Schaefer's contract that if either side filed a lawsuit against the other, it would have to be done through a private arbitrator. The terms of the lawsuit remain private, and neither side is commenting on it, but one has to believe it has to do with Schaefer constantly placing Al Haymon fighters on Golden Boy fight cards while those fighters were not under contract with Golden Boy Promotions. Golden Boy also claims that Schaefer is under contract until 2018, which makes it possible there may be a non-compete clause somewhere in his contract. Only time will tell, but this could get really messy.
All Access: Canelo vs. Lara proved that July 12th is going to be one hell of an intriguing fight! Usually, All Access provides a glimpse into how the fighters are feeling and whether or not someone has a mental advantage over the other, however, both fighters looked more focused and relaxed than I have ever seen. Austin Trout, a common opponent of both fighters, predicted that Canelo won't be able to hit Lara. I don't see that being the case. Paul Williams was able hit him. So was Alfredo Angulo. Canelo is proving he is quicker than we give him credit for. Lara is the better technical boxer of the two, but it's not such a huge difference as people talk about. People tend to forget that Lara has lapses during fights which cause him extreme danger. Canelo will be the best fighter Lara has faced. The same cannot be said for Canelo, who has already fought the best in the world (Floyd Mayweather). The stage will be bigger than Lara has ever seen. Canelo is already used to this stage at 23 years old. A lot of factors go into this fight and it's truly a 50/50 fight if you ask me. Canelo may actually have the slight edge, but it's so close that speculation is going to do nothing except make people second-guess their picks. I wouldn't bet on this fight for anything.
The Al Haymon stable of fighters continues to grow. In case you haven't heard, lightweight champion Miguel Vazquez and former world title challenger Vanes Martirosyan inked agreements with Haymon last week. Another junior middleweight prospect, Joshua Conley, who is trained by Henry Ramirez, trainer of Chris Arreola and Josesito Lopez, also signed with Haymon recently. I know people continue to bash Haymon, yet fighters keep signing with him. Haymon gets his fighters paid and gets them TV dates. The fact is that he currently has the best list of fighters in the world, much better than the talent rosters that Golden Boy and Top Rank can claim. This plan may have been in place for awhile, but be sure that Al Haymon has a plan in place. Remember when Ben Thompson reported that CBS Sports Network would be airing a fight series much like Golden Boy Live on Fox Sports 1? Don't be surprised if that has Al Haymon written all over it. He's got prospects, contenders, and champions. Haymon has it all right now.
Speaking of Haymon fighters, I think the August 9th fight card is deplorable. Danny Garcia will headline the card against Rod Salka. Nothing against Salka, but his most notable opponent was Ricardo Alvarez. Salka is a lightweight who can't punch. He can box, but Garcia is going to show him absolutely no respect. Unless Garcia completely dismisses Salka, there is absolutely NO WAY Salka can win this fight. The co-feature has Lamont Peterson will be facing Edgar Santana, whose best win came against Josesito Lopez, but that was back in 2008. Daniel Jacobs opens up the card against Jarrod Fletcher, an Australian who has never fought in the United States. As a matter of fact, his nickname is "Left Jab." If that doesn't tell you that this card is nothing but 3 separate showcase fights, I don't know what will.
After seeing the pay-per-view numbers for Miguel Cotto vs. Sergio Martinez, does anyone else still believe undercards don't matter? Bob Arum has stated numerous times that undercard fights are not the main reason people purchase pay-per-views, and that undercards have no bearing on numbers. Tell that to the approximately 350,000 buys Cotto vs. Martinez just produced. The undercard was one of the worst in recent memory. Undercards do matter and do help the bottom line.
Matt Korobov was over and underwhelming all in one fight. Jose Uzcategui was no slouch and came to win, and maybe Korobov isn't used to going to 10 full rounds with world-class opposition. Korobov has great skills, but I don't think he is ready to be considered one of the best middleweights in the world just yet.
Each week, I feature an email from a fan on Observe and Fight. This week's email comes to us from Jesse Saucedo regarding the chances of a Canelo vs. Miguel Cotto match-up...
"I'm a big fan of Canelo Alvarez and my question is Top Rank said that they have a return date for Cotto in December, so I don't think we'll see Cotto vs Canelo this year. So where does that leave Canelo? Who do you think will face Canelo if he beats Erislandy Lara? Thanks & keep up the good articles!"
I actually think December works perfectly for that date if Canelo beats Lara, especially since Golden Boy and Top Rank are willing to do business together again. I think the winner of the fight has a very good chance to face Cotto in December, but Canelo would be more likely than Lara. However, rumors surfaced last week that discussions are ongoing for a potential middleweight title bout between Cotto and Timothy Bradley, with a potential catch-weight of 155lbs. If that happens, Canelo would be open to many other fights, should he beat Lara, possibly a unification fight with the winner of Carlos Molina vs. Cornelius Bundrage, or facing Demetrius Andrade.
That's all I've got for this week. Email any questions or comments to dkassel@fighthype.com and I will answer them throughout the week. Your email may be featured in the next "Observe and Fight." Follow me on Twitter @BoxingObserver, and be sure to "Like" The Boxing Observer on Facebook.
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