The PBC Boxing Model Showing No Signs Of Slowing Down

Premier Boxing Champions

When power player in global boxing Al Haymon came up with the idea to bring a new boxing promotion called Premier Boxing Champions to the world earlier this year, many laughed at such a notion, initially.

However, we're now nearly six months into the new venture that essentially is looking to bring boxing back to mainstream media and ratings have been fairly impressive overall, it has to be said.

The model essentially is looking to use a number of strategies to bring boxing back to where it once was from an exposure standpoint, all be it in a much more modern way in a totally different era.

Boxing's been around for a long time, it's one of the oldest and richest in history sports. That's why many love it in some quarters, in that it carries so much tradition, where fans can look up so many classic battles of previous years.

But the PBC boxing model like a lot of new innovations in today's technology driven time, is different.

It's a thought provoking concept that for one is looking to do away with world championship belts and one day have all the best fighters under one roof, fighting each other consistently.

It's a similar idea in a way to how the success of the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) has been forged in the mixed martial arts product, in that the best have to fight the best as all the top level fighters in the sport are signed to the promotion.

Despite various legal strategies and lawsuits from various players against the PBC in 2015, it appears the promotion seems to be doing it's fair share of fighting outside the ring to defend itself, showing no signs of slowing down, or throwing in the towel in the courtroom - or in the business boardroom.

It's success hasn't been just limited in the USA either, with very clear moves to expand into other markets evident from it's proprietor Al Hamyon's new signings under management deals of boxers outside the States, with IBF super-bantamweight champion Carl Frampton being one example.

It's already been mentioned by UK promoter Eddie Hearn that he thinks PBC is probably coming to the UK which in itself, already shows the ambition of the promotion's plans going forward.

From a content standpoint, it has come in for some mixed reviews, but that's only to be expected with any new product or service, customers need to get used to the feel of a product.

I personally enjoy the shorter entrances to the ring in PBC fights, and really respect their strategy of getting boxing back on network television in the States as a distribution driver.

After all, America is still the biggest (and largest growing) market for the sport) so it only makes sense for them to tap into the biggest distribution points available in year one of their marketing activity.

Only just last weekend saw America's new heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder appear on network television as the first heavyweight champion in over 30 years to do so.

That in itself is a tremendous accomplishment not just for PBC, but the sport of boxing as a whole in 2015. Make no mistake, this movement with the mantra, "Free boxing for all" - is just getting started.

Competition is always a good thing, long may it continue in boxing.

Errol Spence Jr USA Boxing 2015 Standout Prospect

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There's been a ton of world class boxing talent and prospects making a name for themselves and breaking through across the global sweet science landscape in 2015, but one man in particular from the US that's impressed me is welterweight Errol Spence Jr.

The silky southpaw from Texas has exhibited a real level of confidence and assurance this year, almost leaving a sense of inevitable success from his performances.

He's been touted as a hot prospect in world boxing to watch out for by many this year, but for me, he could very well be the pick of the world boxing prospects bunch, which is really saying something given the vast amount of talent on the horizon at the moment.

Since turning pro just under three years ago back in November 2011, he's racked up an impressive 18-0 (15KO) record, while learning his craft properly but still displaying excitement for fans.

That's always a good combination for any young fighter coming through, and you can tell his handlers are doing a very good job with nurturing this precocious talent.

At a shade under 5'10 with a 72 inch reach, he's got an impressive frame for the 147lbs limit that allows him to really utilize the sublime boxing skills his possess, backed up with the controlled southpaw stance that he has been using so well.

His sense of distance and timing has been stellar thus far, displaying an almost sixth sense when deciding on when to pull the trigger, always seemingly to do so at the right time.

His shot selection has been equally impressive, with many different shots called upon this year from wicked body sharp shooting assaults, to laser like back hand lefts down the middle - to technically perfected uppercuts.

At 25 years of age, he's really maturing as a professional at the moment, undeniably so.

The fight that really stood out for me this year in terms of selling me on just how good this guy is, was his obliteration of the very tough Chris Van Heerden, where he needed just 8 rounds to cut through a man who had never been stopped (or even dropped before) as a professional, to send out a message to the welterweight division.

The thing that really excitements too about Errol Spence Jr, is the fact he's doing all this in the always competitive and entertaining welterweight division, arguably the current best out of all the weight categories in boxing.

Just imagine the fights that could be available for him over the coming 18 months or so, there's some massive bouts out there for him in reality and his addition to an already stacked welterweight weight class can only leave boxing fans as the real winner.

Spence Jr is of course also an Al Haymon managed fighter, which will ensure that he is steered properly both in and out of the ring in the correct way in the coming years.

