The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Boxing with Chris Mannix - Could we see Berlanga vs. Canelo

Episode Date: February 17, 2023

Chris talks with DAZN broadcaster and former Champion Sergio Mora about what Berlanga moving to Matchroom could mean, who we could see Andy Ruiz face next, and is Teofimo Lopez ready to face Josh Taylor. Later, Eddie Hearn stops by to talk about if we could see Edgar Berlanga face off against Canelo, and how his conversation with Conor McGregor went. #Volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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That was my moment. Now with interviews, analysis, and everything going on in the world of boxing. When you have talent, you are given another chance. Here's Chris Mannix. Hello and welcome to the Latin Snake podcast. I am your host, Sergio, the Latin Snake Moore. I've been on this show enough times to be the host, and I have a special guest here today.

He's a sports writer for an aging magazine in Sports Illustrated, but I call him Chris Mannix, the reporter. Chris, how are you? Only one of us is aging at this table right now, and it's you. I feel aged. My soul feels like Methusla. You know Methuselah? Yes, but I don't, okay.

I don't like to go through literature with you and that's... Because I'm poetic, Mannix. I'm poetic with my words. If I had your education, I'll show you what writing really is. Sergio Amora, the Latin snake, joining me on boxing with Chris Mannix. Sergio, I've got a whole bunch of things I want to get into with you on the show. We've got Edgar Berlanga signing a new deal with matchroom.

Andy Ruiz with some interesting options over the next few months. Jamal Charlo is apparently coming back. But first, I want to hit one of your sweet spots here. The WBC on Wednesday released in a statement that said, if Jake Paul wins his fight against Tommy Fury next week, the WBC will rank him in the cruiserweight division. Your thoughts on the sanctioning body that once awarded you a title.

Yeah. I was giving Jake Paul as for a rating. I was deeply embarrassed to say that I'm part of that lineage, that great lineage of the green belt, the belt that Roberto Duran held, Mike Tyson, Sugar Red Leonard, Thomas Hearns, and now Jake Paul has a place. potential fight to fight for that same belt with only six fights and he hasn't fought one

real body it's pathetic man it's pathetic and it's a respected organization that's been around for a long time selling out just like everyone else in media you included selling out covering this circus man i'm done with it i'm done talking about it until this man starts fighting real boxers then maybe you can rank them the top you know 100 i mean cruiser weight is cruiserweight is is is is is a limited amount of boxes on there. So I could see them getting ranked top 50. There's only like 50 cruiser weights. So, yeah, that way.

But let them fight a real boxer. Then the WBC and all these other organizations could sell out. Other than that, what a circus, man. What a clown show. I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I agree with you on something related to Jake Paul. I am an unabashed fan of Jake Paul and what he's brought to boxing over the last couple of years.

But none of it has been, against the quote-unquote real boxers. And the idea that beating Tommy Fury on the backs of a win over Tyron Woodley would somehow qualify Jake Paul for a WBC ranking is ridiculous. It's completely ridiculous. You know what this is, Sergio?

If the WBC ranks Jake Paul, that means whoever the WBC champion is can defend his title against Jake Paul. because you can't really defend your title against unranked fighters. So this is the WBC trying to slither their way into the Jake Paul universe. Try to get some of that Jake Paul money when he faces. Who is the, is Junior Macaboo still the WBC champion? No, you know what's going to happen?

I'm going to make my comeback at Cruiserweight. I'm going to make my comeback at Cruiserweight. I'm going to call Jake Paul. I'm going to be his number one mandatory. This is ridiculous, man. It's ridiculous, man. And when that man fights an actual. professional boxer, you know, for a WBC ranking or whatever it is, title Eliminator, he's going

to get slaughtered and this sport is just going to have another black eye and the many black eyes at its head. And Sergio, you know where this is going. Do you know who is defending his WBC title on the undercard of Jake Paul against Tommy Fury? No. It's Junior Macaboo who's fighting Badu Jack on the undercard. So, gee, I wonder if Badu Jack beats Macabu, which is certainly possible, or Macabu wins against Badu Jack. You think one of those guys would be more than eager to defend his title against Jake Paul?

This is pathetic. It is pathetic. You're trying to get in the Jake Paul business by giving him as a ranking that he's not qualified for. Privilege at its highest. That's privilege. It's not Jake Paul's fault, though. It's your sanctioning body.

It's WBC. It's their fault. It's boxing's fault too, because you guys have splattered his name all over boxing media. That shouldn't be the case. No, no, no, bullshit. That should not be the WBC. Then why are you making, why do we consistently bring up Jake Paul on jazz?

Why do you write about him and put him on the cover of Sports Illustrated? Not the cover. Why every single time we're talking about this clown, you and every other sports writer are giving them a platform. I think he's doing interesting things in boxing. And I think he's elevating other fighters in boxing. Yeah, well, he just interested his way to a WBC title shot. He did. And that's your saying.

No, no, that's Maricio. Shulamon and the people work at the WBC are doing this unilaterally. I got nothing to do with it. That's their choice. It took me over 20 years, 10, almost 8 years as a professional. You should be pissed.

A five-time world champion and a great fighter in Vernon Forest to get my shot at that green belt. And this guy's going to get it just by fighting Tommy Fury. Hashtag, that's where boxing is, 2023. He's got to beat Tommy Fury too, but that's a discussion for another day. All right. I want to jump into the big signing this week, which is Matchroom Boxing wins the Edgar Berlanga sweepstakes.

They signed Berlanga to a multi-fight deal. In the press release, Eddie Hearn and Edgar Berlanga both mentioned a future fight against Canelo Alvarez. So let's start here. Berlanga signing with Matchroom. Do you think this is a good decision? Really good decision because Matron has the dates. You know, a lot of people say you earn with Earn, Hearn.

And, you know, Eddie Hearn puts you on the big stage all over the country. And that's what Berlanga needs. I mean, this time, you know, last month when we did your podcast, I told you Berlanga needed to get out of New York. He needed to go to the other popular areas, do what they're doing with Tank Davis, you know, extend this popularity. He's a popular Puerto Rican puncher. He's going to sell anywhere in the Latin-based fan base.

So with Eddie Hearn, I think he's going to, it's going to be perfect, man. They can fight him in Texas. They can fight them in California. They can fight them in Chicago. That power is going to bring a lot of popularity. It's going to bring a lot of eyeballs. and ultimately, if they can move him the right way, and I think Eddie Hearn will do that,

I can potentially see him getting a big fight. Okay, let's start with, they're not going to fight him in Texas, they're not going to fight him in California, they're not going to bring him to the UK. They're going to be at the Hulu Theater in Madison Square Garden doing fights there because Berlanga sells tickets there.

