Opinions and Observations: Benavidez-Plant

The idea that David Benavidez might be one of boxing's boogeymen has percolated throughout the sport over the last few years. In his development fights and title defenses (when he was a champion), he had plowed through lesser opposition mostly with ease. With wrecking balls in both hands, an active motor and a high Ring IQ, Benavidez had already demonstrated that he possessed high-level talent; but despite his manifold offensive gifts, he still hadn't beaten elite opposition.

There were three reasons for his lack of top opponents: For one, he wasn't fighting in a strong division until recently. There just weren't too many legitimate top guys to fight. A second factor was of his own doing. Benavidez had lost two titles outside of the ring (failing a drug test and missing weight). As a result, he didn't have the same bargaining position. Without a belt, no one was forced to fight him or go through him to unify the titles. And finally, let's face it, no elite fighter had been in a rush to face him for any reason, title or not. Opponents and their teams have eyes. And while watching Benavidez beat up another opponent, potential challengers weren't licking their lips and proclaiming, "This is the guy that I want!" 

However, former champion Caleb Plant accepted the Benavidez challenge and for that he deserves credit. He could have gone in any number of directions for another title shot, but instead he chose the most perilous option.

Photo courtesy of Ryan Hafey

In analyzing the matchup, Plant had a path to victory. Featuring superior foot speed, fast hands, a sneaky left hook and an ability to land punches while on the move, Plant presented challenges for the more flat-footed Benavidez. In addition, Plant was going to fight on his own terms. He wouldn't get sucked into a war or feel the need to play to the crowd, vital attributes in potentially beating Benavidez. 

Plant started Saturday's fight brightly. With his jab, left hook and purposeful movement, he flummoxed Benavidez in the early rounds and controlled the pace of the fight. That Benavidez couldn't even reach more than 40 punches a round until the sixth demonstrates how successful Plant was in the first half of the match. 

But as early as the third round, Plant started to lose command of what was working for him. Instead of circling and using purposeful lateral movement to land his punches, he too often went into retreat or decided to hold. And as Benavidez started to get cooking with power punches, Plant evaded or held even more. It was a negative style, which is fine, but Plant also wasn't getting enough work done. 

In an interesting development, Benavidez gained a foothold in the fight with his left hook. Now, this was a bold play in that Plant's best punch is his left hook. Remember the old boxing adage, "Never hook with a hooker." Well, Benavidez was willing to turn that axiom on its head and expose himself to Plant's power in order to land his. It was a decision that smacked of machismo, and it worked for him. When they traded their best hooks, Benavidez's shots were far more substantial. Benavidez still wasn't landing with regularity in the third and fourth rounds, but his single left hooks were damaging. 

The fight started to swing in Benavidez's direction for good in the middle rounds. What I found most exhilarating was how Benavidez would dominate a stretch of the fight with one punch and then the next round he would get the best of Plant with another weapon in his arsenal. It seemed as if in each successive round he dug into his bag of tricks and found something else that worked. He went from the left hook to the head, to the overhand right, to the left hook to the body, to the right uppercut, to opening up with combinations. Despite Plant's elusiveness, Benavidez was able to get through with all sorts of nastiness. 

As Benavidez had more and more success in the fight, it became clear that referee Kenny Bayless wasn't going to give David a fair shake. Despite Plant's incessant holding, it was Benavidez who was often warned for fouling. In addition, Bayless wouldn't let Benavidez work with a free hand in the clinch. There were literally a dozen times where I believe that Bayless broke up the action when the fight could have continued. These instances often stopped Benavidez's momentum and temporarily saved Plant from taking more damage. 

And as bad as all that was, Bayless' most egregious moment was when he stopped the action when Plant was hurt to take him to the ringside doctor for a cut that was in an unthreatening area. Overall, it was a terrible display from Bayless, who once was one of the best referees in the sport. 

Despite the difficulties that Benavidez had with Bayless, he hurt Plant seemingly at will in the latter half of the fight. In the eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh, I thought that Plant was close to being stopped. And perhaps his corner or Bayless could have called off the fight, but to Plant's credit he was able to survive.

Photo courtesy of Ryan Hafey

Ultimately, Benavidez won via an impressive unanimous decision; I don't think that he should be criticized for not getting the stoppage. He was fighting two guys in the ring, and with a different official I think that he would have been more than capable of scoring the KO. 

Plant just didn't have the punching power to keep Benavidez honest. Although he made Benavidez uncomfortable and forced him to think his way through the fight, Plant couldn't stop Benavidez from marching forward. Plant has shown that he can be a capable operator in the ring, but when he faces real power, he's at a significant disadvantage.  

