Hello fight fans and welcome to another Thursday gathered around my bulging sack, waiting on my weekly load of gooey, salty truth. This week, we have questions/comments regarding Jaime Munguia, Jermall Charlo, and the Showtime/PBC upcoming schedule.
Saving Private Munguia
Hey Magno!!! Hope you and your family are doing just great. I have just seen the Showtime schedule, pretty nice, can’t complain. I was waiting on it to write about this whole Munguia vs Charlo negotiations. I really believe there was never any intention of Munguia’s team to allow him to fight Charlo. They were looking for a way out of the Adames and Alimkhanuly elimination fights, while saving some face, so it didn’t look as if they were ducking. So, what did they do? They postured negotiations in a tough fight, then requested a prohibitive clause to PBC for a fight of this magnitude, which was for DAZN to participate in the broadcasting. The idea was for some fans and media to buy into the fight with Charlo so they won’t get pulverized with negative reports of Munguia once again avoiding fighters like Andrade, Derevyanchenko, Adames and now Alimkhanuly. His team, of course including Oscar De La Hoya, will only match him tough if they can really cash out. They all see what we see, that Munguia only has a puncher’s chance, that’s it. Something similar to what was done with Chavez Jr. at one point. So now they will match him with a couple of c level opponents for the rest of 2022 until someone like GGG or any other fighter can really return the investment they have made with Munguia. I get it, boxing is a business, but Golden Boy shouldn’t be disingenuous to the fans. ODL just sounds so fake every time he addresses the public. BTW, Jermall Charlo should have faced Lara, not Sulecki. I think Lara should be next for him as there is really no other good opponent at middleweight on the PBC side, while Canelo is busy. Keep up the good work, Magno.
– Benjamin from Puerto Rico
Hey Benjamin.
I think you’re 100% right. Munguia is mega-vulnerable and his people are not going to come anywhere near a risk unless/until there’s a significant payoff, cash-out opportunity. And this business strategy is made even more urgently necessary by the fact that he’s one of the few “names” left in the post-Canelo Golden Boy roster (and, therefore, one of the few “name” fighters Golden Boy can use to appease DAZN and keep that Blavatnik money flowing into their coffers). Their protecting of Munguia is SO damn obvious, though, and it’s making the kid look really bad. And, yeah, Oscar trying to be Arum is absurd/pathetic/funny.
I also agree about Charlo. Erislandy Lara would’ve been the perfect opponent for Jermall when they couldn’t get Canelo or Munguia. Something tells me though, that Sulecki is pretty much a placeholder opponent. If Canelo-Bivol falls through because of the whole Russian Invasion thing, it’ll be real easy to have Sulecki take a seat and make way for Charlo to take the replacement opponent slot for a Canelo in desperate need of a new opponent. That’s just a wild-ass theory on my part, though.
I can’t say that I was all that disappointed with Charlo-Munguia falling through because, honestly, I never really thought it would happen in the first place.
Grading the Showtime/PBC Spring/Summer Schedule
Hey Magno.
Just wanted to get your take on the Showtime/PBC Spring/Summer Schedule released the other day. Maybe give them a letter grade as to how good you think they are. For me, the A+ fights on this schedule are: Jermell Charlo vs. Brian Castano 2 and Stephen Fulton vs. Danny Roman. BTW, imo, Jermall Charlo vs. Maciej Sulecki is the only “D” fight on their schedule. And who isn’t disappointed seeing Spence-Ugas instead of Spence-Crawford? What say you?
– Damon
Hey Damon.
I don’t have any issues with any of the fights on the schedule. I’ve already stated my theory on Charlo-Sulecki, but even if Sulecki makes it to fight night, he’s a tough, durable guy and could put up some challenge for Charlo. Overall, there’s some real intrigue on the schedule. I’m eager to see Tim Tszyu against next-level talent like Terrell Gausha. Gausha, meanwhile, desperately needs a win to stay out of that “opponent” or “gatekeeper” classification. I think Lubin-Fundora is a brilliant battle of young, hungry junior middleweight contenders with everything to lose, the kind we don’t see in boxing all that much anymore. Charlo-Castano 2 is going to be outstanding, just like the first one. It’s just a really good stylistic matchup. People are going to call me crazy, but I even find plenty of intrigue in David Benavidez-David Lemieux and Gervonta Davis-Rolly Romero because, while on paper, Lemieux and Romero appear overmatched, they both have tremendous one-punch power, the kind Benavidez and Davis haven’t faced before. Fulton-Roman is a boxing purist’s delight. Another good stylistic matchup pitting two legitimately good fighters against one another.
There’s a lot to like on the schedule, even if we’d rather be seeing Errol Spence and Jermall Charlo fighting other guys. By the way, don’t sleep on Yordenis Ugas’ chances of upsetting Spence. I have a feeling.
Sorry, just realized I didn’t give any letter grades like you asked, but I ain’t going back for the re-write.
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