Here are the most eye-catching stories from this week’s/weekend’s boxing news and ring action:
– On Friday, Golden Boy Promotions filed a lawsuit against Ryan Garcia and his attorney/adviser Guadalupe Valencia in U.S. District Court of Nevada to uphold what they believe is a legal, binding contract with the 24-year-old fighter. The move was in anticipation of legal action from Garcia.
Garcia and his legal team had issued a demand letter to Golden Boy about a week prior, outlining several disputes they had with the way the promotional company has handled his career. Notably, there were allegations of Garcia being forced to pay Golden Boy broadcast partner DAZN a substantial “step-aside” fee for allowing Garcia to fight Gervonta “Tank” Davis on a Showtime PPV event, despite the fighter having no direct exclusivity deal with DAZN. There were also allegations of violations of the Ali Act and of the nondisparagement provision in their contract after Golden Boy founder and figurehead Oscar De La Hoya lashed out publicly at Garcia in a June 1 Twitter tirade.
Garcia is coming off the most lucrative fight of his career against Davis which, despite losing via KO, will reportedly earn him an 8-figure payday after all revenue is tallied from the blockbuster. De La Hoya and Golden Boy partner Bernard Hopkins were criticized after the event for no-showing the post-fight press conference.
– In weekend ring action:
Regis Prograis, in his hometown of New Orleans, defended his WBC junior welterweight title via somewhat lackluster split decision against Puerto Rico’s Danielito Zorrilla.
In Australia, Tim Tszyu rocked his home country crowd and defended his interim WBO junior middleweight championship with a half-round blowout of Mexico’s Carlos Ocampo.
– Rumors of a contest pitting Saul “Canelo” Alvarez against WBC cruiserweight champ Badou Jack were put to rest when Jack turned down the bout and went public with the wild stipulations that caused him to walk away from what would’ve been a substantial payday.
“I won’t be fighting Canelo next,” the 39-year-old Jack wrote via social media. “They said the weight difference is too much, they wanted to drain the old man and fight me 20 lbs. UNDER the cruiserweight limit. Plus a rehydration clause.
“Canelo let’s give the fans what they want to see and fight David Benavidez.”
Alvarez has also been tied to a bout with WBC middleweight champ Jermall Charlo, who would move up to super middleweight to challenge the Mexican.
– Teofimo Lopez has doubled down on his vow to retire from boxing, officially vacating the WBO junior welterweight title he won from Josh Taylor on June 10.
In an interview with Boxing Social, the 25-year-old Lopez said that the only way he’d consider coming back would be as a promotional free agent, with a deal cut directly with a network.
“The only way I come, like I said, is [for a] multi[-bout] nine-figure deal, but it has to be—see, people misunderstand what I mean—it’s not just a good fight,” Lopez said. “I’m looking at three to five years or like a six, eight-fight deal, with a network—not with a promoter or anything—but just directly with a network because I am my own promotion.”
– On July 8, next big thing at welterweight and Philadelphia native, Jaron “Boots” Ennis will defend his interim IBF welterweight title against Roiman Villa atop a Showtime/PBC card from Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. Villa is coming off an upset majority decision victory over the highly-regarded Rashidi Ellis in January.
– IBF junior welterweight world champ Subriel Matias will make the first defense of his title against former junior welterweight champ Sergey Lipinets August 26 at a venue to be named. The all-action Matias won the vacant IBF title back in February when he forced Jeremias Ponce to retire in the fifth round.
– Undefeated top lightweight contender Frank Martin will face undefeated Olympic bronze medalist Artem Harutyunyan in a WBC lightweight title eliminator atop a July 15 Showtime/PBC event at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. In the co-main event, Nonito Donaire will take on Mexico’s Alexandro Santiago for the vacant WBC bantamweight title.
– A bout between Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr., which was scrapped late last year when Benn tested positive for a banned substance, is reportedly close to being signed. The bout between second-genration rivals is being targeted for Abu Dhabi in September.
