Opening up the Mailbag for your questions on Jaron Ennis\u2013Vergil Ortiz, Devin Haney\u2013Rolly Romero, the MVP-ESPN deal and more \u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
Should the IBF have stripped Jai Opetaia? It seemed to me he did everything he was supposed to do to keep the belt. Your thoughts?
\u2014Robert, San Antonio<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s unpack this a little \u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
On the belt, I\u2019m with Opetaia on this one, Robert. Zuffa, which signed Opetaia to a multi-fight deal, has publicly declared war on the sanctioning bodies and in time no fighter in the promotion, including Opetaia, will compete for an alphabet belt. And sanctioning bodies, keenly aware that they are in Zuffa\u2019s crosshairs, are understandably sensitive to that.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Still, Opetaia doesn\u2019t deserve to be stripped. And as of this writing, I\u2019m not certain he has been. He made weight. Brandon Glanton, who Opetaia wiped out on Sunday, was in the IBF\u2019s top 15. Zuffa paid his sanctioning fee, a source told Sports Illustrated. The IBF belt was displayed at this week\u2019s press conference and Opetaia expressed repeatedly in interviews that he wanted to pursue undefeated status in the cruiserweight division.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The IBF\u2019s reasoning for yanking the sanction on Opetaia-Glanton\u2014that Zuffa\u2019s belt did not qualify as a \u201cunification\u201d and that Opetaia\u2019s team misrepresented its significance\u2014is bogus, too. The IBF has routinely rubber-stamped unifications involving lesser titles like, say, the IBO. And the IBF knew the Zuffa belt\u2014which, for the record, can\u2019t be considered a real belt, as Zuffa has not yet succeeded in ramming home legislation that allows them to create it\u2014was going to be on the line for weeks. Why accept the fee and fly out a supervisor only to pull the plug days before the fight?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Here’s why: These sanctioning bodies don\u2019t just want fees. They want to be feted. They want to be treated like celebrities, instead of the anonymous suits they are. If Zuffa had made a bigger deal of the IBF title, if they had promised to allow IBF officials free reign of the UFC Apex, if they treated them the way Matchroom, Top Rank, PBC and other top promoters do, I believe we wouldn\u2019t be in this position.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But here we are. \u201cThese guys are going to do all the work for us,\u201d UFC president Dana White said this weekend, speaking on the sanctioning bodies\u2014and he\u2019s right. The IBF could have accepted its fee, swallowed its pride and let Opetaia defend his title. They would have gotten the belt back eventually, perhaps after ordering Opetaia\u2019s mandatory. Instead, they look childish and petty, while Opetaia looks like the only one involved doing the right thing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I feel for Opetaia. Frankly, I don\u2019t think he wanted to sign with Zuffa. He just didn\u2019t have any other options. His deal expired with Matchroom and his own team admitted it couldn\u2019t make it financially viable for him to continue to fight in Australia. When Zuffa came along with a seven-figure offer, he had to take it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But he wants to fight for the alphabet belts. Badly. In his post-fight interview he repeatedly steered the conversation back to them. His deal with Zuffa makes that goal more challenging. He may still keep his IBF belt\u2014White hinted at a lawsuit after the fight, a lawsuit I can tell you the IBF is terrified of\u2014and perhaps there\u2019s a Riyadh Season deal that can be made to see Opetaia fight the winner of the May showdown between Gilberto Ram\u00edrez and David Benavidez. If that happens, all of it can work out. If it doesn\u2019t, Opetaia may be stuck defending a belt he doesn\u2019t really want.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This MVP-ESPN deal feels big for women\u2019s boxing. Any details?
\u2014Edward, Long Island<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a solid deal, Edward. ESPN is leaning harder into women\u2019s sports, making the WNBA and NWSL a major part of its weekend programming. The network recently announced plans for \u201cWomen\u2019s Sports Sundays\u201d this summer, effectively replacing Sunday Night Baseball, which is headed to NBC. While the first two U.S. shows will take place on a Friday and Saturday, respectively, I would expect MVP events to eventually be part of that Sunday lineup.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Can they make the big fights? The initial slate is a little underwhelming. Alycia Baumgardner defending her titles against Bo Mi Re Shin is fine, but why isn\u2019t Baumgardner, the 130-pound champion, defending them against Amanda Serrano, the queen of 126? Holly Holm is a combat sports legend and an accidental headbutt did stop her 135-pound fight against Stephanie Han early. But Han was dominating the fight at the time of the stoppage. Shadasia Green is a fun fighter at 168-pounds. But the fight boxing fans want to see her in is against Claressa Shields, not an opponent (Lani Daniels) Shields recently wiped out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ultimately, MVPW will be judged by its matchmaking. The Jake Paul\u2013fronted promotion has signed up most of the top women\u2019s talent so regularly making big fights should be easy. If they can do it, women\u2019s boxing will have the biggest platform in the business. If not, it won\u2019t last long.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mannix! What\u2019s really going on with Boots and Vergil?
\u2014Malik, Camden, N.J.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s ugly, Malik. For the uninitiated: In January, Vergil Ortiz sought judicial confirmation that his contract with Golden Boy had been terminated, citing his promoter\u2019s inability to live up to the terms of the contract. Golden Boy turned around and secured a temporary restraining order that prevented Ortiz from signing a multi-fight deal with Matchroom Boxing that would have begun with an Ennis fight. Last week, a judge kicked the can down the road, ordering the two sides to work it out in arbitration. Meanwhile everyone from Oscar De La Hoya to Ortiz\u2019s manager, Rick Mirigian, to Ortiz\u2019s father, Vergil Sr., have weighed in.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I can tell you that behind the scenes there are ongoing talks to work all this out. Ortiz is not going back to Golden Boy. He said it, and you can believe him. There\u2019s no scenario where this ends with Ortiz as a Golden Boy fighter. The question is, can Golden Boy be compensated\u2014either financially from Ortiz or from DAZN [usual disclaimer: I call fights for DAZN] in the form of a new rights deal\u2014to walk away? And can it happen quickly enough to put an Ortiz-Ennis fight back together?<\/p>\n
I\u2019ll add this: I think it would behoove Golden Boy to get something done. While the judge\u2019s ruling has been interpreted as a win for them, it was really just a delay. I\u2019ve talked to several boxing lawyers who have reviewed the legal filings and all of them feel that Ortiz still has a strong case to terminate his contract. The smart move for Golden Boy would be to settle the case, collect some cash, get a new deal done with DAZN and move forward.\u00a0<\/p>\n
You have been beating the drum for Devin Haney\u2013Ryan Garcia II. Now I\u2019m reading about Haney\u2013Rolly Romero? What gives?
\u2014Dean, Austin, Texas<\/p>\n
So talks between the Haney and Romero camps are real, I\u2019m told. Romero\u2019s team made Haney an offer and I think he\u2019d like to find a way to accept it. Haney\u2019s dream is to unify the 147-pound division and he would be a big favorite against Romero if they ever got in the ring.\u00a0<\/p>\n