This is not assigning, Sergio, that means Berlang is going to go on this world tour. He's going to be a New York fighter. But it probably is the smartest decision for him, Because, look, he's not ready at this point for a world title fight against the likes of David Benavides or Caleb Plan. I don't think he's ready for a Jamal Charlo type. He's just not there yet. Eddie Hearn, over the course of this year, is going to match him very carefully, probably against top 15, top 20 ranked guys in his next fight, and then move him up the ranks in the hopes that he can get two big wins so that in May of 2023, or 2024, I should say, as Canello was looking for his next opponent, Berlanga will be a. a viable option because you and I both know, if Berlang is undefeated and he knocks out a couple of

guys, that's not the best fight for Canelo because Berlang is not on the highest level, but it's one of the most marketable fights for Canelo. Mexico versus Puerto Rico, they could make that fight a monster somewhere in Vegas. If Berlanga gets back to his knockout ways, but he has knocked out of fight in his last four fights and he struggled. I agree with you. He's shown vulnerability. So look, he had what, 16, 17, 17 straight first round knockouts. That's the reason everybody was glued on Berlanga and that's why his popularity rose so fast. But in his last four fights, I mean, with fighters like what, Cossaris, who gave B.J. Saunders issues. Steve Rolls didn't give the distance. Yeah, I mean, you want these guys you're supposed to knock out

and he didn't do that. He tried to bite Alexis Angulo. I saw that. It's crazy. And then there was another one that he couldn't stop. But these were four guys. Yeah, DeMond Nicholson. There you go, Nicholson. So if he gets back to his knockout ways, but I, I'm going to have to push back here. I don't think he just knocks out any. but he's going to have to knock out a name. It doesn't have to be a former champion. I can see him getting pinned against Diego Pacheco. Diego Pacheco, those are two popular punchers at 168,

both of them were on the same age in the early 20s. You're not going to waste Burlang on Pachco. Like Pacheco might win that fight. The winner of that maybe gets... Pacheco versus Canello is not as big a fight as Berlanga versus Cannello. They're not going to do that. They're not going to do that. Just because you're popular in New York doesn't mean that doesn't guarantee you a fight with Canelo.

It means a lot of money. They both. mentioned Canello in the press release. Eddie Hearn signed this guy in part because he dangled Canello as a character. If he can beat a guy like Diego. I love Diego Pacheco, but he's not fighting Diego Pacheco. And I think Pacheco beats him. That's what I'm saying.

You're not going to waste Edgar Berlanga that way. Keep developing Pachco. I think is only like 20? Like there's really no need to rush Pacheco into that type of fight and waste Edgar Berlango. All right, well then maybe Berlanga needs to come back and knock out a fight like B.J. Sonders wants to fight again. He does.

That actually isn't a bad fight. There you go. Let me ask you this. Do you think Berlanga's good? Like, he had the 16 first-round knockouts. Then there were the four decisions. He's still undefeated. But the jury is out on whether this guy is an elite-level fighter.

Do you think he is? He's not elite, but he has a lot of potential. And yes, he's good. He has damn good skill. The problem with him was he was pigeon-hold in that little circle in New York. That's what I'm telling you. Why do you keep calling New York a little circle? It's the boxing capital of, well, maybe the U.S.

You're crazy the boxing capital. It's the mecca. It's the mecca because. Because of the old days, of all the greats that fought there. So was in Vegas for that. But recently, who did you have? Zabjuda. Mike Ticey and Malinjian.

Like, there's still lots of great fights there. What are we talking about? They're great fights in New York. AJ, fought Ruiz there. Massive fight. I'm talking about New Yorkers from New York fighting there. They just stay in that area and they don't branch out. That's what I mean.

I'm not talking about just, I'm talking about a New Yorker only fighting in New York. You think every promoter would kill. And they were trying to kill each other to try to get a fighter that sells tickets in New York. They don't grow on trees, Sergio. Edgar Berlanga does, so he's not going to leave

New York and he shouldn't leave New York. You put him in Texas, it's a waste of Edgar Berlanga's popularity. It just is. I think he made, going back to your question.

Amanda Serrano just fought there. Going back to your question, I think it was the right choice for him to go with match room. Wasn't he with top rank? He was with top rank. Moved him very well. Moved him very well,

but they moved them to where they wanted him to get better. And they did that by putting them against fighters that he wasn't going to knock out. So believe it or not, rank did an excellent job with him going the distance because he wasn't going to keep he wasn't going to keep developing by knocking guys out in under three minutes so top rank did their job now berlanga

is going for the money and that's a smart move i agree getting the money collected a check now we'll find out if he's worthy of that check in terms of his talent in the ring all right i want to ask you about andy rubees the former heavyweight champion who seems to have a couple of options in front of him right now ruis has been in talks for weeks if not months for a fight against Deonte Wilder, that is a tremendous fight. Two X champions, Ruiz has shown a great chin in the past. Wilder still has that big right hand coming off that win over Robert Hellenius. But we haven't really seen closing level progress in that fight.

We haven't seen it get to the finish line. And now the IBF has ordered Ruiz against Filiperovich for the interim title. The title, of course, held right now by Alexander Usik. So Ruiz out there with two options. Which direction do you think he should go? stylistically, you can't go wrong with either opponent. Ergevich, I think Ergevich beats Ruiz,

but I think Ruiz beats Wilder. Really? Yeah. And I think there's only one of those fights that you can sell on pay-per-view, and that's Ruiz Wilder. So whatever's going to make more money for Andy Ruiz, considering that he's already accustomed to making multi-millions, I think

that's the fight that he should go after. Deonté Wilder's only lost to the absolute best in Tyson Fury. There's no shame in that. There is no shame and losing with Tyson Fury. Now you go and fight a former champion in Andy Ruiz that's going to be very popular. No matter where you put that fight, it's just like, just like our last topic, Buranga. Andy Ruiz is going to be popular in L.A. or in the South or in Texas or in the East Coast. And then if you match them up with Deonté Wilder, they're just two different contrasting

looks and personalities, demographic, fan base. Yes, sign me up. That's the fight that Andy Ruiz should take. I think Ruiz Wilder is certainly the better fight, the more marketable fight. When any Ruiz has to decide in the next few weeks is if that fight is going to be made, if PBC can put that fight together because PBC's got a lot of big fights coming up with, you know, you got Ryan versus Tank, presumably that fight's going to get secured. That's going to happen in April. You've got Benavides versus Plant. That fight is signed. Great fight. That fights in March. Errol Spence is going to come back, presumably in May. They're investing a lot of money in these paper views. So Ruiz's got to make sure that there's money there for him

for a wilder fight, guaranteed money there for a wilder fight. Because if there's not, I don't know that I agree with you that Hergevich would beat Ruiz. Maybe I'm kind of a prisoner of the moment, but Herkovich didn't look that great against Jay Lejean. And I know that they're different types of fighters, but Ruiz's experience, his hand speed, he's going to be a problem for Hergevich. Herkiv's not going to be able to walk through him in that fight. So if the money's pretty good, And we'll see what a purse bid turns out. Like who bids on it, how much is on the table. But if the money is good, Ruiz needs to strongly consider taking that fight.

