The Hauser Report: Showtime Says Goodbye to Boxing and More Notes

Published

1 year ago

December 17, 2023

The-Hauser-Report-Showtime-Says-Goodbye-to-Boxing-and-More-Notes

On October 17, Paramount Global announced that it was closing the Showtime sports department and shutting down the network’s boxing program after a 37-year run.

Showtime televised its first fight on March 15, 1986 – a replay of Marvelous Marvin Hagler’s eleventh-round knockout of John Mugabi five days earlier. In the years that followed, it televised more than two thousand fights. In the early-1990’s, the network turned its boxing programming over to Don King in order to gain rights to Mike Tyson’s fights. More recently, Premier Boxing Champions enjoyed favored status.

Showtime was the launching pad for UK imports like Naseem Hamed, Ricky Hatton, and Joe Calzaghe in the United States. Its most notable telecasts included numerous Mike Tyson outings, the first fight between Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo, Floyd Mayweather vs. Canelo Alvarez, and the “Super Six” super-middleweight championship tournament that saw the emergence of Andre Ward as the best 168-pound fighter in the world. It collaborated with HBO to produce Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson, Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao, and Anthony Joshua vs. Wladimir Klitschko, and advanced the careers of myriad young prospects on ShoBox: The New Generation.

Steve Albert, Ferdie Pacheco, Al Bernstein, Steve Farhood, Barry Tompkins, Nick Charles, and Paulie Malignaggi were among the quality commentators who contributed to the soundtrack that the network provided for the contemporary boxing scene.

Less laudably, Showtime reveled in the highly lucrative but homophobic-misogynistic-fueled promotion of Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor. And in recent years, it shifted an increasing number of fan-friendly fights from “regular” Showtime to Showtime-PPV.

Like HBO, Showtime ended its sojourn through boxing with a mundane fight card. HBO’s final offering (on December 8, 2018) was a pedestrian event that featured Cecelia Braekhus, Claressa Shields, and Juan Francisco Estrada. On December 16, Showtime gave us David Morrell vs. Sena Agbeko, Chris Colbert vs. Jose Valenzuela, and Andre Berto vs. Robert Guerrero.

The show opened with Berto-Guerrero. Berto has won two fights dating back to 2015 and had last fought more than five years ago. Guerrero had lost five of eleven bouts dating back to 2013. Both men are forty years old and, on Saturday night, they fought like it. Guerrero won a 99-91, 98-92, 98-92 decision over the course of ten dreary rounds.

Then Jose Valenzuela (who was coming in off two losses in a row) knocked Chris Colbert unconscious with a right hook in round six.

In the finale, David Morrell (a 12-to-1 favorite) stopped a woefully overmatched Sena Agbeko at 1:43 of the second stanza. Agbeko was never in the fight.

The telecast began with a short video montage of images from past Showtime fights followed by remarks about the occasion from Brian Custer. After Berto-Guerrero, there was a brief video tribute to the sport of boxing. Later in the telecast, Steve Farhood narrated a segment on the history of ShoBox.

The members of the announcing team spent a lot of time praising each other. There was no acknowledgement of Jay Larkin (a key architect of Showtime’s boxing program). Nor was Steve Albert (Showtime’s blow-by-blow commentator for twenty years) or Ferdie Pacheco (who was paired with Albert) mentioned. A tip of the hat to Ken Hershman (who succeeded Larkin as president of Showtime Sports), Don King (who was a big part of Showtime Boxing), and other key figures in the network’s boxing program who were ignored would also have been appropriate.

But back to the fights. Goodbyes are important. It would have been better if Showtime Boxing had ended its run with its November 25, 2023, telecast of David Benavidez vs. Demetrius Andrade. Benavidez turned in a star-making performance that night. That would have been a good note to end on with Showtime telling its subscribers, “We brought you some great moments in the past. Now here’s a glimpse of boxing’s future.”

****

There was a time when club fights were boxing’s lifeblood and New York City was home to several fight cards each week. On the night that Showtime bade farewell to the sweet science, Larry Goldberg promoted his ninth club-fight card at Sony Hall in New York.

Goldberg is the only promoter now running fight cards on a regular basis in New York. This was his ninth show at Sony Hall in the past fourteen months and he has three dates penciled in for the first six months of 2024.

Too many club fights cards today consist almost exclusively of non-competitive beatdowns. Two of the six fights on Goldberg’s card were particularly good match-ups.