As for Benavidez, he has won me over during the last few years. Initially, I wasn't a huge fan of his; I felt that he didn't take the sport seriously enough. But since he lost his last title, I have been impressed with how he has rededicated himself to boxing. He hasn't had the same problems with making weight. His conditioning is now much better. And this has enabled him to become even more imposing in the ring. 

If Benavidez can stay on the straight-and-narrow he will have many more triumphs ahead of him. He's now hitting his peak and would give any fighter trouble in his surrounding weight classes. His offensive arsenal is frightening and his ring intelligence is an underrated part of his game.  Let's hope he understands how close he is to the precipice of greatness. 

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. 

He's a contributing writer for Ring Magazine, a member of Ring Magazine's Ring Ratings Panel and a Board Member for the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com

snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook. 

Benavidez-Plant: Preview and Prediction

One of the best matchups in the super middleweight division will take place on Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas between former champions David Benavidez (26-0, 23 KOs) and Caleb Plant (22-1, 13 KOs). The winner of Saturday's fight will become the clear #2 man in the division, just beneath Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, who currently holds all of the major belts in the division. 

Benavidez-Plant has been discussed for a number of years and there is genuine bad blood between the fighters. Stylistically the matchup features a high-volume big puncher (Benavidez) against a consummate boxer (Plant). But let's also not be too reductive about what each of these fighters is capable of in the ring. Plant is coming off the signature knockout of his career, with his double left hook destruction of Anthony Dirrell. And Benavidez has tremendous boxing acumen, with an ability to hurt opponents at every range and with every punch available in his arsenal. Below will be my keys to the fight and I'll have a prediction at the end of the piece. 

Benavidez (left) and Plant and the kickoff press conference
Photo courtesy of Showtime

1. Can Benavidez close the footspeed gap?

It's no secret that Plant moves much better than Benavidez. In addition, Plant fights in a style where he can win rounds while on the move; he's not just being evasive. Featuring lightning quick jabs and left hooks, Plant gets his work in and moves out of the way without absorbing too much damage.

Benavidez can be ponderous with his footwork, often crossing up his feet or remaining too flat-footed, which allows an opponent an exit route to either side. However, Benavidez has fought his entire career with this limitation and he has been able to track down opponents who move away from him. His stoppage win over Ronald Ellis in 2021 is an example of this. Even though Benavidez can be outmaneuvered, he applies constant pressure and he also has the benefit of being able to hurt opponents from long range, ideal for catching foes who back straight up or believe that they may be safely out of danger. 

2. Controlling punch volume 

There is a significant difference in the fighters' punch volume within a round. Benavidez usually averages in the 60s in terms of punches per round while Plant is more often in the 40s. In order for Plant to be successful, he's going to have to control the overall activity in the fight. He's not set up to throw 70 or 80 punches a round on a consistent basis and if he does get to that level, it's unlikely that he will be able to sustain it over 12 rounds. 

Benavidez can still cause damage if his punch volume is lower, but he's much more imposing when he can throw multi-punch combinations. Against Plant, Benavidez is going to have to make each punch count, because he may not get many opportunities to unload at will, especially early in the fight. Single-punch right hands or hard jabs may be the way to initially get to Plant. Benavidez will need to make sure that his outside game is sharp, and he'll have to anticipate where Plant will be next. 

Throwing a punch to a spot will be more important than hitting what's right in front of him, since Plant rarely stays in place for long. It also would benefit Benavidez to shorten his shots. He has enough power to affect Plant without landing home run bombs. It's more important to make sure that he can connect. 

3. Plant's gas tank

Plant often has his best success early in a fight, when he's at his freshest. He performed well in the first half of his fight against Canelo, but Canelo's pressure and body punching curtailed Plant's movement in the bout's second half; Plant ultimately was knocked out in the 11th round. Similarly, Plant was able to knock down Jose Uzcategui in the second and fourth rounds in his title-winning effort, but he did fade in the fight's final third. 

Plant's trainer, Stephen "Breadman" Edwards, will often talk about how fast a fighter is carried, and he's essentially talking about the pace of a fight. Breadman is acutely aware that Plant doesn't want to over-move against Benavidez, which could lead to two issues: One, the optics of potentially being seen as "running" instead of fighting can be negative for Plant. Some judges will not reward too much movement. In addition, by moving so much, Plant runs the risk of depleting himself for the back half of the fight. Plant will need to utilize his movement against Benavidez, but he will have to thread the needle – don’t move so much to penalize himself, but don't be that stationary as to give Benavidez additional opportunities to land.