Because if he wins that fight, he'll at least be a title holder, like an interim title holder. This WBC fight is not for a title. It's for the mandatory challenge position for the belt that Tyson Fury currently owned. So if I'm Ruiz, like only he knows what the landscape looks like right now. But if he's not sure that there is money for the wildest, fight in June or July, then he's got to hop on this Hergevich fight, try to win that belt, and then he's going to give himself a whole bunch of options after that. I think the risk doesn't match the reward for the Ergovich fighting with Wilder.

Are you that impressed with Ergevich? Like, you didn't, I mean, the Zhang fight was bad. Well, yeah, but he looked gasped, and he... But Zhang is a huge, undefeated, strong fighter with a weird timing, South Paul. It's a perfect example of why you can look bad. And Ergevich still got the win. So that's all that matters. He beat an undefeated, you know, Olympian.

And that's all that matters. Now, if Ergevich, you know, gives Andy Ruiz issues and beats them, then Andy Ruiz is done there. You know, there's no more marketing him or bringing him back up to a title fight, you know, especially at this point of his career. So Andy Ruiz needs to go where the money is, where the biggest fight is, where the more action is, and the more eyeballs are going to attract. And that's going to be only the bronze bomber. It's a great fight. And if I was choosing, if all things were equal, I'd absolutely go in that direction. But he's got to make sure that fight's available.

Otherwise, jump on the fight against Sierchovich, try to win that belt. And then all of a sudden, you can challenge Wilder again at some point this summer. That fight's always going to be marketable for him. And then maybe you could force yourself into a fight against Tyson Fury. Like if Fury Beets Ussic and cross your fingers, I hope that fight happens in April. But if he beats Ussick, you might have to decide, do I want to keep that belt or do I want to fight Andy Ruiz? No, since Ruiz. All of a sudden he's a champion again.

Ruizza lost to Joshua, they've been moving them right with names. You know, Chris Ariola never was a champion, but everyone knows Chris Ariola. Luis Ortiz wasn't a champion, but he's still a big dog. All right, let's talk about Jamal Charlo, who is coming back. Last scene in the ring in June of 2021, Charlo was on social media this week saying he is coming back and he's going to defend his WBC middleweight title. Sergio, Charlo is still a pretty big name in boxing, but he hasn't. looked like an elite fighter in some time. That went over Juan Macias Montiel was lackluster,

to say the least. Now he's coming off a two-year layoff. He's, I think, about to be 33 years old. Do you think Jamal Charlo can find his way back to being a top fighter at 160 or 168? At 160, yes, because that division is open for the taking. You know, you have an aging Golofkin there, but other than that, it's open. So 160 is where he should be focused on But can he compete at 168? Yes, because what, he's six foot, he has a long reach. He can distribute that weight to 168. But can he beat a Canelo, a Benavides, even a kid of a plant?

I would say no. So can he compete with them? Yes. Can he sell and make some money? Yes. But can he beat them? I don't think so. So 160, I think, is where he should campaign.

And, you know, he can be the big dog there. I mean, we know that the charles like, they demand attention. They like the big knock. They like the big shows. And if they can conquer another division, just like at 154 and his brother, hey, that's, both those brothers can become undisputed. Well, Jamel Charlo is, you're right, he commands attention. But part of that is because he's frequently in big fights.

And that is a big reason he's gravitated to the level he is today, his undisputed champion at 154. Jamal Look, at 160 he has not faced anyone that really resembles a top guy The biggest name he beat was Sergei Derivenchenko He has not had what you would call a marquee win

Since he beat Julian Williams back at 154 That was almost six years ago now It's been a long time I just look I think boxing's better When it has a character like Jamal Charlo in it I just have questions about whether he's going to get back to that level and at 160 like, who's he going to fight?

Like, what, if he was not willing to fight, like, and I hate to keep bringing this up, but Demetrius Andrade, like, is he really going to fight Janubeck in a title unification fight? Is he going to fight? I mean, even, like, the fight he should take is Carlos Adamez. Carlos Adamez, again, your sanctioning body keeps getting screwed over. Like, Jamal Charlo has not defended his title in almost two years. And Carlos Adamez is sitting there as the interim title holder going, when am I going to get my shot or when am I going to get elevated?

Like, is Charlo going to fight Carlos Saddamas for decent but not great money? Is he going to fight? I mean, look, the middleweight belt that Golofkin has, they're not, you know, Golofkin just gave up his IBF title. That's going to go to somebody without a huge name. His WBA belt, like, if Golofkin gives that up, is Charlo versus Erislandi Lara like a big money fight? That might be the most easy to make fight in the WB, in the PBC universe.

but is that going to pay him the kind of money that he's looking for? I don't, and at 168, like, I'd love to see him fight David Benavides, like, at the end of this year, but I don't know, there's nothing I've seen from Charlo at this point that tells me he can be competitive with Benavides. Benevides is an elite guy at 168, and Charlo, at 160 has looked good but not great. So I think the short answer is no, he can't get back to the highest of levels at 160 or 168. No, he can do it at 160 and a title. I'm kind of talking to myself in that level. Marrify too.

Like if Golofi gives it up. You just stole the words out of my mouth. Laura makes perfect sense. Laura is a former champion. He's been around a long time. He has a name and he's beatable, especially at this point of his career, you know, nearing 40.

And Charlo, like you said, he likes to take these type of fights where they're known, they're aging champions or they're coming up. And he knocks them out and he beats him. I mean, not for nothing. When it comes to a, and he's only Lara,

look at the fight that he had, the fight of the year at 154. I mean, he's become a South Paul sniper, and now he's becoming a banger because he doesn't have the legs to carry out 12 rounds anymore. So that just falls into Chardell's, you know, it falls into his realm, I guess.

