The Hottest Boxing Storylines for the Week of May 29
Manny Pacquiao might be retired and now a senator in his native Philippines, but he could wind up costing his promoter some money.
We'll unpack all the information you need to understand Showtime's lawsuit filed in federal court that seeks to recover legal fees from Top Rank stemming from Pacquiao's undisclosed injury during last year's fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr..
This has serious potential for ugliness.
Plus, we look at the upcoming Fight of the Year candidate between Francisco Vargas and Orlando Salido, Rances Barthelemy's title defense against Mickey Bey Friday night and the latest on John Riel Casimero and Daniel Jacobs.
These are the hottest boxing storylines of the week!
What to Make of Showtime/Top Rank Lawsuit?
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Let the games begin.
Dan Rafael of ESPN.com reported Friday that Showtime has filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking to recoup legal fees from Top Rank related to the many civil lawsuits filed by fans who felt defrauded by the May 2015 Mayweather vs. Pacquiao pay-per-view.
Pacquiao claimed after the fight that his performance (and loss) was the result of a shoulder injury suffered during training camp that was subsequently corrected by surgery after an event that generated hundreds of millions of dollars and cost fans $100 on PPV.
Showtime's suit is seeking just under $700,000 in fees for lawyers hired by the network to defend against fan lawsuits. Many, rightfully, felt like they'd been had when it turned out that one of the principals walked into the ring as damaged goods.
The network was dropped from many of the suits, since it handled the Mayweather side of things and didn't possess any prior knowledge of the injury, but it claims Top Rank now has to pony up.
According to Top Rank CEO Bob Arum, under the contract signed by all parties, Showtime isn't entitled to any reimbursement, but he said he attempted to sit down and make an offer to settle things. He says the network rejected the offer and then threatened to do no further business with him.
So, kick back, grab your popcorn and get ready for what should be an entertaining show.
Can Vargas-Salido Be Fight of the Year?
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The last time we saw Vargas in the ring, he was engaged in a brutal back-and-forth war with Takashi Miura on the televised undercard of Canelo Alvarez vs. Miguel Cotto on HBO pay-per-view. The fight featured multiple knockdowns, blood, wild swings of momentum and a stunning finish.
It was Bleacher Report's Fight of the Year for 2015.
Vargas will make the first defense of his WBC Super Featherweight Championship Saturday night on HBO when he faces rugged veteran Orlando Salido in a style matchup that seems to guarantee fireworks.
Salido is a former multi-time world champion who is known, like Vargas, for his tough-guy style and unwillingness to take a step backward in a fight. He uses all the tricks of the trade—some legal, some not—to make his opponent uncomfortable and engage in the types of exchanges that bring fans to their feet.
This has a good chance of emerging as a Fight of the Year candidate, even if it seemed a couple of weeks back that it might not even happen.
Vargas tested positive for clenbuterol during random Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) tests conducted in late April in his native Mexico. The fighter blamed contaminated meat in Mexico, which was not a crazy story since the NFL even warned its players of this risk, and he has come up clean in every test since coming to the United States.
That's good news for everyone involved, especially the fans, who should be treated to an exciting fight in a year that has seen precious few of them.
Is Kid Blast the Best Lightweight in the World?
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Barthelemy defends his IBF Lightweight Championship Friday night on a Premier Boxing Champions card in Hollywood, Florida, against former champion Mickey Bey.
Bey captured the same title with a split-decision win over Miguel Vazquez in an ugly fight on the Mayweather-Maidana II undercard in September 2014, but he had to drop the title without making a defense due to a hand injury.
The Cleveland native has only fought once since winning that title, a one-sided decision over little known Naim Nelson. He's eager to get his career back on track and reclaim what he never lost in the ring.
Barthelemy, however, will be a tough nut to crack.
The Cuban is undefeated and has substantial physical advantages in height (5'11" compared to 5'9") and reach (73" compared to 69").
Many already consider him to be the most talented lightweight in the world, and a win here would solidify his position. He easily dispatched Denis Shafikov to win the vacant title last December and is the favorite to retain his title here.
In a wide-open division, beating the guy who never lost the title you possess goes a long way toward solidifying your position, and that's exactly what Kid Blast will aim to do.
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Could Casimero Challenge Chocolatito?
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Fans have been hoping that a compelling challenger could come along for WBC flyweight champion and consensus pound-for-pound king Roman Gonzalez, and this past weekend in China, maybe we got one.
Casimero probably isn't on the level of the Chocolatitos or Juan Francisco Estradas (though that's a rematch we'd all like to see) of the world, but he did put in an impressive performance to win a world championship by knockout over the previously unbeaten Amnat Ruenroeng in a rematch of their 2015 fight.
The 26-year-old Filipino fighter put his man on the deck with a hook early in the fourth round before ending affairs with a vicious left hand to the liver along the ropes near the end of the frame. It was a nice bit of revenge after he dropped a close decision last year.
Ruenroeng was considered one of the best 112-pound fighters in the world and is probably still best known for being the guy to hand Chinese Olympic hero Zou Shiming the first loss of his professional career.
Casimero now moves to the front of the line of possible attractive options for Gonzalez.
Obviously, the fans would rather see the Estrada rematch and an eventual showdown with super flyweight champ Naoya Inoue, but those fights almost certainly won't come before the end of the year.
Estrada seems to be heading toward a September fight with WBO junior flyweight champ Donnie Nietes, per BoxingScene.com, while Inoue came back from a lengthy layoff to outpoint David Carmona earlier in May and could be out again after reinjuring his right hand during the fight.
With those fights seemingly off the table, Gonzalez vs. Casimero would be a nice space-filler, at the very least.
What Does Daniel Jacobs Gain from Sergio Mora Rematch?
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Jacobs, the WBA "regular" middleweight champion (a ridiculous designation, we know), looks to be heading toward a July rematch with Sergio Mora.
Miguel Rivera of Boxing Scene reports that WBA president Gilberto Mendoza Jr. had reached out to both Jacobs and the organization's full middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin to check on each man's next plans.
Jacobs, who blasted Peter Quillin in one round this past December for the biggest win of his career, seems likely to face Mora July 30 on the undercard of Leo Santa Cruz and Carl Frampton's unification showdown.
Golovkin is still negotiating (fruitless, it seems) with Canelo but would turn to a unification match with WBO champ Billy Joe Saunders if (when) those talks fail.
The WBA will allow each man one interim bout before ordering a match between the two to determine the organization's lone 160-pound champion.
Jacobs and Mora engaged in a bit more than one round of exciting action last August at the Barclays Center. Both men were down in the opening round before Mora hit the canvas again in the second and injured his ankle.
The fight was stopped, and Mora, who suffered a right-ankle fracture in the fall, hasn't fought since.
It doesn't seem like Jacobs has a lot to gain here, but before we turn the wolves on him, it's worth noting that his team unsuccessfully tried to lure Saunders and Andy Lee for this bout, per Mitch Abramson of Ring Magazine.
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