The refusal of Premier Boxing Champions to work with other promoters has cost them their blue chip world champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez 60-2-2 (39).
That’s the opinion of rival promoter Eddie Hearn.
WBC, WBA, WBO, IBF and Ring Magazine champion Alvarez is believed to have walked away from his three-fight deal with PBC with two bouts remaining on his contract after they were unable to deliver a suitable opponent for the 33-year-old Mexican superstar’s next fight in Las Vegas on May 4.
Hearn says he has already had preliminary talks with Alvarez about returning to the Matchroom Boxing stable, telling Fight Hub TV that they only reason they split the first time is because his promotional outfit didn’t have the right opponents available for him at the time.
“The only fight we had for him was Dmitry Bivol, which we couldn’t make because Bivol had a fight to do and then he was fighting [Artur] Beterbiev. So we couldn’t get that fight made,” Hearn explained.
“Bivol wanted to do it at 168, Canelo wanted it at the same terms, so he had no choice but to join the PBC because they gave him a good path, but the path eroded, the path that was mapped out never actually materialised.
“He was disappointed with the [Jermell] Charlo fight because Charlo ran for 12 rounds, he didn’t even try to win the fight, and his brother might not even turn up… When I talk to Saul about [David] Benavidez, the fact that people think he won’t fight him, he actually laughs.
“This guy has fought everybody, he’ll fight Benavidez, and we’ll do that deal. But he wants activity, he wants a plan. Benavidez ain’t happening in May.”
Under Hearn, Alvarez had one of the most active periods of his career. The talkative Brit explained in no uncertain terms why the PBC business model is inherently flawed.
“Because the PBC don’t want to work with anyone and now they’re fucked,” Hearn said. “So you get to a situation where if I reached out to Benavidez, what the PBC do is go ‘we’re only making that fight on the PBC’… and this is what people don’t understand; they’re not willing to let their guys go on another platform to take a chance to achieve greatness, it all has to happen with them only.
“If we do manage to do a deal with Canelo Alvarez, we can do [Jaime] Munguia, we can do [Edgar] Berlanga, or if Benavidez wants to come and fight. When PBC do a deal they only let you go and fight one of their fighters if you align yourself to PBC.
“What I wouldn’t do to Benavidez is say ‘you can fight Canelo Alvarez but you’ve got to sign a five-fight with Matchroom or DAZN’. I just want to see a great fight.
“Canelo never got Benavidez offers for May and all this big money that everyone’s talking about. They said to him ‘you can fight Jermall Charlo and by the way, the money we’ve promised you, we’re not even promising you that anymore’. He don’t even want to fight Charlo, so he’s got to look at other options. He’s got to look at young fighters who are ready.
“If Benavidez wants to come and talk to us and make that fight, we can talk to him and make that fight no problem. But if [Alvarez is] leaving the PBC because they haven’t delivered on what was planned, you can’t just expect him to hang around and wait on them.
“So Munguia, I think, is the fight for May. Listen, if Berlanga happens in September, great, maybe he gets another big win in the meantime.
“If Benavidez wants to fight in September, Saul will fight all of them. He just wants to be active.”