He can actually beat an aging fighter like Laura. But if it was old school Laura, that sniper that can move and, you know, ring general, she'd pop that jab in front of him. Then I would say stay away. But right now at this point, that fight makes it most sense. I'm surprised that he's going back to 160. Like, he's a big guy.

Like, you figure he'd outgrow 160 pounds, but I guess he's going to go back there and defend that belt. I mean, it's probably going to be against a really low-level guy in his first time back. But if Laura winds up elevated to the full champion at 160, that's a pretty good showtime fight that you could make between Charlo and Lara

160 pound title unification fight I kind of like that fight if Golofkin winds up giving up his belts I still have no idea what Galafi's doing like that's we talked about this last week on the show but he's giving up one belt I think he's probably going to wind up giving up this second one and then

I don't know what the game plan is for him moving forward he still wants to fight but you know he's probably going to have his next fight without his title belts I just think that's the most likely outcome there. All right. Big fight this weekend is over in the UK. You've got Lee Wood, 126 pound title holder, full title holder after the mess with Leo Santa Cruz was figured out.

He is going to face Maricio Lara, who has made a habit of, you know, beating up Eddie Hearn opponents. This is a good fight. I think these two guys are going to go to war. Lee Wood's talking about meeting him in the center of the ring. I don't think Mauricio Lara even knows how to box. heck he's just going to go to brawl with him um you know lee wood could have faced a lot of guys in this fight you know coming off an injury you could have faced a lesser opponent uh smart decision by lee wood to take on maricio laura no it was not a smart decision but this is what

boxing fans want they want uh champions to take big challenges and whether it was a smart decision no but it was a marketable decision it was uh it was based on the fans it was based on the fact that he wants to clean up uh josh warrington's mess is the fact that he feels he's the champion he can take on all comers and what a statement he'll make if he can beat just not even knock out if he can beat a fighter of this caliber I mean he's a hard puncher Laura's a hard puncher he's relentless he's he has that style kind of like Issaq Cruz you know the pit bull that gave tank everything he can handle they have the certain type of style where they're always in your chest the power's not going to be enough to keep them off they know how to cut off the ring they know

how to fight on the inside it's going to be very tough very tough for wood to keep them off for 12 rounds. That's why I favor Laura to win by stoppage. So is it a smart decision? Wow. No. It is not a smart decision. Call on your shot.

Laura by knockout. Lara by knockout. Yeah, man. I just think it's the wrong style matchup. I mean, Laura already knows what it's like to go across the pond and fight against a British fighter in British soil and he's shined. These are the type of fight that these Mexicans wait for, man. They wait for that phone call to shock the world, man.

And they do it every single time. They don't. They throw caution to the wind, British wind. I can see, you know, look, it's not like Laura is a unbeatable opponent. Like he comes in kind of crazy. Like he throws wild. He puts himself in vulnerable positions. And I think Lee Wood is better equipped to face him than Josh Warrington was.

Josh Warrington was always a little chiny, I felt. And Maricio Lara took advantage of that, just beating him up. And Josh Warrington didn't have much coming back in terms of firepower. I think Lee Wood is going to have something coming back. I think he's going to be able to absorb more of the punishment that Lara is going to dish out. I think he's going to be able to throw. Look, Laura leaves himself open a lot. Even his last fight that we call, it was Emilio Sanchez.

But he can take a punch. And the fact that it's not that Warrington was Cheney, it's the fact that Laura is a hard puncher. You know, he doesn't have a hard 100% knockout ratio, but he has a high knockout ratio. But if you hear the sound of his power shots when they land and how they affect opponents, You know that that power is real and it's going to carry. I want to see how a warrantin's going to act. I'm sorry. Wood.

Wood is going to act when he gets clipped, man. When he gets hit in the chin, how is he going to react? And we're going to find out within the fourth or fifth round. And if he can take that power, then he will out box, Laura, because like you said, he's vulnerable. But if he doesn't take that power, which I think he won't, he's going to get stopped. To be fair, Laura's been stopped before. It was early in his career.

It was early in his career. Took a first round knockout. Early in his career. And it was at that weight. It wasn't like it was at a wrong weight. It got beat by a guy named Elliot Chavez back in 2018. But that was only five years ago. You know what?

Six rounder. I forget what it was. It was six rounder. It was six rounder. It was early in his career. I mean, those four six rounders are always dangerous. I don't take that serious. Well, when you get knocked on the first round of it, how was it?

But he's gone on a serious streak. Yeah. And Lee Wood's been knocked out too. Like he was knocked out by, I'm going back. It's also run in this career, Gavin McDonald's in 2014. So it's been a long time since Wood was. but both these guys have proven they can get knocked out. I think it's a great fight.

Like, it's a fun, relevant fight for 126-pound title. And the winner of this fight is going to be a player in that division for some of the big fights that we can make. Last thing for you, Josh Taylor has apparently moved on from his back and forth with Jack Catterall. The WBO has ordered Taylor to face Teofima Lopez in his next fight. That's a fight that top rank was already discussing. They promote both guys.

So that's a relatively easy fight to put to you. together. I asked you about the right move for Lee Wood. Is it the right move for Josh Taylor to pass on the Caterall rematch and go straight into a showdown with Teufima Lopez? I'm going to keep it real again. Yes. Do not fight Caterall again. Caterall is a wrong style matchup. You found that on the first fight. He's a strong, very short South Paul that just keeps coming. He knows that a fight in compact spurts. He's explosive. He goes to the body. It's the timing that he has. Yes, stay away from Caterall. Every fighter, every champion faces a fighter where they shouldn't fight them again.

If they got by the first fight with a dirty win, a close win, or even a draw, don't face them again. I had one of those. His name was, what was Elvin Ayala. You talk about Elvin Ayala a lot. I'm telling you right now, Alvin Ayala was a hell of a fighter. Bring up his box wreck. Because he's only, after he got a draw with me, he went 12 rounds with Arthur Abraham,

who was a beast knocking out everyone. So Alvin Ayala gave me a drill. It's Curtis Stevens. Stephen stopped him in that fight. That was after he was late in his career. Yeah, later in his career when he got, he was already getting beaten and stopped. But, O'Yala was a damn good fighter.

So when I got a draw with him, and they asked me if I wanted to fight him against him, I said, no. 2007. And there's no shame in that because no one ever remembers that Lema. He got knocked out by Abraham, though, in the last round of that fight. Yeah, but he went 12 until the 12th round.

