Every Thursday here at FightHype, we make a space among the video content for a good, old-fashioned written word money shot from the depths of my bulbous, bulging sack. So, get ready for some of that infamous Magno-rific gooey, salty, sometimes NSFW truth. This week, we have comments/questions regarding Canelo-Berlanga outrage and PBC’s future.
Done with Canelo
Hi Paul.
I can’t begin to tell you how disappointed I am in Canelo for picking a soft touch like Berlanga to fight next and for ducking David Benavidez. As someone who was a fan of Canelo’s and a supporter throughout his career, this stings even more. I won’t be buying that farce of a fight and I don’t care about Canelo anymore. It’s obvious that he’s done taking the sport seriously, so I’m done taking him seriously.
— Jorge
Hey Jorge.
I got a lot of emails like yours in the last day or so. Fans are NOT happy with this decision by Canelo. But being pissed and offended doesn’t matter one bit if fans don’t put some action behind their emotion. I think Canelo and everyone involved in the fight are hoping that they can win fans over with good, heated promotion by fight night and get them to make the impulse pay-per-view buy. It’ll be up to the fans to put actions behind words and just pass on this fight. The consumer always has ultimate power in demanding quality of product by simply refusing to purchase. If Canelo can’t get his guarantee because the opponents he selects don’t drive sales, then he’ll have to improve the level of his opposition or simply go away. But, again, this is all up to the fans to vote with their consumer choice.
Done with Canelo 2
Magno.
Fuck Canelo. He might as well be fighting Jake Paul. At least Jake Paul would make the press tour interesting. Berlanga is trash and Canelo is insulting us by thinking that we’ll buy trash. He may think the fans are stupid, but not all of us are. Fuck him and anyone that defends him. In my mind Benavidez should get credit for the TKO over him. He scared Canelo sideways. Dude needs to stay in his silk pajamas and retire. Next. Move on.
— Luis
Hey Luis.
I hear you, and as I said above, this all comes down to fans using their consumer power to support boxing product they like and sink boxing product they don’t like. We’ll see what buys are like for this Berlanga fight. It’s just a shame, though, that Benavidez won’t be getting that shot to prove himself on the main stage. There’s zero excuse for him not getting that opportunity. Canelo-Benavidez was not only the best fight, competitively, for Alvarez, it was also the most lucrative. Canelo just didn’t want to deal with Benavidez.
PBC on Prime
Hi Paul.
Since PBC started their Prime deal, we’ve gotten less than one show per month and there’s nothing confirmed on the horizon except for that awful Canelo-Berlanga PPV in September, which is a co-promotion fight anyway. Their supposed free show in August was scrapped. There’s zero buzz about their product and their fighters are fighting elsewhere to make ends meet. I’ve never been one of the PBC is going out of business people, but it’s hard to fight the perception that the company is just fizzling out. Do you have any insight about what may be going on with PBC?
— M.L.
Hey M.L.
I have no idea what’s going on and I’m privy to no “insider” info, but, clearly something is “off” within the company. That canceled August 17 show, for example, is a prime example (no pun intended). If Trevor McCumby drops out versus Caleb Plant, so what? Get a replacement. Nobody’s watching ot attending to see the grand McCumby comeback. Canceling that show also eliminates one source of promotion for that Canelo-Berlanga monstrosity a month later. During the lead-in to the Canelo-Munguia PPV, Golden Boy had live events where they hyped the show on DAZN, while PBC had nothing going on beyond internet chatter. By fight night, it almost seemed as though Canelo-Munguia was a DAZN/Golden Boy production. The same is going to happen with Canelo-Berlanga (although PBC may NOT want to take credit for that one). There seems to be a disconnect inside PBC that makes me question a lot about the company’s future. The shows they HAVE put on have been excellent, but what good can come of them if they’re walled off behind a paywall and dropped into a void? But this isn’t my battle. It doesn’t matter to me or my bottom line whether PBC is in business or out of business. But there was definitely promise there, with their tweaks to the status quo and a more fighter-friendly business model, that could’ve done a lot of good for the sports and its athletes. My hunch is that, unfortunately, the constant unanswered attacks from the old guard goons have destroyed the name of the company and have poisoned the well when it comes to being able to sell the product anymore. That’s just my hunch.
Got a question (or hate mail) for Magno’s Bulging Mail Sack? The best of the best gets included in the weekly mailbag segment right here at FightHype. Send your stuff here: paulmagno@theboxingtribune.com.