Jacob Riley Solis (a 32-year-old New Yorker who was making his pro debut) took on Tevin Terrance (a 1-and-0 import from Canada). Terrance fought with all-out aggression and scored a knockdown in the first stanza. Solis has a weak jab that needs to be reconstructed and a good right hand. In round three, the right hands started landing and Terrance was counted out.

Cristian Otero (6-4, 2 KOs) vs. Yeuri Andujar (5-6-1, 3 KOs, 3 KOs by) was another competitive action fight. Andujar came into the ring with four losses and a draw in his last five outings. But those numbers are deceiving in that he’d been overmatched against prospects like Bruce Carrington and Robeisy Ramirez. Otero is a club fighter who gives an honest effort every time out. Andujar dropped Otero in round two and finished him with a brutal right hand in round four.

I’d much rather see evenly-matched club fighters who put everything they have into fights that they can win than a parade of mismatches.

***

The International Boxing Hall of Fame recently announced its inductees for 2024. I was disappointed that Flip Homansky (who was on the ballot for the first time) wasn’t chosen for induction. My sense is that too many of the electors don’t understand the trailblazing contributions that Dr Homansky made in advancing the health and safety of fighters during his years at the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

I’d also like to address what I believe is an injustice regarding two men who have never been on the ballot.

Gerry Cooney won his first 23 fights before losing to Larry Holmes on a night when Holmes was as good as he’d ever been or would be ever again. Plagued by substance abuse problems that he conquered after leaving boxing, Cooney retired after losses to Michael Spinks and George Foreman. The only three men to beat him in a boxing ring were first-ballot Hall of Famers. Hall of Fame matchmaker Bruce Trampler ranks Cooney among the top twenty heavyweights of all time.

Cooney never won a world championship. But neither did Jimmy Bivins, Charley Burley, Billy Graham, Cocoa Kid, Lloyd Marshall, Holman Williams, and others who are enshrined in Canastota. He deserved to be on the ballot ahead of Jorge Arce, Vuyani Bungu, Yuri Arbachakov, Leo Gamez, Miguel Lora, Orzubek Navarov and some of the other nominees.

Cedric Kushner was a significant player on the boxing scene for decades. He was best known for promoting heavyweights like Hasim Rahman, Shannon Briggs, Chris Byrd, Ike Ibeabuchi, Jameel McCline, Derrick Jefferson, Kirk Johnson, Axel Schulz, and David Tua, but also built stars like Shane Mosley in other weight classes.

Dan Goossen, Klaus-Peter Kohl, Tito Lectoure, and Mogens Palle are in the Hall of Fame. Kushner was their equal as a promoter and deserved to be on the ballot.

****

The holiday sentiment of peace on Earth seems sadly out of reach this year. But I’d like to recount a story that Yuri Foreman told me years ago.

Foreman was born in Belarus. When he was eleven, his family moved to Israel.

“At first it was difficult,” Yuri recalled. “I was missing my friends. And sometimes in Israel, there was discrimination between the Russians and the Jews. The Russians were also Jewish, but the Israelis would call us Russians and say we didn’t deserve to be there, so there would be fights in school between the immigrants and the Israelis.”

Foreman learned the rudiments of boxing in an outdoor lot. There was no ring, not even a heavy bag.

“They wouldn’t give us a gym because we were just Russians,” he remembered. “We went to City Hall and begged for a place to hang a bag and put up a ring. All they told us was, ‘Go box with the Arabs.’ So finally I went to the Arab gym. The first time I walked in, I saw the stares. In their eyes, there was a lot of hatred. But I needed to box. And boy, did they all want to box me. But after a while, the wall that was between us melted. We all wanted the same thing. I traveled with them as teammates. It helped that I won almost all the time. And finally, we became friends.”

Foreman won the WBA 154-pound title in 2009 by decision over Daniel Santos. Shortly before that fight, the father of one of the boys Yuri had boxed with in the Arab gym called and told him, ‘We follow your career. We’re all rooting for you. We’ll be very proud when you become a champion. After you win, we want you to come to our village for a celebration and we’ll kill the nicest of the sheep for you.”