He's obviously still early on into his prize fighting journey, but with someone like Haymon in his corner outside the ring, there's no doubt the marketing will really get turned on for this kid - sooner rather than later.

He also comes from an excellent amateur background with pedigree in spade fulls, another plus point.

Some fighters just have that 'X Factor' from a skills perspective when you watch them and for me, this guy's got it.

Errol Spence Jr to become a world champion in 2016? Stranger things have happened, that's for sure.

3 Fighters That Might Get Mayweather Out Of Retirement

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It's been a few weeks since he's 'retired' from the sport, but still, talks persist over whether or not the Mayweather retirement plans will hold strong into 2015.

On that note, here's three fighters that might get the 'Money' man out of his slippers and back in the squared circle next year.

Gennady Golovkin

The fight that probably most would like to see Mayweather in, if he were to return.

Gennady Golovkin is a man who's struck genuine fear into the middleweight division since he burst onto the scene in recent years.

From a pay per view standpoint, it would obviously sell, but it's the old risk vs reward trade off factor that would likely deter Mayweather form entertaining such a bout, certainly at Golovkin's natural 160lbs weight limit.

However, if a fight at a catch weight could be haggled, in terms of 'GGG' coming down to light-middleweight (154lbs) where Mayweather has fought and won at before, the argument could be made that Mayweather would be at a a slight advantage really draining Golovkin to do so.

Then again, if Golovkin were to do the weight cut properly and gradually the argument could also be made that Mayweather would be in the scariest position of his career - standing across the ring from a man who could literally knock him out with a single shot.

If Golovkin were to beat Lemieux in his upcoming bout, the commercial viability of a potential Mayweather clash would only grow, too

Amir Khan

UK welterweight Amir Khan was unlucky to miss out on the Mayweather fight throughout his career, but with talks closing in on a possible showdown with beaten Mayweather foe and global superstar Manny Pacquiao on the horizon, Khan feels a win over Pacquiao could get him the Mayweather lottery ticket - and lure the 'Money' man out of retirement.

Does he have a point? Possibly, but it's difficult to say.

Mayweather never really seemed too excited during his career about a potential showdown with Khan, so you'd have to think the Englishman would need to beat Pacquiao in really convincing style, to bring Mayweather out of retirement.

If he were to do so, a potential 80,000 seat stadium fight (hypothetically) with Khan in Wembley in the summer of 2015 would surely wet the appetite of Mayweather, from a monetary standpoint at the very least.

Manny Pacquiao

Last but certainly not least, Manny Pacquiao.

The man that the public cried out for so long for Mayweather to face, only to be left feeling a tad underwhelmed when it finally happened with injury excuses after the fight leaving a bit of a sour taste in the mouths of fight fans.

Nonetheless, a fully fit Manny Pacquiao who were to bounce back with a good win in his next fight, still probably represents the biggest fight from a money perspective out there for Mayweather, who as we all know loves his money.

The fight would definitely not do the numbers of the first bonanza, but could easily be sold into another massive event particularly with a potential bill being Mayweather's 50th fight, which would also have the added factor of him trying to surpass Rocky Marciano's record.

That ingredient in itself outside of the three fighters above, could very well be a major incentive for Mayweather to come back for one last time - in a bid to get to that magical 50-0.

Fantasy Fights: Prince Naseem vs Floyd Mayweather

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I was pondering some hypothetical fights through the years that I would have loved to have seen the other day, and when I thought of Prince Naseem vs Floyd Mayweather, I couldn't help but feel it would have been a fantasy match up that would've rocked the world.

When you sit back and think about it for a second, it's almost a bit of a crazy match up to speculate on. From a pre-fight build up point of view, the level of verbal assault would have been off the wall.

Of course, it wasn't exactly that far fetched at one time as well, when Floyd was early on in his career as a featherweight and the Prince was reigning supreme at the top of the 126 weight class.

Alas, it never happened, but what a polarizing stylistic match up it would have made for.

On one hand you would have had Mayweather, a defensive genius who at featherweight punched extremely hard to his credit, in a time where he regularly knocked guys out and blinded foes with quite incredible hand speed.

On the other hand, you would have had one of the UK's best ever lighter weight fighting exponents in Naseem Hamed - an explosive, orthodox switch hitter who punched like a freight train. Frightening power looking back on it.

Many will point to Naseem Hamed's boxing ability been found out at world level eventually by Marco Antonio Barrera, who gave 'Nas' a boxing lesson in his only defeat as a professional.

However the more discerning fight fan knows that was a Hamed at the end of his career, when he was not in love with the sport anymore, was too used to the good life (including his lavish training camp for that particular fight) and was a shadow of himself, by then.

