(Photo credit: Stephnie Trapp/Showtime) By @BoxingMuse: With just over a week until “The One” headlined by super fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. V Saul “Canelo” Alvarez featuring 140lbs battle Garcia v Matthysse. Sport fans and die hard boxing enthusiasts are looking forward to a great night of action which is sure to excite and thrill.
When the co-feature between two of the best light-welters in the game was announced fight fans were pleasantly surprised. Firstly because of the pure value for money these two bouts being featured side by side. Secondly because of the fact that undercards are typically structured to spark interest with the boxing public and publicize the idea of two fighters meeting at a later date, meaning fans will get to see the winner of Danny Garcia v Lucas Matthysse face Floyd at some point. It might not be the very next bout but in all likelihood this match up with be made.
Three of the four fighters featured in ‘The One’ cards two biggest fights are represented by Al Haymon. Haymon has gained a reputation as the mysterious boxing adviser to which Mayweather Jr. always credits for his financial and business success. To illustrate Haymon’s power just consider that Mayweather’s guaranteed purse is 41.5 million dollars against Canelo, and that is before including additional financial sources such as PPV etc.
In prediction of the winner Garcia v Matthysse facing the pound for pound king you have to remember that boxing is a business, more of a business than a majority of sports.
The fact that Haymon represents a majority of boxing’s elite means theoretically fights can be made easily. Doing business within your own realms of course means gained profit and straightforward operations as it minimizes the relevance and power of external parties. Ideally ensuring nearly all of the financial earnings are kept within the Haymon brand and his close business associates ‘ hands.
In simple terms, Haymon represents Garcia, Matthysse and Mayweather therefore a fight between any of them puts money straight into Haymon’s clients and their pockets and in turn he is paid for his work. He represents a great deal of fighters so why would he share the profit with anyone else if fights can be made between his own clients. Let’s also consider the other elite fighters Haymon represents such as Broner, Maidana, Berto, Alexander, Trout and Lara.
Alan Haymon an economics graduate of Harvard University is now known as the most influential and powerful man in the sport but he has been criticised for orchestrating very low risk maximal pay days for boxers. An obvious example comes to mind with Broner v Rees.
During a RingTV.com interview with Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer made statements on Al Haymon;
“I think that Al is one of the smartest business people that I’ve ever met, and how could he sign all of these fighters to the point where he represents 80 or 90 percent of the talent which matters, and then, they can not fight each other?”
Politics in boxing often prevents great fights from being made. Disagreements, bad relationships and competition between opposing promotional companies or business is apparent more so now than ever; relations between Golden Boy & Top Rank prove this.
Haymon’s advising skills will see him and his fighter’s cash in fortunes by matchmaking under ‘the Haymon umbrella’ a majority of the time. Don’t be surprised if more and more fighters sign with Haymon in the next several years, why wouldn’t they? If it makes money it makes sense.
It is my estimate that The One card is a business model which will likely lead to Mayweather facing which ever 140lbs fighter prevails either Matthysse or Garcia.
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