By Joseph Herron: Here we go again…
Until promoters, networks, fighters and fans finally learn this fundamental truth about the business of boxing, the following passage will continue to appear in the header.
Promotions 101: Paying out inflated purses to prizefighters makes it virtually impossible to make the best fights a reality.
After receiving two consecutive big paydays in his last two outings, it seems that Dmitry Bivol is likely to join a growing list of champions who will deprive the fans of another great matchup due to an inflated sense of worth.
It’s been reported by ESPN Knockouts in Mexico that Bivol’s manager, Vadim Kornilov, stated that they absolutely will not accept the current offer presented by Team Canelo and will move on if their conditions are not met by the Mexican superstar.
“They don’t want a rematch. They know that they lost very badly in the first fight and that they have an even less chance of winning in the second bout. When did you hear of a fighter who, after losing, asked for a rematch on the same terms?”
“In my opinion, they’re not serious about a rematch and are really interested in making another fight, possibly with Edgar Berlanga. A rematch cannot take place with the same terms as the fight you lost. It’s stupid. We are looking forward now with Artur Beterbiev as our target.”
Unfortunately, Kornilov seems to be overestimating his fighter’s market value and leverage while negotiating a potential rematch with one of boxing’s biggest earners. In boxing, deals are often made by following the Golden Rule; “He who has the gold makes the rules,” and dictates the terms of the agreement.
While a second bout with Alvarez could equate to another career-high payday for the Russian-born champion and undoubtedly his biggest money option at this time, Canelo Alvarez could realistically make much bigger money fighting the interim Super Middleweight WBC title holder, David Benavidez. Although Canelo and his trainer/manager Eddy Reynoso have previously stated that a return bout with Bivol is their priority for a date in September, the Mexican-born fighter will indeed move on should the Light Heavyweight champ’s demands outweigh what Alvarez is willing to give at this time.
The Russian native would ironically join Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk in becoming the second consecutive Eastern European champion to turn down their biggest current money option respectively.
Usyk walked away from a deal with Tyson Fury back in March that was “all but done”, according to Hall of Fame promoter Frank Warren.
“There were only a few items that needed to be worked out, but they really didn’t want the fight at this time because of the money. Usyk stood to make say $15 million fighting Tyson Fury at Wembley Stadium, which is a good number. But if you go another route and fight Tyson in the winter in Saudi Arabia, you can make somewhere between $50 and 60 million,” Warren told iFL TV back in April.
Bivol won’t have the same luxury should he elect to pass on a return bout with Canelo.
Although a highly clamored unification bout with current WBO, IBF, and WBC 175-pound champion Artur Beterbiev would be very popular among die-hard fight fans, the battle for undisputed Light Heavyweight supremacy would only produce a fraction of the proceeds.
Despite boasting a victory over the pound-for-pound Mexican champion in May of 2022, as well as currently wearing the WBA 175-pound title, it doesn’t seem to mean very much when attempting to leverage a genuine attraction like Alvarez.
Are fight fans currently hoping that Dmitry Bivol chooses to walk away from a return bout with Canelo Alvarez? Would boxing fans prefer to see a match with David Benavidez instead?