By David Preston: Just a few days ago, two videos were posted by thaboxingvoice.com in which WBA junior middleweight champion Erislandy Lara’s manager was interviewed and was asked pointed questions. Some questions included those that would address rumors currently swirling amongst boxing enthusiasts. One such question was that if Lara was so eager to fight IBF/IBO/WBA/WBC middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin, then why hasn’t his team made GGG an offer? The answer was one that illuminated the inner workings of the fight game.
The answer seemed obvious but I for one have never heard or seen anyone make such a comment. Lara’s manager went on to say that since GGG is contracted to fight only on HBO, an offer from Lara and Showtime would not be plausible. This makes sense given the budget for any fight is typically subsidized by the network televising the fight. Since Showtime, which Lara’s manager indicated has the budget to make the fight is not a network GGG can fight on, the idea of Lara’s team drafting an offer is moot.
Conversely, as the boxing cold war has thawed on all fronts recently, as evidenced by Dominic Wade (an Al Hamon fighter) fighting GGG on HBO, a fight between Lara and GGG can be made on HBO as Lara is not beholden to any network, which Lara’s manager iterated during the interview.
Another question the interviewer posed was to the topic of compensation, which many have said Lara has ‘priced himself out’ of a fight with GGG. Lara’s manager went on to say that it’s a risk/reward analysis and a function of competition level and fan notoriety. He mentioned that Lara has been fighting on U.S networks since he arrived here and is known to the fans, combined with the fact that fans are aware of the completion level of PPV fights and typically pay to see competitive fights. He indicated that the fans will recognize that Lara will bring a competition level surpassing any of which GGG has yet faced, which will sell PPV’s. Given all of this, Lara would want to be paid an equitable share.
Given the aforementioned, a path to a fight here appears clear. If GGG v Lara is to happen, then GGG’s team needs to extend the offer, not vice versa. Recent events have also indicated that GGG’s manager has had conversations with Al Hamon regarding future fights with his stable. Now that the fans are fully aware of the business mechanics of this matchup, and the fact that Hamon and GGG’s team are speaking, coupled with HBO doing business with both, the path to this fight is more clear and more to the point, has becoming increasingly more accessible. Let’s hope this fight happens soon as it surely would provide a plethora of answers for fans of both fighters.
