B-HOP Put a Clinic on Al Gaymon and Left Showtime and Stevenson Holding They Dix!

Most ppl pick BHop to KTFO Stevenson.

Hell, most ppl are picking him to outpoint Kovalev.

While it's seemingly a cherry pick for one or the other, being Stevenson or Kovalev to chase Hopkins rather than the other, it was only Haymon trying to steal one of Bhops titles and hand it to his other fighter.

That way he'd get Bhop vs Stevenson, or Williams vs Stevenson or both.

Now he's stuck with Brahmer or risking an embarrasing loss to Pascal.

And Brahmer can box some and takes a decent shot. Who knows if Stevenson can even beat him judging by the way he was afraid of Giraffe Neck(IB*) and Bellew ffs.

Also, if he fights and beats Brahmer, he's got to fight Shumenov who would stop him inside a rd.

 

:deal Yes.

 

Stevenson has stated why he jumped networks:

1) HBO was coming up short on the Fonfara money (proven as true)
2) HBO had the right to match Showtime's offer, and DECLINED

That 2nd bullet is the key. And talk of Stevenson 'ducking' dies the minute it is understood that HBO was in position to keep Stevenson and get their Adonis-Krusher fight and didn't want to pay what the market could bear.

Smarter 'boxing fans' should understand that, not just listen to HBO hype.

You're right, Fonfara is much better than the two duds Kovalev starched. But it appears fans are more than happy to reward Kovalev for the type of fights they ***** and complain about on this forum all the time.

Depends on if you simply take Hopkins' theory as definitive truth. That would be the same Hopkins who a few weeks ago was talking about how he wouldn't mind having a contract with Al Haymon and how useless ODLH was at GBP. Dude blows in the wind like a flag during a tornado.

Again, I just don't see how a Hopkins-Kovalev fight is something to applaud when a Hopkins-Stevenson fight represented some level of failure.

 

And this is why fighters get away with ducking. Because some fight fans don't seem to mind.

 

1)You're putting a lot of faith in what Haymon and Adonis are saying if you think all it took was HBO agreeing to pay more for Fonfara to keep him on the network and get the Kovalev fight.

Now, it's not just Kovalev and HBO saying Stevenson was playing games when it comes to negotiations. Golden Boy and Hopkins are saying the exact same thing. If one of those two parties said that, you could play the he said/she said game. When both do, I'm much more inclined to believe that Haymon and Stevenson is the roadblock. Not Kovalev or Hopkins.

2) Fonfara was tougher, but again- you're showing your bias if you don't at least acknowledge that he was still a hand-picked opponent that Adonis was supposed to knock out early as a showcase fight. Both are true.



The message Al and Adonis have sent to boxing fans is this:

It is easier to end the Cold War and put a Golden Boy fighter back on HBO than it is to make unification fights with Stevenson, even when Stevenson is on your network.

And plenty of "smarter" boxing fans, and plenty of not-so-smart boxing fans, are getting that message loud and clear.

 

There's nothing wrong that gentlemen like yourself and Sweet Jones are perfectly content to see Stevenson bail on the best fights. I won't judge ya for it. :good

 

BHop is only fighting Kov because he sees something there . . . kinda reminds me of Pavlik.

 

side by side comparison, showtime don't pay for their fights/fighters as much as hbo.

that is other than floyd.

 

Apparently HBO wanted the guarantee that after the Fonfara fight that Stevenson would fight Kovalev. A guarantee that wouldn't be made. Given the way that Stevenson and Haymon have conducted their business before and since, I don't think that was an unreasonable request.

For certain Fonfara is better. But it was a gimme almost gone bad.

Also needs to be considered is the method by which the roads were traveled. Kovalev has actively said he wants to fight the best. His stalking of Stevenson and signing on to face Hopkins have shown that to be legit.

Stevenson has said the same, but his actions haven't backed it up. He continually pushes a Kovalev fight off, let's himself lose out(at best) with a Hopkins fight.

The best fight available is Kovalev-Stevenson, but when it is painfully obvious that 1 side wants no part of it, its ok to take the 2nd best option.

Its not double standards, it's people recognizing true intent.

 

C'mon you can't rob the guy of the credit he deserves. People have this notion of Hops as a mastermind, so if he's taking a fight its on account of he sees something and he won because this fighter was right for him to beat. Its tautological and unfair to the guy.

 

Sorry bro I quoted you by mistake. I totally agree with everything you said.

Kathy Duva makes sense on this subject, they are suing Al Haymon after all. Haymon is very very bad for the sport.

 

Stevenson moved the goalposts on what was demanded for Fonfarra. They agreed to one thing, then came back and moved the goalpost at the last minute.

HBO would have paid more for Fonfarra if Stevenson signed to fight Kovalev pending a Fonfarra win, which he would not do. The fight HBO wanted was Stevenson-Kovalev and they rightly were not about to overpay for a Fonfarra fight without commitment for a Kovalev fight.

Something you should also remember is Stevenson was the HBO favorite until he signed with Haymon. He got the headliner position, he got more money. HBO would have been perfectly happy if Stevenson beat Kovalev, who they originally started showcasing just so Stevenson would have another known guy to fight. Bringing in Kovalev was originally a move to help Stevenson.

Well if Stevenson wants to sign with Haymon and start playing tricks and being deceptive , HBO said "fine we will just push Kovalev".

Haymon tried to treat B-Hop like a B-side , got clowned by him and Oscar. Pretty funny if you ask me.

 

In the same vein, if a Fonfara fight can generate a higher payday than HBO is willing to pay, perhaps agreeing the terms for the Kovalev-Stevenson fight ahead of time on HBO ain't the smartest move. IIRC, Kovalev was not exclusive to HBO.

If neither fighter was beholden to HBO, why not go with the network willing to pay the most for the fight. Is that not what people are applauding Hopkins for right now?

But we know why both fights fell apart: MONEY. Not some cowardice or 'ducking', just money. If you believe HBO and Duva, Stevenson had AGREED to terms for a Kovalev fight. Then he realized, before signing, that he could probably get more than what HBO was offering. Therefore, no Kovalev fight.

Hopkins took the Kovalev fight because they were guaranteeing more money, even though, just like with Krusher-Adonis, everyone knew the plan was for a Stevenson-BHop in the fall. But Sho/Haymon didn't get that contract locked down.

I don't see how people can applaud Hopkins for not following through on some 'handshake agreement' and going for the dough while chastising Stevenson for the same thing. Just seems illogical to me.

Don't disagree there, it was supposed to be a showcase. But Fonfara WAS the tougher fight, and Stevenson resume is already superior to Kovalev's.

Hopkins took the money, just like Stevenson did. Fans applaud one it, and chastise the other. Strange indeed.