4. Can Plant spring an early-round surprise? 

It was genuinely shocking when Plant scored his first knockdown against Uzcategui. After all, Uzcategui was perceived as the puncher in the matchup. And I think that the Uzcategui fight provides a template for how Plant can be victorious in this matchup. Benavidez's defense can be lackadaisical at times. Look at how he was dropped coming in with his hands down against Ronald Gavril. Gavril connected with a short left hook that Benavidez didn't see coming and David was sent to the canvas. 

Plant will have the speed advantage early in the fight and he will need to keep Benavidez honest. It would be wise for him to try to land something hard early. After all, things can happen in a fight. Maybe he can drop Benavidez early. Maybe he can cause a significant cut. Both of these scenarios could drastically alter the trajectory of the fight. And it would be a mistake for Plant to immediately get on his bike in the early rounds. At the fight's outset, he will have the element of surprise. He needs to believe in his power and take some chances. 

5. One-hand vs. two

In his first fight with Breadman Edwards against Dirrell, Plant sat down on his right hand much more than he had in previous fights. This is a very important development because throughout Plant's career his left hand has been far more advanced than his right. 

Canelo was able to eventually neutralize Plant's left hook by smothering it. This essentially removed Plant's primary power punch. I don't believe that Benavidez is the same level of student that Canelo is, but still, he's a natural fighter. If Benavidez doesn't feel threatened by Plant's right, he could change the angle of his attack to limit Plant's left. Thus, it's imperative for Plant to show confidence in his right. Otherwise, he will diminish his own offensive possibilities. 

Benavidez has a two-fisted attack and can throw crushing hooks and uppercuts with both hands to either the head or body. He's a far more well-rounded puncher than Plant. Although he may not have the same sharpness as Plant, his punches bludgeon opponents. In addition, because he can throw any punch at any time, opponents have a very tough time defending themselves against him. His unpredictability is a big advantage. 

Prediction: 

In short, I believe that the fight will play out similarly to Plant's matchup with Canelo, but with Plant doing better on a round-by-round basis on Saturday than he did against Alvarez. However, I still have concerns about Plant's gas tank and his ability to move for 12 rounds against a committed, hard body puncher. 

I think that Plant will get off to a fast start and I expect him to mix in hard power punches with his jabs in the early rounds. I think we'll see his right hand become a more pronounced part of his offensive attack. He will sit down on his punches better than he has in the past and will try to score with convincing blows with both hands. 

But keep an eye out for Benavidez's right hands from distance. As Caleb tries to exit the pocket, Benavidez's straight right and right hook will come into play, and he'll hit Plant unexpectedly. I also think that Benavidez will invest in the body early in the fight, shooting straight rights and left hooks whenever he can. He may not win many of the early rounds, but his plan will be to wear Plant down for the second half of the fight. 

Ultimately, I think that Benavidez's pressure and power punching will turn the tide in the fight's final third. Plant will find that that ring will suddenly seem smaller. When he tries to trade, he won't get the better of exchanges. And attempting to clinch Benavidez is an awful proposition. He's a madman on the inside and can wear fighters down without even throwing punches. I think that Benavidez will be successful in softening Plant up in the championship rounds. The fight will be very close on the scorecards, but Benavidez won't let the bout make it to the final bell. 

David Benavidez defeats Caleb Plant by 12th-round stoppage. 

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. 

He's a contributing writer for Ring Magazine, a member of Ring Magazine's Ring Ratings Panel and a Board Member for the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com

snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook. 

Opinions and Observations: Canelo-Plant

Saul "Canelo" Alvarez threw a leaping left hook in the 11th round on Saturday night that landed high on Caleb Plant's head. The shot hurt Plant and he bent over in obvious pain. Canelo followed up with a short right uppercut and then a left uppercut, dropping Plant to the canvas. After Plant beat the count, Canelo went for the finish. He landed a strafing left hook and then cornered Plant along the ropes and attacked him with a series of power shots at close range that put Plant through the ropes, ending the fight. 

With the victory, Canelo has now become the undisputed champion at super middleweight. The end of the fight was a thrilling display of power punching and finishing, but it was Canelo's actions earlier in the bout that led to the success of that memorable leaping left hook.

A large portion of Canelo-Plant was fought along the ropes, with Canelo pressing forward and Plant defending using the shoulder roll or "Philly Shell" style of defense. The Philly Shell, when employed correctly by an orthodox-stance fighter, creates distance between the defender and the opponent's straight right hand to the head. 

Canelo (right) about to dig in with his left hook
Photo courtesy of Amanda Westcott

Earlier in his career Canelo was befuddled by Floyd Mayweather, who used a similar type of defensive framework. Yet while he was ineffectual against Mayweather in 2013, Canelo was ultimately able to punch his way to a victory on Saturday against Plant. Let's dig into why this occurred in a little more detail. 

