This
upcoming weekend marks the start of the college football season with a few marquee
match-ups (LSU-Oregon and Boise State-UGA) but boxing also kicks off the first
weekend of September as IBF welterweight titlist Jan Zaveck defends his belt
against Andre Berto from the Beau Rivage Resort and Casino in Biloxi, MS
on HBO. This past week on a national conference call with reporters, Lou
"Mount St." DiBella, who “promotes” Berto, erupted at
suggestions that Zaveck was only chosen because he had a major world title and
that the titlist was another in a long line of no-hopers that Berto has faced
on the network while collecting exorbitant checks.
In defense
of this fight, Zaveck, a 35-year-old Slovenian, is probably the second-best foe
that Berto has been paired with on the “Network of Champions,” behind Victor
Ortiz and is comparable to the likes of Luis Collazo and Juan Urango. While some
might believe that it's actually an indictment of the kid-Everlasts treatment
afforded Berto by HBO (that after a dozen or so appearances on the network, somehow
Zaveck represents one of his sternest challenges), Zaveck is not a bad fighter
by any means. No, seriously.
In watching
his last several fights, this guy reminds me a bit of Arthur Abraham, with his
high guard and catch-and-counter style. However, one major difference is that
Zaveck does seem to initiate much more offensively than “King Arthur” and has a
wide array of punches. Zaveck has a record of 31-1 with 18 stoppages with that
one loss- a split verdict against Rafal Jackiewicz- avenged recently. While he
may not be Arturo Gatti, Zaveck is a pretty entertaining fighter who isn't
afraid to mix it up. The question is just how much of a difference is there in
class between the Jackiewiczs, Paul Delgados and Rodolfo Martinezs of the world
to “The Assassin”?
Berto, at
the very least, brings not just a certain blend of speed and power but an
overall game that didn't need to be particularly refined while feasting on
a collection of Al Haymon and Ross Greenburg/Kery Davis-approved
no-hopers. Victor Ortiz was thought to be one of “'dem guys” till he showed a
spirit and a gumption many believed was beyond him in beating up Berto this
past April for the WBC 147-pound strap. While his strength and conditioning can
be revamped under the tutelage of Victor Conte, the question is how does Berto’s
psyche hold up now that his cloak of invincibility (which seems more important now
than ever) has been ripped and torn?
These
factors make this a fight with some intrigue. It might even be compelling. So, relax,
Lou. After the likes of Freddie Hernandez, Steve Forbes, Michel Trabant and “Nito”
Bravo, you don't need to be soooo defensive.
Make no
doubt about it; this match-up was approved because Zaveck has one of those “trinkets”
that Max Kellerman and the rest of HBO will tell you isn't worth anything. The
irony is that this fight was essentially green-lighted because Zaveck, who has
fought his career extensively in Germany and then his home country, brought one
thing to the table- this IBF belt- and nothing more. Without it, he's just
another foreign boxer with no value or profile in the States. Last
fall, there was talk of matching up the two in what would have then been a
unification tilt (you know, the type some believe give boxing the all-too
important “clarity”) but for some reason, HBO didn't deem it worthy of its
precious air time. Now that Berto is beltless, guess what? Zaveck was suddenly
approvable. Don't fool yourself folks; you can say that this IBF title is
meaningless; the truth is it's the primary reason Zaveck-Berto got made.
What's
interesting about this promotion is that despite being the defending champion (perhaps
because of a certain sense of honor or even the inducement of a career-high
payday), Zaveck is leaving Slovenia, where he plays to huge crowds at venues
like the Sportpart Arena and the Tivoli Arena, which are usually packed to the
brim with his supporters. Now he becomes the latest foreigner that soon finds
out that coming to the States is basically an opportunity to face the best
boxers in the world in front of the smallest audiences. This promotion is being
staged in another small casino ballroom, this time in the “Redneck Rivera,” a
small theater that has a capacity of 1,500. Given Berto's history of fighting
in front of empty seats (Berto once sold 942 tickets for his bout against
Carlos Quintana near his hometown in Sunrise, Florida, a fund-raiser billed as “Fighting
for Haiti.” HBO’s Jim Lampley, noting the sea of emptiness, cracked that
nobody showed up to fight for the earthquake-ravaged country), these are
familiar haunts. In fact, Berto went life-and-death with Collazo in 2009 in
this very same building. From that point, while HBO continued to anoint him as one
of the sport’s future stars, his popularity and Q-rating have actually diminished.
The arc should be that young fledgling boxers play in small venues, eventually working
their way to being bona fide attractions. This natural and expected progression
no longer takes place and why should it? If you continually collect
seven-figure paydays while playing in front of audiences smaller than those at a
Florida Marlins game, why even try to sell tickets? It's more than a touch
ironic that Haymon, who made his bones promoting concerts, has made a racket in
this industry by making that particular component (putting asses in seats) totally
irrelevant.
There used
to be a time when getting on HBO meant that you had either arrived as a
prizefighter, commanded a certain type of public demand or both. Unfortunately,
during the disastrous Greenburg-Davis administration, it was more
a vital prerequisite to be “advised” by the Machiavellian Haymon, whose
influence on the network is one of life's great mysteries. DiBella might be the
front man but like every other promoter (Dan Goossen) or TV packager (Gary
Shaw) who decides to get into business with the Haymon Boxing
Organization, they are merely a band of Pinocchios to his Geppetto.
DiBella didn't even know that HBO had taken the unprecedented step of clearing this
Labor Day weekend date for Berto. While it's technically his date as the
promoter, the opening slot on this HBO (Home Box Office) is being filled
by Gary Russell Jr., who is certainly among the most talented young boxers
in the sport, gifted with incredible hand-speed and quickness. However, Russell
is actually promoted by Golden Boy Promotions but more importantly, “advised”
by Haymon (And in a further case of the tail wagging the dog, Russell, who was
promised this slot last month, didn't have a dance partner till around a little
over a week before showtime. Eventually, after much hand-wringing and debate,
Leonilo Miranda was chosen and approved as his foe. This is the same Miranda
who, in fairness, might have beaten Luis Franco on “ShoBox” earlier this year
but still comes into the Russell contest having lost three of his last five
bouts). Yeah, it doesn't take as much to get on HBO as it used to; does it (that
is, if you're aligned with certain advisers)? Let's make this clear (again);
Haymon is just doing his job.
The
enablers are those at fault. While Greenburg “resigned” his post as the
president of HBO Sports recently, it looks like the same person, for now at
least, is still running the show.