And that's when Abraham was knocked. That was a middle world title fight. And that's when everyone was getting knocked out by Abraham. Were you going to fight Abraham if you won that fight? No. No. And I wouldn't have fought him anyway. I'm telling you right now.

And this is what it is to be a calculating decision maker as a boxer and the people that control your career. So no, I wouldn't advise him to fight Caterall because it's just a wrong style matchup. Go for the bigger name. Teofimo Lopez, a former undisputed champion, had all the belts. He beat Lomachenko. He's a name. That's who you want on your resume. A former champion that's going to still sell tickets is popular.

And Tiofimo, whether he's still having a... his issues, he's still having his personal problems. Those are always going to be there lingering. So he's going to be there right for the picking. He's right for the picking. So I think Josh Saylor is an incredible talent, incredible talent, and he should go after another incredible talent that's vulnerable mentally in Teofima Lopez. So, yeah, that's a fight to make.

You know, I somewhat disagree that Teofimo is vulnerable. I think too much was made of how difficult the fight against Sandor-Martine was. Like, Santa Martín is going to be a difficult opponent for everybody. It wasn't just that performance, man. It lost to Kimbo. It's, it's his personal life. He's got a lot going on there. But I don't, I think he's capable of bouncing back and being an elite guy at 140.

I do. I do believe he has the goods for it. I think a Josh Taylor matchup is a lot better for him than what a Sander Martin matchup would be. Josh Taylor, at least, we'll try to bang with him a little bit in that fight. And that's, you know, I think Teafima has the size at 140 to be able to do that. I mean, I do. Yeah, but Cambosis banged with him and was able to hurt and drop. There was a lot going on.

Teofimo's working on. Well, there was going to be more. That's exactly what I mean. There's going to be a lot of going on. Like he was going through a divorce at that time. He had a bad weight cut at that time. That fight had been postponed like three times. That doesn't excuse anything.

He lost fair and swear in that fight. But I think he's going to be, I think Teofimo, if he's an underdog in that fight, and he probably will be, I think he's a very live underdog in that fight. But to the point of the question, I do agree with you. I think this is the right move. To fight Jack Caterall again. was for ego, right? And you know it was

because he dropped all the other belts just so he could be in a position to defend a title against Jack Caterall. So with Teofima on the table, it's a bigger money fight, it's a more relevant fight, and it's a better fight for him to potentially win if they fight in June.

I feel for Jack Caterall, but this was around social media. I think Jack Caterall could put it together and fight Regis Prograte. Like, that's a good fight for Jack Catero. I don't think Prograde is going to, we'll face the minute. I think Prograte.

backs off on Caterall than ProGregor can't. I don't think he will, but ProGre's been begging for a fight. Jack Caterall is a big fight. Progray's too smart. He's way too smart to take that fight? To take that fight? You think Jack Caterall is Mohamed Ali? What are we talking about here? I think he's that, too much risk. What's the reward in beating Caterall? You fight and it's a marketable fight in the UK. Roo-Roo's been staying busy. Progray's been staying busy. He has nobody can fight. He has nobody. He doesn't matter, man. It doesn't matter. Wait for the big names. It doesn't matter. It does matter. You don't get paid to fight just anybody? Anyone. Anyone. Anyone

in the top 15. You want to pull up the top 15 rankings for... Yes, please. And I'll tell you right now, I'll play matchmaker. So you think, all right, we'll do this right. It shouldn't be Ketterall, I'll tell you that. A short, strong south paw that's confident and he's just waiting for that phone call to fight a big name and strike again.

It's just like he saw Cruz. After he fought Tank Davis, why is nobody calling Pitbull Cruz out? People did. Nobody wants to fight Cruz after that. Yes, he did. Yes, he did. Chore Stevens won't fight him. Pipple Cruz said no.

Like, all right, that Pitbull's been passing on some fights in the last. That doesn't take away from the fact he's a good fighter, but he did. So, of course, Stevenson was publicly calling him out. Yeah, but everyone's avoiding Stevenson. He's like, I'm good. You're speaking two different things. All right. Read his program is number one, the WBC champion, right?

So you go on the list. You got Tea Fima Lopez. He didn't want that fight. Sandra Martine. You want Teafi him to fight? Santa Martin. You want to get in the ring with Sandor Martine? No.

You got Gary Antoine Russell. Who knows? No one knows them. No idea there. Jose Zapata, we've gone down that route before. Sergei Lippinets. Oh, there you go. How about that?

Jose Ramirez didn't want it. Ryan Garcia's on the list. Arnold Barbosa, that's not bad. Barbosa's a good fight, but I'd rather take Lippinets. Lippinettes has more experience with the bigger names. He's been in there with what, Mikey Garcia. So it doesn't matter if he got knocked out by Mikey Garcia. He fought a four-division world champion, so being able to beat a name like that, that makes sense.

Steve Spark? No. You think Steve Spark's great because what's his name? Montana Love threw him out the ring. But no, I don't like that fight. Brendan Lee on that list. Now we're back in the bottom half the top 15. The point is, like, if you think Jack Caterall is a good fighter, not a great fighter.

And if there's money on the table to fight Jack Caterall and defend your title, you do it. You do it. Why wouldn't you? Because it's a wrong style matchup. I'd rather fight. By the way, WBC doesn't have Caterall ranked. How is that possible? Instead of Caterall, fight a snooze fest against a nobody.

You don't get paid for those fights. Regis Progrey has no promoter. I know he doesn't, and that means more money in his pocket. He's still making a lot of money. Would you like to FaceTime Sam Kikovsky in here, Regis Programme's manager, and ask him if there's a lot of money out there for Regis right now? It's not. It doesn't take away from what he is, but there's not a lot of money out there for him because guys don't want to fight him.

Jose Ramirez said, nope, I'm going to go fight Richard Comey. Danfima Lopez said, nope, I'm going to go fight Josh Taylor. You've got to go down the list to find guys willing to fight Regis Progray. He's that much of a beast. man I mean that's why you got to fight Caterall if there's money in the UK to fight him you take it Regis probably be the favorite against Caterall you know that Regis might be the best guy I won yeah but then he's gonna give up first of all he's gonna be fighting another South Paul and that's difficult and then you're fighting a Brit in in in no man I just I don't know I just think there's

better options he should stay in the US keep doing what he's doing he fights whoever they put in front of him so whoever they put in front of him here in his home home country I think that's what you should do. Look, I'd love to see it. I don't think there's any money for it. Like maybe you can get Caterall to fight in the U.S. I don't know if Catero will do that. There you go.