David Morrell photo compliments of Ryan Hafey / Premier Boxing Champions

Thomas Hauser’s email address is thomashauserwriter@gmail.com. His most recent book – The Universal Sport: Two Years Inside Boxing – was published by the University of Arkansas Press. In 2004, the Boxing Writers Association of America honored Hauser with the Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence in boxing journalism. In 2019, Hauser was selected for boxing’s highest honor – induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

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Thomas Hauser

Thomas Hauser is the author of 52 books. In 2005, he was honored by the Boxing Writers Association of America, which bestowed the Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence in boxing journalism upon him. He was the first Internet writer ever to receive that award. In 2019, Hauser was chosen for boxing's highest honor: induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Lennox Lewis has observed, “A hundred years from now, if people want to learn about boxing in this era, they’ll read Thomas Hauser.”

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Jorge Garcia is the TSS Fighter of the Month for April

Published

7 hours ago

April 28, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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Jorge Garcia has a lot in common with Mexican countrymen Emanuel Navarrete and Rafael Espinoza. In common with those two, both reigning world title-holders, Garcia is big for his weight class and bubbled out of obscurity with a triumph forged as a heavy underdog in a match contested on American soil.

Garcia had his “coming of age party” on April 19 in the first boxing event at the new Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, California (roughly 35 miles north of San Diego), a 7,500-seat facility whose primary tenant is an indoor soccer team. It was a Golden Boy Promotions event and in the opposite corner was a Golden Boy fighter, Charles Conwell.

A former U.S. Olympian, Conwell was undefeated (21-0, 16 KOs) and had won three straight inside the distance since hooking up with Golden Boy whose PR department ballyhooed him as the most avoided fighter in the super welterweight division. At prominent betting sites, Conwell was as high as a 12/1 favorite.

The lanky Garcia was 32-4 (26 KOs) heading in, but it was easy to underestimate him as he had fought extensively in Tijuana where the boxing commission is notoriously docile and in his home state of Sinaloa. This would be only his second fight in the U.S. However, it was noteworthy in hindsight that three of his four losses were by split decision.

Garcia vs. Conwell was a robust affair. He and Conwell were credited with throwing 1451 punches combined. In terms of punches landed, there was little to choose between them but the CompuBox operator saw Garcia landing more power punches in eight of the 12 rounds. At the end, the verdict was split but there was no controversy.

An interested observer was Sebastian Fundora who was there to see his sister Gabriela defend her world flyweight titles. Sebastian owns two pieces of the 154-pound world title where the #1 contender per the WBO is Xander Zayas who keeps winning, but not with the verve of his earlier triumphs.

With his upset of Charles Conwell, Jorge Garcia has been bumped into the WBO’s #2 slot. Regardless of who he fights next, Garcia will earn the biggest payday of his career.

Honorable mention: Aaron McKenna

McKenna was favored to beat veteran campaigner Liam Smith in the co-feature to the Eubank-Benn battle this past Saturday in London, but he was stepping up in class against a former world title-holder who had competed against some of the top dogs in the middleweight division and who had famously stopped Chris Eubank Jr in the first of their two encounters. Moreover, the venue, Tottenham Hotspur, the third-largest soccer stadium in England, favored the 36-year-old Liverpudlian who was accustomed to a big fight atmosphere having fought Canelo Alvarez before 50,000-plus at Arlington Stadium in Texas.

McKenna, from the small town of Monaghan, Ireland, wasn’t overwhelmed by the occasion. With his dad Feargal in his corner and his fighting brother Stephen McKenna cheering him on from ringside, Aaron won a wide decision in his first 12-round fight, punctuating his victory by knocking Smith to his knees with a body punch in the 12^th round. In fact, if he hadn’t had a point deducted for using his elbow, the Irishman would have pitched a shutout on one of the scorecards.

“There might not be a more impressive example of a fighter moving up in class,” wrote Tris Dixon of the 25-year-old “Silencer” who improved his ledger to 20-0 (10).

Photo credits: Garcia/Conwell photo compliments of Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy; McKenna-Smith provided by Mark Robinson/Matchroom

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Chris Eubank Jr Outlasts Conor Benn at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Published

2 days ago

April 27, 2025

David A. Avila

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Feudal bragging rights belong to Chris Eubank Jr. who out-lasted Conor Benn to
emerge victorious by unanimous decision in a non-title middleweight match held in
London on Saturday.