Hamed never liked training and by that point it was a struggle to motivate him.

But for the sake of this mythical argument with a fantasy clash with the 'Money' man, lets put 'Nas' in his prime when he first one the title against Wales' Steve Robinson - ripping the WBO featherweight championship from the Welshman (in his own backyard).

That Hamed would have been a handful for any featherweight in history, in my opinion, a Hamed trained by the legendary Brendan Ingle - hungry with extreme confidence, just a very dangerous young man.

Mayweather's obvious advantages would have laid in his more polished and sharper skillset, but that power that Hamed carried in his prime and the unorthodox angles he delivered it from, would have been hard for anyone to work out (including Mayweather).

Don't forget that Hamed was quite the speed merchant like Floyd Mayweather, too. This would have made for something quite explosive in all practicality, you'd have to think.

Speed, power and skills on both sides, with as much trash talk as you could possibly ask for, it would have sold a few tickets, to put it mildly.

Both men were also excellent mind game strategists throughout their careers, where they often got under the skins of opponents which gave them a distinctive edge.

Who would have won the battle of the mind games? I honestly can't divide the two on that and overall in the match up, in all honesty.

It's just such a massive clash of styles and talent to compare in hindsight - but what a fight it would have been.

Gennady Golovkin Pay Per View Stardom Will Come

USA Today

Following on from his first major PPV event against David Lemieux at Madison Square Garden in New York, the event tallies did just over 150,000 pay per view buys in the States.

These numbers came in for some unjust criticism in some quarters, in my opinion.

First of all, the pay per view was profitable, the event sold out in record time for pre-sales at MSG, and also the show set a record for boxing at MSG for merchandise sales on the night.

The gate was extremely healthy too, yet some were quick to point to the pay per view numbers been nowhere like that of Floyd Mayweather's, who recently 'retired' from the sport.

That is indeed correct, however not many realize that the Golovkin vs Lemieux fight went up against some stiff college football action on television in America on the night, and that the fight was GGG's first major PPV event.

It took Floyd Mayweather years to build up his pay per view brand, in an entirely different way to how Gennady Golovkin is going about his business.

Give GGG time, pay per view star power will come. Whether or not he or anyone for that matter will ever equal Floyd Mayweather's earning power again, is another story.

Here's four quick reasons why Gennady Golovkin will become boxing's next pay per view star in my view:

Action

He's got it all from a fighting sense. He can box and brawl - on both the inside and outside.

For those looking to try to keep things long, it doesn't last long, due to his world class footwork, icy patience and incredible shot selection.

More than anything though, he's always in exciting facts - no matter what an opponent brings to the table style wise.

This alone, coupled with the fact he's unbeaten and doesn't look like losing for a long time, will see his star shoot up in the coming year or two.

Power

Everyone likes a knockout. Call it brutal or barbaric but it's just human nature.

This guy delivers in spadefuls in this department, an almost European middleweight version of Mike Tyson, except with more boxing ability to back up his one punch KO power.

People are tuning into his fights to see someone get taken out cleanly. This will continue to grow in the coming years.

Likable

Going against the grain of what boxers usually think is a necessary marketing tool to get themselves into big fights, this guy sees no need to trash talk whatsoever.

He talks well, has respect for everyone and gets on with his job. When he does that job it excites and pleases people. Simple. 

Opponents

Unlike some exceptional champions through the years who dominated divisions because there was a lack of credible competitors out there, GGG sits nicely in the middleweight division at present with ample big fights out there for him to unify the division.

He's also got the frame to move up or down one weight, should marquee fights present themselves at 154lbs or 168lbs.

This flexibility combined with the very healthy state of the middleweight division on the world level at present, will see ample opportunity for Golovkin to get himself into significant events in the future, extend his unbeaten run (and KO run), knock more people out and ultimately, leverage himself into a position where he'll become the sport's number one pay per view attraction.

The Mindset of a Boxer, One of Sport's Most Fascinating

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Like a lot of guys, I've been a sports fan most of my natural life, but there's just something different about the sport of boxing that drew me in from the get go.

I think more than anything, it's the story and courage of the boxers themselves. It's quite unique when you think about it and really break it down, on a human level.

When you consider the mentality it takes to become a boxer, to put on a pair of gloves, discipline yourself to train over a prolonged period and step into a ring with another trained man who's coming in to beat you physically, it's no wonder boxing continues to be such a draw for sports fans in modern day society.

Their a special breed, are boxers.

Their mindset has to be some of the strongest out of any athletes on Earth, or of people full stop.