So you'd do it in the U.S. Yeah, because then at least you would have some judging in your favor. You know, if you go to the U.K. Or anywhere in the U.K., you're going to have the fans against you, and you know, they're rabid fans. They come out in the tens of thousands. Every punch is going to be a new one and all. So you have the fans against you,

then you're going to have the judges against you and the referee against you. Too much, too many cards stacked against you. So, yeah, if Cateraw is willing to come over here, then that's a different story. All right. You're back to work this weekend. Is that what I understand? Absolutely. Not with me, though.

We're calling the fight on Saturday. Thank God it's not with you. Thank God. It's Corey Erdman, a better writer, a better reporter, and a better commentator than you. Shout out Corey Uerman. I'll see you Saturday, baby. That's just mean. You're mean.

We're partners. We're broadcast buddies. They pay me to work with you, my friend. They pay me, and you pay me to be here. That's the only reason I'm here. And when we come back, my conversation with Eddie Hearn. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way,

this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for Raw, filtered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations,

stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do a little Kim?

Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what we'll be. went down and tried to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so you all know.

I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack, so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now, so. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

All right, Eddie Hearn is here. Matchroom boxing. Matchroom boxing USA. He's got a huge event this weekend in Nottingham. Lee Wood against Maricio Alara, 126-pound title fight. That's a fight you could watch all over the world on DeZone. And Eddie joins me from Nottingham to talk about that. fight more. Eddie, before I get into Wood versus Lara, which I think you're a little crazy for doing, you had a big announcement this week. Edgar Berlanga was signed to Matchroom. Edgar, of course, 168 pound contender, undefeated, 20 and 0.

Popular guy sells good tickets, a lot of tickets in New York. This was a guy that a lot of promoters were after, whether it was PBC, Golden Boy. what was you think that got him to sign with you? What was the carrot in your mind that pushed you over the top? I think there's a few things really. I mean, obviously we've got a good reputation. You know, we deliver for our fighters. We pay people on time and we don't lie.

And that's quite rare in boxing. That's a tremendous. Those are tremendous digs right there. You just stuck. You just gave a PBC dig there. We pay on time. And that little bit, a little bit, a little bit. We know what's going on with Deante right now.

At the end of the day, promoters not paying fighters. He's not, you know, that's not a dig of the current situation. That's historical. You know, there are so many promoters out there that don't pay fighters on time. And we've never been that company. So that's one thing. Number two is, obviously we have a great broadcast.

deal and a great broadcast partner in DeZone. Three, we got on really well. You know, obviously, I have a close relationship with Keith Connolly. He trusts us as well. He's worked with us in the past. I just clicked with Edgar. You know, he's a cool guy, obviously, as am I. And we just, we got on. And of course, number four, Canado Albury's. I mean, look, everybody around that weight class wants to fight Canallo Alvarez, right? We know that if Edgar Belanga can prove himself as a world-class contender, Canelo Alvarez against Belanga is huge. Long way to go.

Got to go through the opposition. But if you're going to back someone to deliver a Canelo Alvarez fight at the moment, we're, you know, we're that company. So many different things and the ability to headline him in New York, get behind the event, get behind the promotion, give him that superstar attention. And I'm excited. I like this guy.

I think he's a big character. He is a big character. And you alluded to it, though. He has to prove that he's a world-level fighter. And I think that is an open question with Edgar Berlang. He looked great in his first 16 fights, all knockouts. Last four, he's gone the distance. No shame in that.

But he was knocked down two fights previously. In his last fight, he attempted to bite his opponent, which got him a six-month suspension. Like, what is the plan for Edgar Berlanga in 2020 to get him to a Canelo fight? Well, definitely less biting. But I just think that there was so much hype around the 16 first-round chaos. And then he carried a little bit of an injury, you know, and I just think went through the opposition for a couple of different styles.

But that's okay because those fights will enable us to get the fights that we need. need, you know? People believe they can beat Edgar Belanger. You know, it's not like he, the last couple of performances have made people think he's Arta Betabiris. You know, he's just, they believe they can beat him. What we need to do is get a top 15 guy or there or thereabouts for the first one. And then we need a top 10 guy for the second one. And then we need to start calling out Canelo Alvarez. That's what we need to do. But it's a long way to go. you know and i know i mean you know chris

you've been part of those big los bagis events if belanga can can display the credentials to fight canelo alvarez that's a that's a blockbuster but you know that there's a long way to go for that fight so when do you expect him to make his debut june yeah beginning of beginning of june around that date um you know and and

we want we want one of those guys world title challenger top 15 guy and I can't give you any names at the moment because we were only just starting to work towards that with Edgar and the team. But exciting. You know, he turned up in a meeting wearing a big mint coat, you know,

with a change around his neck. He's friends with all these big rappers and, you know, he brings that little bit of a bit of celebrity status as well and I like him. I think he's a character. I think he's what boxing needs. He's definitely a character.

I think he's got the style. I think we'll see he has the substance. We're going to find out if you get him in those top 15 fights, top 10 fights. If he wins those, it is a monster. I agree with you against Canello in a following fight. But I want to see, let's see what he's got in these first couple of deals with his match room contract. You were photographed recently with Connor McGregor. And you talked about meeting with Connor McGregor, specifically about Katie Taylor. How did that meeting go? It was a wild experience. I mean, like, I'm not in all.

of many people. But I'm a fan. You know, like, I felt like a bit of a fan boy. Connor McGregor, you know, I've flown over to Ireland. I've gone down his pub, the Black Forge, right? I've turned up.

I've gone to the table over the back. Next thing, I'm trying one of his new Black Forge Irish stouts. I'm trying one of his proper 12 apple whiskeys. We've got steak being cooked in front of. I mean, it was just bundles of energy. you know, and all the things that I've seen from Connor McGregor, I mean, it was almost like the same personality I've seen at the press conferences over the years.

And just someone with a lot of passion, obviously for Katie Taylor and for Irish sport, a passion for fight sports, passion for his brands. And yeah, it was just, it was a, it was a fun day. It was a really fun day. You know, we talked about the problem with the costs of staging a Katie Taylor fight at Crow Park. We talked about, you know, the probability of moving that to an arena and then doing Crop Park in September. We talked about his support for the shows via his brands and sponsorships and stuff like that. And, you know, it was productive.