In my estimation there were three main differences between the Mayweather and Plant fights for Canelo. One difference was an improvement from Canelo and the other two were aspects where Plant was deficient (one strategic, one technical). 

Against Mayweather, Canelo fell into the trap of looking for a perfect, clean shot. Finding no obvious targets, Canelo mostly kept his hands at bay, waiting, and getting popped while he waited. 

Whereas on Saturday, Canelo hit everything that was available, even if he didn't always land fully flush. He peppered Plant with solid left hooks to the gut and chest. He attacked Plant's left flank with straight right hands. If Plant ducked down, Canelo threw chopping right hands to the top of the head. Canelo was causing damage and landing authoritative blows even if the first shot couldn't find its way home. And more importantly, he blasted Plant's arms and shoulders with shots, not necessarily scoring blows, but punches that can have a significant effect in reducing an opponent's agility. 

Plant made the mistake of spending too much time on the ropes. And even though many fighters can be capable of fighting off the ropes for a period of time or even a couple of rounds, eventually a capable opponent will be able to land his best shots against an immobile target. Although Plant did feature movement during parts of the fight, and successful movement, there were too many portions of the bout where he languished on the ropes, basically inviting Canelo to tee off on him. Mayweather could be great against the ropes, but he utilized the ring far more to his advantage, understanding that the real estate that the ring provided him was an inherent advantage for his athleticism. 

Caleb could have used the center of the ring more in Saturday's fight, and I'm not sure why he didn't. It's an area where he had success during parts of the bout. But perhaps Canelo's pressure and Plant's relative lack of experience was a bad combination. Plant has been hard-wired as a back-foot fighter. It's how he emerged as a prospect in the sport and that style has been paramount in his rise to the championship level. However, the best fighters need to learn multiples ways to win a fight, and on Saturday, Plant was unwilling to press forward, or even to hold his ground in the center of the ring. He ceded far too much ground to the slower-footed Canelo, which was a mistake. 

One other key difference between Plant and Mayweather was that Plant just didn't have Mayweather's right hand. Canelo couldn't throw his left hook with abandon against Mayweather because Floyd had that sharp, stinging counter right; it was one of the best shots in his arsenal. Plant doesn't have a lot of confidence with his right and even when he would throw and land the punch (which didn't really start happening until later in the fight), there wasn't enough mustard on it to dissuade Canelo. 

Canelo with his hardware
Photo courtesy of Amanda Westcott

The following may sound like a back-handed compliment, but I do mean it as a positive: For a one-handed fighter with little power and not enough championship experience, Plant fought as well as could be expected. He won a number of rounds with just his jab and movement alone. He didn't make it easy for Canelo. His defense forced Canelo to really work for the victory. He was a tricky opponent who fought close to the best of his abilities at this point of his career. 

Of course, if Plant had experienced more challenging development fights he would have been in a better position against Canelo. Perhaps he would have acquired the proficiency of how to impose himself on the front foot. Maybe he would have learned that sitting on the ropes round after round could be a detriment against a real puncher. But with that said, Plant, even with his limitations, rose to become a champion and gave Canelo a real fight. 

But let's take this back to the top to provide another example of Canelo's greatness in the ring. As Canelo cornered Plant on the ropes, he moved directly to Plant's left shoulder. This action helped Canelo in two ways. First, because he was so close to Plant, he took away Plant's left hook, which is his best power punch. There just wasn't enough room to land it in close quarters. Second, it allowed Canelo the opportunity to dig to Plant's body with his own left hook. 

Canelo's left hook to the body was his signature punch throughout the fight. And in the 11th when Canelo started to unfurl his left hand, Plant assumed that the shot was going to come to his body. Instead, Canelo went upstairs with the punch and caught Plant by surprise. It was the repeated body attack by Canelo that led to the opening to the head later in the fight. 

Ultimately, the knockout was well-earned by Canelo. Punishing Plant to the body with left hooks, he created the opportunity to go upstairs, and he executed that final deception flawlessly. In the past Canelo could have lost to a fighter with Plant's style. But on Saturday he took what was available, capitalized on a few mistakes, exploited the weaknesses of an under-experienced opponent and won the fight with a perfect combination of intelligence and technical ability. It may not have been Canelo's cleanest performance, but Saturday's victory did reveal numerous aspects of his mastery in the ring. Shorter, smaller, and slower, in the end it didn't matter; Canelo left no questions as to who was better. 

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. He's a member of Ring Magazine's Ring Ratings Panel and a Board Member for the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com.

snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook.  

Canelo-Plant: Preview and Prediction

The battle for super middleweight supremacy takes place on Saturday as Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (56-1-2, 38 KOs) faces Caleb Plant (21-0, 12 KOs) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. All of the 168-lb. belts will be on the line and Saturday's winner will become the undisputed champion in the division. 

