Why Canelo Has A Big Decision To Make

Canelo has things to ponder

I've said it before and I'll say it again - Canelo Alvarez is good for boxing. He's exciting, he's a decent guy (at least he was when we briefly spoke) and he brings some much needed attention to the sweet science here in the post Mayweather-Pacquiao era. With that in mind, however, Canelo has a big decision to make - provided he bests Amir Khan this weekend, as many suspect he will.

Yup, Canelo has to decide whether he wants to try to be a great fighter or if he'd rather be merely a lucrative fighter. There's a big difference between these two categories and only few are able to be both lucrative AND legitimately great. Canelo has certainly made a lot of money. What he hasn't done, however, is achieved greatness. At least not yet.

In order for him to do that, Canelo will either have to face Gennady Golovkin in the ring or give up his middleweight title and challenge himself at a weight he's more comfortable at. It really is that simple. While people will forgive Canelo for fighting the very skilled Amir Khan, the fact that Khan has never fought higher than welterweight has raised some eyebrows.

And while Canelo-Khan may well be a successful and popular fight, people will start losing respect, REALLY start losing respect, for Canelo if he continues to not face Golovkin while insisting he can keep the middleweight title. If he emerges from this weekend victorious, Canelo will indeed find himself entering a new chapter in his life with all eyes upon him.

Frankly, I'd like to see him face Golovkin. If he simply abandons the middleweight title, however, I can live with it. If Canelo wants to have his cake and eat it too, however, if he decides he wants to be king of the middleweights without fighting the number one contender, then he'll have lost me. Again, no matter what Canelo does, he can remain a hugely popular and lucrative athlete. There's big, relatively easy fights for him to make out there, after all.

In order to be great, however; in order for him to be more than a showcase fighter, he's going to have to do the uncomfortable thing. It's what greatness requires.

Don't Be Surprised That GGG-Wade Brought In Decent Ratings

The fact of the matter is that people tuned in

Let's face it, 2016 has been a pretty rough year for boxing. The winter was a pure dead zone, with Spanish Language television essentially acting as the only steady outlet for fight fans. As for the rest of the year, well, let's just hope for the best knowing that Canelo isn't really interested in Golovkin and mid-level fights like Crawford-Postol look like they're actually going to cost fans money to see.

In short, there's been good reason why people have been down on boxing lately. There can't be a down if there isn't an up, however, and HBOs ratings for last weekend's GGG-Wade middleweight title fight were very good indeed - the highest of the year so far, in fact. Even though the million plus sets of eyeballs that were glued to Saturday's brief fight are nice to read about, they shouldn't be surprising.

Why?

Because HBO gave the fans what they wanted last weekend. Canelo or no Canelo, fans clearly wanted to see Golovkin ply his trade, much like they did Mike Tyson back in the day...and HBO was rewarded for putting the man on the air last weekend. Again, no one should be surprised. People want to see GGG, so his fights do well.

Likewise, Thurman-Porter might do very good ratings early this coming summer because it's giving fans what they want. Indeed, the ratings for Fury-Klitschko II will do solid ratings, even though that fight will most likely air smack in the middle of an American Saturday. Why? Because it's actually an interesting matchup, believe it or not.

The point here is obvious. All you have to do in order to have a healthy sport is to air healthy programming. That's if you actually want a healthy sport and not just a healthy bank account for the short term.

Why Promoters May Have To Start Making Fan Friendly Fights

Fans may soon have something to smile about

Did you see Andre Ward last Saturday night? The guy looked good, didn't he? Unfortunately for HBO, the numbers for boxing haven't been great this year. Indeed, HBO hasn't given the world much boxing at all. Oh, and that Pacquiao-Bradley fight? The internet is abuzz wondering just how poorly it will do. Canelo-Khan is interesting, but no one's going nuts for it as far as I know. And what happens if Canelo wins, then decides he'd rather not bother with GGG? How long do you expect HIM to continue being boxing's top draw?

It's been said a million times - boxing is in a bad place right now. The truth, though, is that the sport may - MAY - be hitting bottom. And, believe it or not, that just might actually be a good thing. Interest in the sport has been in a real rut lately  and it's doubtful things will improve this Friday when Adrien Broner faces an opponent most casual fans have never heard of. Again, though, this may all prove to be a positive thing.

Why?

Because promoters are in the business of making money. And even the most patient network isn't going to produce events no one watches over and over again, ad infinitum,(especially if hedge fund money runs out). Boxing may not be at the point where even die hard fans are changing the channel just yet - but let's face it - it's getting awfully close to that point. And when that happens, you will probably be less apt to hear that fans "have to understand the business." The business will then do what businesses are supposed to - create quality product.

We're told over and over and over again that boxing is a business. That mantra has acted as a cloak for promoters for a while now.  Ironically, however, the business aspect of the sport may finally turn on them. And then things will start looking up. A gleam of hope may not be right around the corner  (Haymon can still pay for any crap he wants to put on the air, after all), but it may be on the horizon nonetheless.