Fighting for their family heritage Eubank (35-3, 26 KOs) and Benn (23-1, 14 KOs)
continued the battle between families started 35 years ago by their fathers at Tottenham
Hotspur Stadium.

More than 65,000 fans attended.

Though Eubank Jr. had a weight and height advantage and a record of smashing his
way to victory via knockout, he had problems hurting the quicker and more agile Benn.
And though Benn had the advantage of moving up two weight divisions and forcing
Eubank to fight under a catch weight, the move did not weaken him much.

Instead, British fans and boxing fans across the world saw the two family rivals pummel
each other for all 12 rounds. Neither was able to gain separation.

Eubank looked physically bigger and used a ramming left jab to connect early in the
fight. Benn immediately showed off his speed advantage and surprised many with his
ability to absorb a big blow.Chris Eubank Jr Outlasts Conor Benn at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Benn scrambled around with his quickness and agility and scored often with bigcounters.

It took him a few rounds to stop overextending himself while delivering power shots.

In the third round Benn staggered Eubank with a left hook but was unable to follow up
against the dangerous middleweight who roared back with flurries of blows.

Eubank was methodic in his approach always moving forward, always using his weight
advantage via the shoulder to force Benn backward. The smaller Benn rocketed
overhand rights and was partly successful but not enough to force Eubank to retreat.
In the seventh round a right uppercut snapped Benn’s head violently but he was
undeterred from firing back. Benn’s chin stood firm despite Eubank’s vaunted power and
size advantage.

“I didn’t know he had that in him,” Eubank said.

Benn opened strong in the eighth round with furious blows. And though he connected
he was unable to seriously hurt Eubank. And despite being drained by the weight loss,
the middleweight fighter remained strong all 12 rounds.

There were surprises from both fighters.

Benn was effective targeting the body. Perhaps if he had worked the body earlier he
would have found a better result.

With only two rounds remaining Eubank snapped off a right uppercut again and followed
up with body shots. In the final stanza Eubank pressed forward and exchanged with the
smaller Benn until the final bell. He simply out-landed the fighter and impressed all three
judges who scored it 116-112 for Eubank.

Eubank admitted he expected a knockout win but was satisfied with the victory.
“I under-estimated him,” Eubank said.

Benn was upset by the loss but recognized the reasons.

“He worked harder toward the end,” said Benn.

McKenna Wins

In his first test in the elite level Aaron McKenna (20-0, 10 KOs) showed his ability to fight
inside or out in soundly defeating former world champion Liam Smith (33-5-1, 20 KOs)
by unanimous decision to win a regional WBA middleweight title.

Smith has made a career out of upsetting young upstarts but discovered the Irish fighter
more than capable of mixing it up with the veteran. It was a rough fight throughout the
12 rounds but McKenna showed off his abilities to fight as a southpaw or right-hander
with nary a hiccup.

McKenna had trained in Southern California early in his career and since that time he’s
accrued a variety of ways to fight. He was smooth and relentless in using his longer
arms and agility against Smith on the outside or in close.

In the 12 th round, McKenna landed a perfectly timed left hook to the ribs and down went
Smith. The former champion got up and attempted to knock out the tall
Irish fighter but could not.

All three judges scored in favor of McKenna 119-108, 117-109, 118-108.

Other Bouts
Anthony Yarde (27-3) defeated Lyndon Arthur (24-3) by unanimous decision after 12 rounds. in a light heavyweight match. It was the third time they met. Yarde won the last two fights.

Chris Billam-Smith (21-2) defeated Brandon Glanton (20-3) by decision. It was his first
fight since losing the WBO cruiserweight world title to Gilberto Ramirez last November.

Viddal Riley (13-0) out-worked Cheavon Clarke (10-2) in a 12-round back-and-forth-contest to win a unanimous decision.

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 323: Benn vs Eubank Family Feud and More

Published

4 days ago

April 24, 2025

David A. Avila

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Next generation rivals Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr. carry on the family legacy of feudal warring in the prize ring on Saturday.

This is huge in British boxing.

Eubank (34-3, 25 KOs) holds the fringe IBO middleweight title but won’t be defending it against the smaller welterweight Benn (23-0, 14 KOs) on Saturday, April 26, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. DAZN will stream the Matchroom Boxing card.

This is about family pride.

The parents of Eubank and Benn actually began the feud in the 1990s.

