By: Hans Themistode
Boxing has been in a Cold War for years now. Promoters just refused to work with one another.
There were a few exceptions, depending on the magnitude of the fight, but more times than not, promoters working together just wasn’t going to happen.
Over the years however, most promoters have began playing nice with one another. Yet, the relationship between Al Haymon and the PBC and Bob Arum with his Top Rank stable were always at odds.
Fans have clamored for them to do business with one another. Not just on a small scale, but to make the sorts of fights that everyone has wanted to see.
Boxing fans got their wish when the two consensus best Heavyweights in the world, WBC champion Deontay Wilder and Lineal titlist Tyson Fury, met in the ring on December 1st, 2018. The matchup between the two, although it ended in a draw, wasn’t ground breaking simply because of what was at stake, but more so because both Al Haymon and Bob Arum came together to make the fight happen.
With the rematch set to take place in February of 2020, Arum fully expects his partnership with Haymon to stretch far beyond just this one contest.
“I can predict that with no uncertainty that Wilder-Fury 2 will be one of a number of fights Top Rank and PBC will be doing together, some on ESPN, some on FOX and others on PPV. I think that is absolutely the case,” said Arum. “Everything changes in boxing. Everything changes life. There is now peace among promoters.”
Look under the Christmas tree and unwrap your presents early boxing fans, we have seemingly ended the issues between arguably the two most important figures in the sport of boxing in terms of making fights.
Too many times have fans and media members alike heard the term “the other side of the street.” It’s a tiresome statement which essentially meant that fighters such as Top Rank fighter Terence Crawford and PBC fighter Errol Spence Jr had a significant roadblock lodged in their way in terms of making a contest happen.
Lets officially put that statement to bed as it appears that both sides of the street will merge into oncoming traffic to make the sort of fights that we all want to see.
“I have no problem working with PBC and I don’t think they have a problem working with us,” continued Arum. “People talk, but they don’t know what they’re talking about. It’s easy for others to say we don’t deal with each other. But that’s not the case. I speak to Al everyday now because of the promotion for Wilder and Fury … Al Haymon has a modus operandi to be in the shadows, and not talking to the press. That’s something he wants to do, and we can’t change that. If anything, I speak too much to press.”
This new found partnership between Haymon and Arum won’t end with just their respective stables. Arum has never had an issue dealing with other promoters and he will continue to look for the biggest fights possible no matter who is on the other side of the negotiating table.
“We deal with everybody, whether it’s Eddie Hearn with Matchroom Boxing and DAZN, or Oscar De La Hoya at Golden Boy. For the right arrangement, [rival promoters] all willing to deal with one another that’s the good news. You can’t keep kicking the dog when the dog is not responsible for anything, when actually, the dog is quite willing to cooperate with everybody. I don’t only speak for myself, but for all other promoters.”
Take the wrapping paper off this present given to us by Bob Arum and Al Haymon, and enjoy the gift of big time fights for the entirety of 2020 and most likely beyond it.