Although Plant has faced few top opponents in his career, his skills are easy to see. Among all active boxers who fight in the orthodox stance, he has one of the best left hands in the sport. His jab and left hook are significant weapons. He possesses considerable hand and foot speed and his punch placement and accuracy (especially with his left) are impressive. 

Canelo (left) and Plant at the final presser
Photo courtesy of Amanda Westcott

The main issue with Plant is that his left hand is significantly more developed than his right. There isn't a whole lot that Plant does with his back hand other than keep opponents honest from time to time, and often he doesn't do that, even against foes who are far beneath him in skill level. He just doesn't throw his right hand with frequency or confidence.

This is the central conundrum that Plant and his trainer, Justin Gamber, face for Saturday's fight. I'm sure that Canelo realizes the significant difference in effectiveness of Plant's left vs. his right. So naturally Canelo would want to take away Plant's left hand in the fight as much as possible. 

So, what does Plant do if Canelo stands all the way to Plant's right side, well out of the range of Plant's left hand? What if Canelo angles himself as such to make it a battle of the right hands? Canelo has hurt, dropped and stopped opponents with his right, but what can Plant do in this scenario? 

To force Canelo out of his Plan A, Plant has to throw his right hand and needs to do enough with it to gain Canelo's respect. If he can't, it seems hard to envision a scenario where Plant can win. Yes, Plant will have faster hands and feet, but none of that will matter if Plant is unable to land effective punches. 

I expect to see Canelo fight large portions of the match on Plant's right side. It's up to Plant and his team to make Canelo change his strategy. And I'm just not a big enough believer in Plant's right hand to see how he can overcome this predicament. Canelo can shoot right hands to the body. He can throw straight rights from range. He can mix in right hooks when he's in close quarters. Plant doesn't have the same effectiveness with his right. 

If Canelo-Plant becomes a battle of right hands, expect a low punch-volume affair. With both fighters unable to land jabs from this set-up, the fight will be determined by whose single right hands will cause more damage. And in this scenario, I believe that Canelo's right will rule the day.  

To win the fight, Plant will have to show some new tricks, and let's not discount that possibility. He's an intelligent boxer and is very coachable. In addition, he's a fighter who can stick with a game plan very effectively. This will be an enormous hurdle for Plant and Gamber to overcome, but this is their chance to prove themselves on boxing's highest level. If they can get Canelo to move to a Plan B, then the fight could open up much more to their liking. 

I think that there will be a lot of slow rounds early in the fight, with neither fighter able to get off combinations. The early rounds will feature several small tactical battles in terms of movement and positioning, with Canelo trying to get to Plant's right side and Plant attempting to deny that movement. I expect only a few punches of significance in the first few rounds of the match.

As the fight progresses, I think that Canelo's rights to the head and body will start to have their desired effect. Ultimately, I think that he will be able to stop Plant late in the fight from sustained damaged caused by his right. I don't think that Saturday's fight will be Canelo's most dominant performance, but I believe that if he employs the appropriate strategy of staying to Plant's right side, that he will minimize Plant's skill set and will become the undisputed champion at super middleweight. 

Saul Canelo Alvarez stops Caleb Plant in the 11th round.  

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. He's a member of Ring Magazine's Ring Ratings Panel and a Board Member for the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com.

snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook.  

Punch 2 the Face Podcast

In this week's Punch 2 the Face Podcast, Brandon and I gave our preview and prediction for this weekend's Joshua-Usyk battle. We also looked ahead to the big fall fights, including Canelo-Plant, Fury-Wilder 3, and Crawford-Porter. To listen to the podcast, click on the links below: 

Apple podcast link:

Spotify link:

I heart radio link:

Stitcher link:

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. He's a member of Ring Magazine's Ring Ratings Panel and a Board Member for the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com.

snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook. 

Promoter Snapshot: Premier Boxing Champions

This article is the second in my Promoter Snapshot series and will focus on the entity known as Premier Boxing Champions, commonly referred to as the PBC (Click here for Part I of the series on Golden Boy). To start, some immediate clarifications are required. Premier Boxing Champions is not in it of itself a promoter, but a company led by Al Haymon that provides boxing content for television networks such as Fox and Showtime. Many of the fighters who appear regularly on PBC broadcasts have management or advisory contracts with Haymon, but certainly not all of them do. In a general sense, the boxers mentioned in this piece are the ones who appear on PBC platforms. The PBC has a unique stable of fighters, and while there may be some overlap and joint agreements with other entities (for example, specific boxers with Mayweather Promotions), most of their fighters are unaffiliated with other major promoters. 