It was exciting. And, you know, I think he's going to be hopefully a help to bring that fight to Croke Park. Unlikely for May, but certainly for September. So you think Katie Taylor back-to-back fights in Ireland, this year. Yeah, I think maybe not even leave. You know, I mean, Katie would always tell you she has another 10 fights to go, you know, but right now she is looking at the undisputed champions. She's looking at Amanda Serrano. She's looking at Chantelle Cameron and she's looking at Alicia Bounda Gardner. You know, they are three tremendous fights. There are so many great fights

to be made in women's boxing right now. And it's so refreshing, Chris, that you can actually make them. But I know I can make, we've already made Taylor Serrano too. I know I could make Taylor Cameron tonight. I could make Taylor Baumgartner tonight. You know?

And it's like, it's just so refreshing. And they're delivering every time the fights. It's not like we're making a big fire and it's not really performing. Every one's a cracker. So it's just, It's a great time.

You talked about delivering. Can you make Baumgartner Michaela Mayer to? Well, let's just make one thing clear, all right? Michaela Mayer came out recently and said, oh, Eddie Hearn can't afford the rematch. I'm not even looking at the rematch. Like, I'm looking at Baumgartner fighting in Detroit, probably in an undisputed fight. I mean, firstly, she may have to fight Troy if Troy comes out, hiding. number two, like she wants to fight Chantelle Cameron, she wants to fight Katie Taylor.

We're not sitting in it. We have no problem fighting Michaela Meyer. But Michaela Meyer does not stop talking about that fight. Michaela Meyer, quite frankly, can't actually sleep at night until she gets that rematch. So if you want it that badly, speak to your promotional company and make us an offer. it's not like we don't it's a voluntary defense for us it's a big fight i'm like i'm open to it maybe we'll make an offer but it's not like oh you haven't got the money to make an offer top rank paid alicia baumgardner an absolute fortune for that first fight she got more than

macaela mire right she won she's now the undisputed champion you better make sure that next offer is a lot bigger. You've got Erica Cruz out there as well. I spoke to her last week and and she wants to stay at 126 but she says you would take on Baumgarder 130. You almost owe her something. She fought incredibly with that cut.

You message me, didn't you? Like it was after the fight saying, I'm doing an interview with Cruz. Someone's got to give her some love. And I'm saying, look, she's like, her stock has just gone through the roof. Not a lot of people knew Erica Cruz. Her performance was incredible.

And listen, through the halfway stage, I thought she was winning the fight. I didn't give her many rounds in the back end, but she got cut and she got hurt a little bit. And, you know, I love Boundgarden against Cruz. I fear, it's a tremendous fight. But Erica Cruz has a big future, 26, 30, wherever it may be.

But I put her in that mix now. Of all, you know, those fighters that are willing to take on anyone, and she's going to be in a big fight. So you've got a big fight this weekend. Lee Wood defending his full title now, now that the Santa Cruz stuff is settled against Mauricio O'Laura. Eddie, I believe they say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result. You put Maricio O'Lara in with your champion, or wasn't a champion at the time, but was a champion. Josh Warrington, Lara beat him up pretty good,

but it changed the trajectory of his career. And now here you go again with Maricio O'Lara against Lee Wood. And Lee Wood is out there saying he's going to stand in the middle of the ring and trade with this guy, which doesn't feel like great strategy. I know Lee Wood's a different fighter than Josh Warrington, but, you know, why make this fight and what are you expecting in this fight? Well, I mean, firstly, how refreshing is it that you see a champion choose a voluntary defense and be a near three to one outsider in front of 10,000 home fans, right?

So for me as a promoter, I love fights like this because, you know, if I'm, when, when Lee Wood beat Michael Conlon in fight of the year, knockout of the year, whatever you want to call it, I said to Lee Wood, time for you to come back to the arena, have a nice, easy, voluntary defence. And he said to me, I don't really like easy voluntary defences because that means not mega money. He said, but also I like, you know, I don't really fight well against low level opposition. So I said, what about kids? Kiko Martinez. That's a good fight for you. And he said with Ben Davidson, what about Mauricio Lara? And I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe it. You know, and he said to me, we think that, you know, Kiko's almost as dangerous as Lara. We know it's a big money fight. And we feel if we beat Lara off the Connum fight, we'll pretty much be number one in the division. And we think it's, and I couldn't believe it. And when he got injured at the back end of last year, people felt like he pulled out of the fight to avoid Mauritio Lara. He chose him in the first place.

And when he'd come back, he went the only fight I want is Mauritio Lara. I mean, I've just been watching Lara hit pads. Like, this guy is pound for pound, one of the biggest punches in boxing. He's 24. Lee Wood's 34. But Ben Davidson and Lee Wood see something in Mauritio Laos. And there are still, Chris, unanswered questions about Marie Seller. I mean, I know he walked through Josh Warrington, great performance, but, you know, he's been around.

It's not like this guy has just emerged. Like, you don't just pop up out of nowhere and become a pound for pound great. He's always had a reputation as the puncher, and he's vicious and he's ferocious. But what happens in deep waters? Lee Wood, I believe, he's banking on deep waters. And by the way, Lee Wood can really punch, really punch. but they both can. It's a tremendous fight. I mean, watch it through your fingers, watch it on the edge of you see, bring a spare pair of pants. Like, this could be a classic on Saturday night.

And fair play to Lee Wood and fair play to Marizio Lara. You know, this is a fight that could turn him into a star. No, I think I see what Wood and Ben Davis and see in that Larrak can hit, but he's also very hitable. Like we saw that even in his last fight. He can get caught coming in with some of these kind of rushes he puts on fighters. And if they're smart, they can land something big against him. But it is a tremendous fight. It's one I don't expect to ultimately go to a decision.

A couple of things before I let you go. You work with Filiperovich. There's an IBF Eliminator scheduled at the end of the month with Andy Ruiz. Andy Ruiz is also someone that's been talking about a fight with Deonté Wilder. I don't know what Deonti Wilder's future is. If he's available to be worked with other promoters now as well. How do you think that all shakes out with the IBF Eliminator? You think Ruiz is going to be part of it?

Is Herkiewicz going to get his shot? How do you see the next few weeks playing out there? Yeah, I mean, Wilder and Ruiz are both with PBC. Well, Wilder maybe. I don't know. You know, I've just seen speculation out there of him talking to other promoters and stuff. But I was surprised because I like Ruiz against Wilder. I think he's a tremendous fight.

But it seems like Andy Ruiz wants to move ahead with the Hergovich fight. because there's been a lot of discussions, negotiations, emails, been a lot of work put in by Tom Brown around that fight. And it's Perspids next week for that fight. Great fight. Ruiz against Hergovich. So I guess they're going to wait to see what the Perspid is for that fight and decide whether they want to proceed with that fight.

