The Man Behind the Scenes: Does Al Haymon Have a Bigger Picture in Mind or is What You See What You Get?

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By Jesse “New School” Wright

Photo Credit: Ego @BoxingEGO

We get a glimpse of the director through his body of work. In the case of Al Haymon, our only understanding of him is through his creation of the free cable based Premiere Boxing Champions (PBC). The reason for this is because Haymon has never spoken in any public manner that would allow us to form an opinion on him as a person. Yet, somehow with his reclusive tendencies, Haymon has made himself boxing’s most polarizing figure in 2015. With his creation of PBC, Haymon gave himself centralized control over a large stable of fighters, promoters and television networks. This feat is considerably impressive for a sport that is notoriously compartmentalized. Many feared that Haymon’s position of complete power was not being met with checks and balances. Supporters of PBC believed it would provide a platform for the sport to cross over from the diehard regulars into the realm of mainstream success. Fights were televised frequently and accessible beyond premium cable. Then something happened; the product got stale. Already watered down and generic in production value, the fights became disturbingly mismatched. We may never understand Haymon’s master plan, but we can analyze the body of work.

The question on everyone’s mind going in to 2016 is what’s next for Haymon’s PBC? In the beginning, it seemed that the goal was to create a standardized product that appealed to the widest variety of fans. In a move to market the sport beyond loyal core fans, he may have actually ostracized them. Many people who followed boxing before PBC already had subscriptions to HBO and Showtime. This group didn’t receive any additional benefit from regular cable access; conversely, they actually lost out on many dream fights that were taken away when Haymon cut off negotiations with all promotions outside of his control. One can make the argument that if the money is right, as it was in Mayweather Vs Pacquiao, Haymon will work with outside promoters. With this sort of fiscal standard to prompt negotiation, don’t expect it to happen again. What’s even more frustrating to fans is the matchups that Haymon actually does make. Instead of allowing his biggest stars to shine, he places them in mismatches so severe that they’re equal parts baffling and insulting to the common fan.

Intentionally matching a prospect against an overmatched opponent is not uncommon in boxing. With the exception of guys with elite amateur backgrounds such as Vasyl Lomachenko (396-1), most fighters must build a reputation at the professional level. Many fighters don’t even receive televised coverage until they’re at least at 15-0. Padding records by fighting easy fights often is standard practice in the early stages of a career. What is shocking is the fact that Haymon is doing this with established elite level fighters who are in their prime. Adonis Stevenson’s last three opponents under Haymon were all unranked. His level of competition was so poor that Ring Magazine was forced to strip him of the Lineal Light Heavyweight title due to not fighting a top five opponent for over two years. When top 5 ranked middleweight Peter Quillin fought unknown Michael Zerafa, he was a 40-1 favorite on some online betting sites. Unsurprisingly, Zerafa left the ring in a stretcher.

Perhaps the reasoning behind the match making is that Haymon believes new viewers will appreciate the big name stars after seeing them dominant win dominantly. Knock outs sell fights and viewers unfamiliar with the sport won’t recognize the misdistribution of talent; the hardcore fans see right through it though. They have no interest in a match that isn’t competitive. It’s not good for the fighters either. Not only is it tarnishing the reputation of big name stars, but it is downright unsafe to the ones being thrown to the wolves. Haymon is notorious for paying his fighters top dollar. Even with a handsome payday, there is still no price that can be put on a fighter’s well being. Violent beatings also paint an unappealing picture of the sport to new fans. Nobody wants to see a guy get seriously hurt on national television. It is ethically wrong.

In order to be sustainable, PBC needs to acquiring new fans and keep them. That seemed to be Haymon’s vision from the start. If they do stick around long enough, they will eventually become savvy enough to view the sport through the same critical lenses as regular fans. That’s when they’ll realize that with free fights, you get what you pay for. Haymon is not entirely risk averse in his match making though. In the case of Adrien Broner versus Shawn Porter we saw two big name stars on a collision course that temporarily derailed Broner’s rise when he was defeated. Could it be that Al Haymon just doesn’t know boxing? He was a great manager who Floyd Mayweather, JR. attributes most of his financial success to. Managing some of the talent and running the whole circus are two different beasts though. Haymon even has a track record of success as major music promoter where he created a repeatable set up for every concert. This is the same blueprint that is used with PBC. This is boxing, though. If you can’t see it through the fans eyes, you will never make it out.

So the question remains: What’s next for PBC in 2016? For all of his mysterious genius, this isn’t up to Al Haymon to decide. This is a question to be answered by the fans. These are some of the most passionate fans in the world. They are also the most unforgiving. If there is an end game to Haymon’s master plan, it’d be in his best interest to show his cards now. This may very well be a case of a man who is in way over his head. It’s still too soon to tell. All that is known of him is the show given in front of the curtain. The decision to stick around and watch it is up to you.

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