Floyd Mayweather, JR Already Coming Back to Boxing?, Bernard Hopkins Return? Sergey Kovalev – Andre Ward Coming Soon?, & Adrien Broner SHOCKER

By Dave “Mythical” Siderski

Hey all, another week has passed since my last column. Here are some things that’s have caught my attention over the past week pertaining to the current boxing scene.
B-Hop Say It Isn’t So! I read a story this week that Bernard Hopkins wants to celebrate his 51st birthday by coming back for one last fight to take place in January 30th. His opponent is set to be Arthur Abraham, a former Middleweight champion and current WBO Super Middleweight champion. B-Hop’s choice of opponent here is exactly why he is such a legendary figure in boxing. That said, I believe Bernard’s bravery is ill-advised in this instance and I would strongly urge him to reconsider.

B-Hop’s legacy is set and the man has nothing more to prove in the ring. The beating he took in his match with Sergey Kovalev last November was troubling to watch. At the same time, he demonstrated the courage that made him such a special fighter. It was an honorable final performance for an all-time great. But it should be the final time we see him in the ring. At this point, he has nothing to gain and everything to lose by continuing to fight.

Yes, Abraham is not Kovalev. However, he is a very good fighter and a dangerous opponent who can punch. As intriguing it might be to see if B-Hop can cheat father time and pull off one more legendary performance at the age of 51, it is simply not worth the potential risk. How many great champions have we seen hang on too long and suffer the devastating consequences. B-Hop please do not be one of them! You deserve better than this.

Kovalev-Ward: Coming Soon? Speaking of Kovalev, word is HBO is trying to pave the way for a fall 2016 PPV Showdown between he and Andre Ward. The cable giant is in the process of hammering out a three fight agreement with Ward, the first of which is projected to be an appearance on the undercard of the Miguel Cotto-Canelo Alvarez PPV in November. The plan is apparently to have the showdown with Kovalev be the 3rd and final fight of the agreement. Two outstanding and undefeated fighters at the peak of their skills. This is exciting to contemplate and one PPV that might actually be worth shelling out the extra dough for. My money would be on Sergei at this point. He may just be too big for Ward and Andre is still a bit of an unknown after his extended layoff. Let’s hope it happens.

HBO vs Showtime. The ratings are in for the respective HBO and Showtime boxing doubleheaders last Saturday. The bad news for both networks is the numbers for each paled in comparison to ABC’s broadcast of the Clemson-Notre Dame College Football Matchup which averaged 7.6 million viewers. As far as the ratings war between these two cable giants, HBO won the battle averaging 663,000 viewers for a card featuring Viktor Postol knocking out Lucas Matthysse in the 10th round. Conversely, Showtime’s card, featuring Adrien Broner knocking out Khabib Allakhverdiev averaged 506,000 viewers.

A note to both networks, both cards were ok but not compelling enough to warrant competing against each other, particularly on a College Football Saturday night. Then again, given Broner’s post-fight rant, perhaps Showtime is fortunate more viewers weren’t watching.

Someone Please Give This Man a Muzzle. Speaking of Broner, his latest post-fight interview debacle showed once again he clearly doesn’t get it. It started with: “I’m mf-ing” tired and only went downhill from there. Other gems from the oratory genius that is Broner included: “when to Adrien Broner is on his s___, a fly can’t be around me.” and finally: “You put Ashley [Theophane] on one of your private jets, bring him to come see me, and I bet I bring the girl out of that boy like Bruce Jenner.” How many people can one man offend in one night?
Seriously, this guy is in dire need of some media and public relations training. Broner apparently doesn’t realize how foolish and boorish he looks every time he goes on one of these rants, not to mention how it reflects on the sport and the networks who televise his fights. If Showtime had any stones, they would have stopped the interview with the first f-bomb. Maybe that would make Broner think twice the next time. Ultimately, he’s only hurting himself with these stunts. In the long run, Adrien Broner simply isn’t good enough to be able to alienate the fans and not pay a price for it. Seriously dude, wake up! Just fight and shut the you know what up!

RSR Forum Topic of the Week: Boxing Needs a Mandatory Retirement Fund. The subject that caught my attention on the RSR forum this week was a post by our very own CEO/Publisher “Bad” Brad Berkwitt about the efforts of he and others to lobby for a mandatory retirement fund for all boxers. I’m not an expert on the subject but to me it seems like a no-brainer. These guys endanger their lives and long-term health every time they enter the ring and deserve protection and compensation for this. Anyone who makes money on the sport should be required to contribute including boxers, managers, promoters and the television networks.

I also agree with those who advocate for unionization. Now a union isn’t necessarily a guarantee, one need only look at the numerous broken down professional football players or the NFL’s disgraceful handling of its concussion crisis as evidence of this. However, at least the players in that sport have some leverage in dealing with ownership and the powers that be in the sport. That is not the case with boxers. I would also add as a licensing requirement that every boxer go through a training program that includes education about the dangers and risks associated with the sport, as well basic financial planning and management.

In closing, let’s hope the recent rumbling of Mayweather and Pacquiao talking rematch are just rumors. This is not a sequel that I’d like to see. Fool me once, shame on you! Fool me twice, shame on me!

Hailing frequencies out!

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