From my perspective, writing about Golden Boy, Top Rank and Matchroom Sport without including the PBC would fail to capture the state of contemporary boxing, especially in North America. To ignore the PBC's considerable success and strong position in the marketplace based on definitional dogma of what does or doesn't constitute "a promoter" misses the bigger picture; the PBC is a huge player in the sport.

Errol Spence, one of the best in the sport

Photo courtesy of Amanda Westcott/Showtime

Similar to the Golden Boy article, I'll be listing the PBC fighters in various categories. In particular, the PBC has a number of recent high-profile champs whom I have put in a separate category. The fighters listed in this article don't represent the complete PBC roster, but I believe what is included should provide a solid overview of their stable.

As for other aspects to consider, I'll be examining the PBC similarly to how I looked at Golden Boy, and intend to analyze Top Rank and Matchroom Sport in future articles. How have they gotten to their current position within the sport? What are their challenges? Where have they excelled? What are the strengths and weaknesses in their stable of fighters? Who is coming up in their fighter pipeline? What is their media strategy? What will be their key questions to consider over the next 12-18 months? So, let's get to it. 

Company: Premier Boxing Champions

Company Overview: Starting with an impressive stable of fighters and hundreds of millions in investment capital, the PBC began with a strategy that mixed time-buy purchases on various platforms (CBS, NBC, ESPN, Fox) with fight cards on other channels (Showtime, Spike) where they were paid rights fees for their content. The PBC now has consolidated their broadcast platforms, with fights televised by Fox, Showtime and FS1. These entities (Showtime and Fox/FS1) pay the PBC rights fees. 

Their 2018 deal with Fox brought a dedicated return to boxing on American network television, which had been mostly absent from the sport over the last 20 years. In addition, the PBC also negotiated with Fox for shoulder programming on the network, which would provide a more robust promotional vehicle for their fights and boxers (this has become "Inside PBC Boxing"). Fox has also agreed to significant promotional spends for their PBC pay per view fight cards.  

The PBC's stable features many of the best African American boxers in the 29-35 age range. The company has forged strategic partnerships with power brokers in the sport such as Luis DeCubas and Samson Lewkowicz, which has expanded the demographic profile of their stable, bringing several Latino and other international boxers into their mix. Many of the PBC's best fighters are among the top draws in North American boxing and are in the prime earning phase of their career; as a result, pay per views have become a necessary part of the PBC's broadcast strategy. The company currently has most of the top players at junior middleweight and welterweight.  

Elite Fighters: Errol Spence, Manny Pacquiao

Champions: David Benavidez, Caleb Plant, Jermall Charlo, Jermell Charlo, Jeison Rosario, Leo Santa Cruz, Gary Russell Jr., Rey Vargas 

Interim Champions: Jean Pascal, Chris Eubank Jr., Erislandy Lara, Brian Castano, Mario Barrios, Gervonta Davis, Chris Colbert, Brandon Figueroa, Stephen Fulton, Guillermo Rigondeaux 

Recent High-Profile Champions: Deontay Wilder, Andy Ruiz, Anthony Dirrell, Julian Williams, Tony Harrison, Jarrett Hurd, Danny Garcia, Shawn Porter, Keith Thurman, Adrien Broner, Robert Easter, Luis Nery

Other Notable Fighters: Luis Ortiz, Adam Kownacki, Dominic Breazeale, Marcus Browne, Caleb Truax, Sergey Derevyanchenko, Erickson Lubin, Sergey Lipinets, Yordenis Ugas, Devon Alexander, Omar Figueroa, Rances Barthelemy, Javier Fortuna, Rau'shee Warren

Sleepers and Potential Spoilers: Jamal James, Terrell Gausha, Abel Ramos, Bryant Perrella, Tugstogt Nyambayar, Wale Omotoso, Nathaniel Gallimore, Argenis Mendez, Immanuwel Aleem, Charles Martin, Matvey Korobov, Jamontay Clark, Ahmed Elbiali, Omar Douglas, Hugo Centeno

Top Prospects: Efe Ajagba, Eimantas Stanionis, Michel Rivera, Omar Juarez, Frank Sanchez

Under-the-Radar Prospects: David Morrell, Gary Antonio Russell, Gary Antuanne Russell, Rolando Romero, Jesus Ramos, Joey Spencer, Sebastian Fundora, Vito Mielnicki, Karlos Balderas

Stable Evaluation:

The PBC has achieved stunning success with their current wave of fighters aged 29 to 35, They've had more than a dozen champions in this crop. So many of these boxers have become big names in the sport (Wilder, Thurman, Danny Garcia, Porter, Broner, Santa Cruz, Spence, the Charlos, Russell, etc.) Even several years into this run, the PBC still has five champions in this age bracket. 