Papa Nigel Benn fought Papa Chris Eubank twice. Losing as a middleweight in November 1990 at Birmingham, England, then fighting to a draw as a super middleweight in October 1993 in Manchester. Both were world title fights.

Eubank was undefeated and won the WBO middleweight world title in 1990 against Nigel Benn by knockout. He defended it three times before moving up and winning the vacant WBO super middleweight title in September 1991. He defended the super middleweight title 14 times before suffering his first pro defeat in March 1995 against Steve Collins.

Benn won the WBO middleweight title in April 1990 against Doug DeWitt and defended it once before losing to Eubank in November 1990. He moved up in weight and took the WBC super middleweight title from Mauro Galvano in Italy by technical knockout in October 1992. He defended the title nine times until losing in March 1996. His last fight was in November 1996, a loss to Steve Collins.

Animosity between the two families continues this weekend in the boxing ring.

Conor Benn, the son of Nigel, has fought mostly as a welterweight but lately has participated in the super welterweight division. He is several inches shorter in height than Eubank but has power and speed. Kind of a British version of Gervonta “Tank” Davis.

“It’s always personal, every opponent I fight is personal. People want to say it’s strictly business, but it’s never business. If someone is trying to put their hands on me, trying to render me unconscious, it’s never business,” said Benn.

This fight was scheduled twice before and cut short twice due to failed PED tests by Benn. The weight limit agreed upon is 160 pounds.

Eubank, a natural middleweight, has exchanged taunts with Benn for years. He recently avenged a loss to Liam Smith with a knockout victory in September 2023.

“This fight isn’t about size or weight. It’s about skill. It’s about dedication. It’s about expertise and all those areas in which I excel in,” said Eubank. “I have many, many more years of experience over Conor Benn, and that will be the deciding factor of the night.”

Because this fight was postponed twice, the animosity between the two feuding fighters has increased the attention of their fans. Both fighters are anxious to flatten each other.

“He’s another opponent in my way trying to crush my dreams. trying to take food off my plate and trying to render me unconscious. That’s how I look at him,” said Benn.

Eubank smiles.

“Whether it’s boxing, whether it’s a gun fight. Defense, offense, foot movement, speed, power. I am the superior boxer in each of those departments and so many more – which is why I’m so confident,” he said.

Supporting Bout

Former world champion Liam Smith (33-4-1, 20 KOs) tangles with Ireland’s Aaron McKenna (19-0, 10 KOs) in a middleweight fight set for 12 rounds on the Benn-Eubank undercard in London.

“Beefy” Smith has long been known as one of the fighting Smith brothers and recently lost to Eubank a year and a half ago. It was only the second time in 38 bouts he had been stopped. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez did it several years ago.

McKenna is a familiar name in Southern California. The Irish fighter fought numerous times on Golden Boy Promotion cards between 2017 and 2019 before returning to the United Kingdom and his assault on continuing the middleweight division. This is a big step for the tall Irish fighter.

It’s youth versus experience.

“I’ve been calling for big fights like this for the last two or three years, and it’s a fight I’m really excited for. I plan to make the most of it and make a statement win on Saturday night,” said McKenna, one of two fighting brothers.

Monster in L.A.

Japan’s super star Naoya “Monster” Inoue arrived in Los Angeles for last day workouts before his Las Vegas showdown against Ramon Cardenas on Sunday May 4, at T-Mobile Arena. ESPN will televise and stream the Top Rank card.

It’s been four years since the super bantamweight world champion performed in the US and during that time Naoya (29-0, 26 KOs) gathered world titles in different weight divisions. The Japanese slugger has also gained fame as perhaps the best fighter on the planet. Cardenas is 26-1 with 14 KOs.

Pomona Fights

Super featherweights Mathias Radcliffe (9-0-1) and Ezequiel Flores (6-4) lead a boxing card called “DMG Night of Champions” on Saturday April 26, at the historic Fox Theater in downtown Pomona, Calif.

Michaela Bracamontes (11-2-1) and Jesus Torres Beltran (8-4-1) will be fighting for a regional WBC super featherweight title. More than eight bouts are scheduled.

Doors open at 6 p.m. For ticket information go to: www.tix.com/dmgnightofchampions

Fights to Watch

Sat. DAZN 9 a.m. Conor Benn (23-0) vs Chris Eubank Jr. (34-3); Liam Smith (33-4-1) vs Aaron McKenna (19-0).

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