Through some of my work over the past number of years I've been fortunate enough to meet and spend time with some of these special human beings and to this day, I've never met a bad guy who was a fighter.

There's just a level of humility that comes to a person from getting their asses kicked day in day out in a gym, that very few of us mere mortals could ever have.

This humility portrays itself in all walks of their lives. Boxers almost walk with a certain confidence that normal civilians do not, knowing that they can protect themselves from certain situations where others cannot.

I remember a few years before I got into boxing journalism a guy once said to me, "boxers are some of the coolest people you'll ever meet in life."

Three plus years on, and I can confirm that he was absolutely correct.

The mentality it takes for these guys to put it all in the line in a bid to have a chance of achieving a dream, is something so rare, that very few can ever identify with over the course of their lifetimes.

Society tells us that we should live our lives in a certain way, in terms of getting the stereotypical Monday to Friday 9-5 job, raising a family, getting a mortgage, go on a summer holiday every year, have two cars outside the door, retire and die.

But boxers like some people in life don't buy into the bullshit, some people are motivated by more than just 'the norm', and boxers fall into this category more often than not.

A mindset where the pursuit of achieving one's dream takes precedence over other things for a period of one's life, where you take a risk and go after something you actually love.

The word 'risk' been pivotal to the aforementioned statement.

It's in this word that boxers live, in both their careers and pursuit of excellence. After all, the fight business is probably the riskiest of them all, where broken dreams make up the majority of most fighters' stories and nothing is guaranteed.

Most fighters never make it to the top and become a professional world champion, and secure enough money to retire on in reality.

That's just the lucky few the general public hear of, maybe 2% of professional boxers.

It's this bitter sweet struggle that I think endears boxers to the sporting public more than most athletes. 

Even if you're not a boxing fan, most people respect what a boxer goes through, before they ever step foot into a ring. 

Human beings with genuine desire to succeed and prosper.

An Early Look - Cotto vs Canelo Prediction

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When these two high level pugilistic excitement merchants throw down on November 21st, 2015, the world of boxing will come to a halt - and will sit up abruptly and pay attention.

And rightly so.

It's one of those fights that is nearly impossible to criticize, it's just genuinely "top notch", in every single sense of the expression.

But who will take the cheddar, the proverbial cheese as it were, the "W" on the night?

Who'll emerge victorious?

It's a tough one to call.

Both men are in terrific form coming into this contest, and will be as motivated as ever, perhaps the most ever in their respective professional campaigns.

So much is on the line in terms of pride and bragging rights.

It's a well known fact that Mexico and Puerto Rico are proud boxing countries, that enjoy a healthy rivalry in the sweet science.

Now you've got the old lion form Puerto Rico, Miguel Cotto, a man revitalized since moving up to middleweight in recent years, looking to fight off the challenge from the younger Mexican lion Canelo Alvarez, who's been improving all the time since his soul loss in his pro career to the brilliant Floyd Mayweather a few years back.

Skills wise, you'd have to perhaps give the edge to Cotto, based on pure experience alone.

He's been in there with the best of them, and has honed his fighting ability, and tweaked and adjusted it, over a sustained period of time. 

That's not to say that the younger Canelo doesn't know his way around a boxing ring at all, mind you.

Because he certainly does.

He's shown in numerous fights how adept he can be in the defensive and offensive departments, putting things together and using decent footwork when called upon, too.

In terms of power and speed, perhaps this might be a slightly harder one to work out. Both guys can bang, certainly, but who's the crisper puncher, the man with the harder smack?

The fact this fight is will take place for Cotto's WBC world middleweight title and Canelo will be moving up in weight, could work to his advantage in the power department, I believe.

I've always felt that Canelo was draining himself by cutting down to around the 154lbs limit and with the dramatic weight he used to put on the day after weigh-ins, often times piling on nearly 25lbs, you could tell he was not a natural junior-middleweight.

I think this move up might be just what the doctor ordered, and we could see a more powerful, faster, hydrated and fitter Canelo than ever before.

Cotto has looked like a new man since moving up to middleweight in recent years, but will be the smaller man in this fight giving away some size and reach to his younger foe.

This may upset him a little if he's looking to keep things long and box a bit, but as I'm sure most people realize anyway, that sooner or later - both men will stand toe to toe and exchange at some point in the fight.

It's very early doors yet, but that's how I feel the fight will play out, in the end.

For me, the deciding factor will come down to less quantifiable and more intangible assets outside of physicality, or even boxing skills.

This one could come down to who wants it more on the night, which is something both combatants will be inspired with (to say the least).

I believe the young lion wins this one and the fight will signify the passing of the torch in a titanic battle for as long as it lasts, but time will tell.