However, if one were to analyze the PBC's stable of fighters from 22-28, the quality and quantity in this group doesn't compare favorably with the older cohort. There are a variety of factors that account for this drop off. Perhaps most importantly, the American amateur scene hit a trough during this period. Although there are extremely talented American fighters in this age bracket, there isn't the same quantity of talent as in past eras. Furthermore, the marketplace to sign emerging American and North American fighters has been as competitive as it has been in a long time. Top Rank has always been able to sign top fighters. But Matchroom Sport has made in-roads into the American market. Golden Boy and Mayweather Promotions (who sometimes, but not always, works with the PBC) have done well in acquiring West Coast amateur boxing talent.

Deontay Wilder, looks to reclaim his heavyweight belt

Photo Courtesy of Tom Casino/Showtime

What's interesting when evaluating the PBC's under-25 stable is how diversified it is ethnically and geographically. Davis, Colbert and Fulton are young African American fighters on the move. Michel Rivera is from the Dominican Republic. Efe Ajagba comes from Nigeria. Frank Sanchez and David Morrell are from Cuba. Eimantas Stanionis hails from Lithuania. Benavidez, Barrios, Juarez, Fundora and Figueroa are Latino-Americans. Spencer and Mielnicki are American Caucasians. By necessity or design, the PBC has become a much more cosmopolitan organization, which will continue to make them an attractive option for fighters of all backgrounds and nationalities.

Starting in 2019 the PBC has provided more hometown defenses for their champions. In that time, Jermall Charlo, Errol Spence, Julian Williams, Jarrett Hurd, Gervonta Davis and Caleb Plant had the opportunity to fight in front of their local fans. Historically, the PBC has not consistently attempted to build their fighters at the grassroots level, and were more inclined to have them box in neutral venues such as Barclays Center in Brooklyn or on cards in Las Vegas. In particular, Davis, Spence and Plant generated excellent attendance figures and local media coverage for their hometown fights. Hopefully, this approach will be utilized more extensively by the company. (Naturally, roadshows will be restricted to a degree as boxing emerges from the coronavirus shutdown.) 

One issue the company has faced at 154 pounds is that despite years of matching the best versus the best, no one has been able to emerge as the true champ. Every notable boxer of theirs currently in the weight class except Brian Castano has taken a loss (though he did receive only a draw in his biggest opportunity to date); all except two (Jeison Rosario and Castano) have lost in a title fight. Thus, the company has resorted to an almost egalitarian approach in marketing their junior middleweights. Overall, it's been a mixed bag for the company. On one hand, the fans have been treated to a variety of excellent fights. However, there's been truckloads of money thrown at this division, yet no one has emerged as a truly elite fighter or consistent ticket seller.

The PBC has embraced interim titles (other promoters have also jumped at this route). At least 10 of their boxers currently have an interim belt. Furthermore, the company doesn't necessarily push for its interim beltholders to fight for the full championship. And while it's nice for everyone to get some hardware, this approach has led to confusion regarding who the real champs are in a given division, which I would argue is a net-negative for the sport.  

Media Contracts and Assets: Fox, FS1, Showtime

Media Overview: Throughout 2019 the PBC delineated a clear pecking order for its content. For their biggest fights, they used Fox as their pay per view arm, and Fox delivered with significant marketing muscle. For their premium content, the PBC gave Fox many of their best fights, although Showtime received a few as well. Showtime mostly broadcasted a number of the PBC's marking-time fights for its champions and high-profile names. It should be noted that Haymon and Stephen Espinoza, the head of Showtime Sports, have worked well together for many years; it wouldn't surprise me to see Showtime's overall profile of fights increase in 2020.

"Inside PBC Boxing" has become an enjoyable addition to the boxing landscape. The show, which airs monthly on Fox, uses a studio host (Kate Abdo) and several current or retired fighters to examine the key matchups taking place in the sport. To this point the series has been well-produced, mixing serious analysis with fun, lighter moments. Plus, the series has emerged as a platform to help promote the bigger events in the PBC orbit, which is a positive development for the company and the sport. 

The PBC has also featured a consistent online presence, with numerous videos, podcasts, articles and interviews with its top fighters. They utilize different techniques to engage through social media and on-line marketing. Not all of them have succeeded, but there is a concerted attempt to try new things, and innovation is certainly welcome. 

Gervonta Davis, a rising star in the sport

Photo courtesy of Amanda Westcott/Showtime

There is always a question of how much control a promoter, or boxing entity in this case, has in terms of the presentation of fights on TV. Although Fox and FS1 have gotten some things right during their boxing broadcasts – their audio and lighting are very good, their camera work is incisive – their broadcasts have at times been disjointed and their announce teams have lacked cohesion, detracting from the overall quality of their broadcasts. 

Brian Kenny, who as of now is the play-by-play voice on Fox, can be unnecessarily argumentative with his fellow broadcasters and lacks the gravitas to handle big moments in the sport. Chris Myers, who has done play-by-play on FS1, doesn't seem to have a significant foundation in the sport and relies too heavily on round-by-round punch stats. Kenny Albert, whom I liked a lot, and Ray Mancini, whom I didn't, have already left or been reassigned. Joe Goossen has continued to provide good insight on the Fox broadcast. Marcos Villegas has done an excellent job as the unofficial scorer on FS1. By contrast, Larry Hazzard Sr. has had several questionable cards as the unofficial scorer on Fox and his explanations of them haven't provided the viewer with particularly meaningful insights. I've enjoyed Dan Conobbio's punch volume profiles for major fighters. And Kate Abdo has proven to be an excellent host, whether on-site during live coverage or on "Inside PBC Boxing." 

Of course, there would always be growing pains with a new network delving into the sport (DAZN has certainly had a choppy start as well); however, I'm not sure that Fox is out of the woods yet. The quality of their broadcast pales in comparison to Showtime's. Hopefully the PBC will continue to work with Fox Sports to improve their overall boxing presentation.   

Other Assets: Strategic partnership with Barclays Center, Deep relationships within the U.S. amateur scene, Partnerships with other U.S. and international promoters, Strong relationships with several top African American trainers 

Company Outlook: The PBC presently has more fighters who are at the pay per view or premium level than any other company that competes in the American boxing marketplace. In the current economic environment, this may present several challenges. Fighters such as Deontay Wilder and Manny Pacquiao have significant per-fight minimums. Errol Spence and Gervonta Davis will be expecting pay per view opportunities in 2020. Keith Thurman, Danny Garcia and Shawn Porter routinely make seven figures per fight. But what happens when there are events with no fans, and thus no live gates for the foreseeable future? And with unemployment expected to top out at close to 20% in the U.S., the robust pay per view market of 2019 already looks like a relic of the past. The company and their premium fighters will have some pivotal decisions to make. 

Which of their top boxers will want to fight for potentially less money and which won't mind sitting out until the things stabilize within the sport? Who will get dates and who won't? There will be some tough conversations to have with fighters who are in the prime earning years of their careers. Will the burgeoning fan bases and earning power of Deontay Wilder, Errol Spence and Gervonta Davis continue to grow, or will they stagnate during this period? Fighters such as Caleb Plant and David Benavidez were building significant momentum heading into 2020. What will this pause mean for them? They are fighters who are being looked at as key torch carriers for PBC's next generation. All promotional companies will be facing similar quandaries following the re-start of the sport, but perhaps the PBC will be most affected by this transition period in that so many of its best fighters are in their prime.

In the medium and long term, the PBC will need to be more aggressive in acquiring top amateur talent. They have been outbid on several top amateurs in recent years, and similar to all boxing promoters, your prospects will be the key to your future. The PBC's prospect stable isn't barren, not by any means, but it certainly could be more robust. There are several intriguing names on its roster, but few are A-plus talents. Some key acquisitions of free agent talent, preferably those under 30, wouldn't hurt either.  

Overall, the PBC will enjoy its continued dominance at junior middleweight and welterweight over the next few years. They are currently shut out of the heavyweight title picture, but Deontay Wilder will have another shot soon enough. As for a number of the other divisions, they are going to have to work with other big promoters in the sport to ensure that their top guys get significant fights. Al Haymon has prospered in boxing due to the sense of loyalty he has created with his fighters, but all (or almost all to be more accurate) will want a crack at the best, or a big money opportunity. The recent thaw in the relationship with Top Rank and the excellent co-promotion for Wilder-Fury II could be a beneficial development for both parties. Each company has divisions in which they dominate and others where their fighters are practically orphaned due to the lack of attractive and/or available in-house opponents.  

The next few years will be important revenue-generating ones for the PBC as their current veteran wave crests. As of now, their next crop of young fighters doesn't look to be as strong as their current veteran core. Of course, this is boxing, and things can change in a hurry. No one does well when the sport has to suspend operations, but in my estimation no company had as many potential big fights in the pipeline than the PBC did. It will be fascinating to see how they view the chess board once boxing resumes. How viable is pay per view post-coronavirus and during an economic downturn? What does the big-fight experience look like with no fans and reduced media attention? I have a feeling that the PBC, due to the economic factors of their top fighters, will need to dip their toes into these waters. The PBC has never lacked boldness during their time in the sport. That they have several fighters at the peak of their earning power demands that they be bold once more.    

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. He's a member of Ring Magazine's Ring Ratings Panel and a Board Member for the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com.

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