The winner is mandatory to Usik at the moment, see what happens with a Fury fight. And I don't know what Deonté Wilde is going to do. But, you know, I'm not sure even. whether Ruiz will fight Hergevich, but certainly at the moment, they want to progress with the purse bid next week. Are you in a position where, you know, to make that fight happen, you could aggressively bid on that fight. Is that a fight that you could see Match Room, you know, getting in on? Yeah, I mean, obviously, it's a good purse split for Philip Hergovich as well.

And Andy Ruiz is a big name fire. He's a very good fighter. I like the fight. You know, it's almost Andy Reeves similar style Philip Hergevich to AJ stand up, European style heavyweight good jab, you know, decent movement and athleticism but Andy Reeves is a very good fighter as well. I don't think that

fight's going to generate the kind of money for Andy Reese that the Wilder fight would but at the same time you know maybe they like their position with the IBF the mandatory is due sooner than the WBC one clearly there's some issues with Wilder and PBC

because I think that fight would have got made otherwise. It's a good fight. So I'm not too sure, but we'll be right in the thicker things. Last thing for you, I want to get your take on kind of the state of boxing on television, specifically in the US. I mean, your fights in the US are on DeZone. We have seen in the last year Fox Sports effectively getting out of the boxing business.

There's a shakeup going on at Showtime right now that have led to questions about what its business with boxing will look like in the long term. ESPN still does top-rank boxing, but there's a big NBA contract that's coming up that they're going to have to deal with. There's UFC contracts coming up that they have to deal with. It just seems like boxing in a way is in a perilous position when it comes to broadcasting, especially in the United States. How do you see it? How do you see boxing's future in terms of broadcasting, where it lands and how it's distributed? I think boxing's a great survivor. You know, there's always broadcasters who want to be involved in a boxing business.

Some come and go. Some stay around forever. New ones pop up. And it just keeps evolving. Right now, DeZone in America, is by far in the best position it's ever been in, in terms of subscriber numbers, in terms of loyalty from fans and subscribers,

in terms of content, schedule, value for money, everything. We love our position at the moment. We love it. You know, showtime, I don't know about the rumours. You know, I see the numbers on Showtime, and the viewership numbers are dwindling in comparison to what they used to do, and the fights they used to do.

as well. Box, yeah, it looks like they're not doing much at the moment. ESPN, great platform, top rank, good promotional company, got some good fighters. You know, I think they're doing solid numbers and we'll see. We focus on our own business, which is very secure and has great potential in America. We know the Canelo Albrez business. We know, you know, the Hispanic fights, fight fans are extremely passionate and loyal to the service

and we cater for them week in week out with a fantastic global schedule so I think fine Chris like we're always under pressure to make great fights like that and we have to keep making them I have no idea

what's going to happen with Tank against Ryan Garcia hopefully fights like that get made because we need to make sure we make fights like that because it's going to keep the boxing buzz

circling and you know really boxing is cyclical, but at the same time, you make one big fight, and it's the hottest sport in the world. You know, you go a couple of months without a big fight, and it's dying. But boxing, in my opinion, is very healthy. How strong do you feel de Zones' business model is at this point? Because you've spoken about the ups and downs of the last five years and, you know, some of the course corrections you've

had to make along the way. Like, as you sit here right now in early February, Like how confident are you in that business model succeeding in the US? I mean, it's succeeded already. You know, don't forget, it's been around for a number of years now. We came in, we made mistakes. We signed big names. We readjusted. We realized that many fighters in this space are overpaid in terms of their commercial value.

We now have the numbers right with the zone. We now feel like we have the right stable. another great sign with Edgar Belanger. We really feel like we have the right reputation. And the Twitter space is very aggressive from fight fans. But one thing I stand by is that the value to fight fans on the zone is unrivaled. The global schedule and the value of fights continuously, you look at the schedule upcoming, you know, it's unbelievable.

And as a fight fan, I just think it's the most tremendous service. And mostly the numbers always have to work. And I don't, you know, I don't own disowned, contrary to, you know, speculation. And I'm not designed. I'm matrim. But I can't speak on their behalf. But one thing I can tell you is the numbers are working. The viewership is working.

The subscriber base is where it needs to be. And we feel like we have incredible customers. more loyalty for fight fans right now. And I believe streaming, you know, app-based value to fight, to fans in general, is the future. And I feel like we're in a tremendous place. Well, Eddie, I'm sure you'll be congratulating somebody on Saturday after with Lara, your two fighters fighting for a 126-pound title.

Appreciate the time, man. And we'll see you back in the U.S. real soon. Cheers, Chris. Bye, mate. And when we come back, this week's picks brought to you by Fandul. So this audience, news. knows me as a boxing guy, but you probably also know me as an NBA guy. And I'm also an NBA gambling guy.

That's why I use Fanduel, because the midway point of the NBA season is here. And now is the perfect time to download Fanduel, America's number one sportsbook, because new customers get a no-swet first bet of up to $1,000. That's bonus bets back if your first bet doesn't win. Just download the Fandual Sportsbook app. It's safe, secure, and super easy to use. Then you could bet on everything from the money line to point scores to threes drained. Plus, Fandual even lets you combine your bets for a chance in a bigger payout with the same game parlay.

So don't miss the chance to get your no sweat first bet up to $1,000 in bonus bets when you go to fandual.com slash boxing. That's fanduel.com slash boxing. Think of me as the boxing guy, but all. Also an NBA guy. Fandul.com slash boxing to learn more. Make every moment more with Fandul an official sports betting partner of the NBA. All right, let me start this segment

by telling the audience that my picks are going to get better. I had a tough week last week, and I should have known better. I should have known better to think that Ray Vargas could jump up like two weight classes in a couple of years and beat someone like Oshackie Foster. I blew it.

I should have known, but I was watching that fight on Showtime. In the first round, I knew I'd blown it. So I apologize to the audience and to the gamblers that rely on me. I take a lot of care in making these picks, and I will be better. I blew that one. I should have done more research on Ray Vargas. I should have known that despite his height, he was not going to be able to compete with the strength of Oshacky Foster.

This week, I'm giving you a great bet. I'm giving you an underdog. You chance to make some money. Lee Wood, Maricio Lara, 126-pound title fight over in the UK. Lee Wood is the champion. He is also the underdog, plus 2-10, against Maricio Lara.

Look, I understand why. Lara is a beast. He is one of the strongest guys in this division, and it was just a couple of years ago. He went to the UK and knocked out Josh Warrington. Nope, changed the trajectory of his career with that knockout. But Lee Wood, I'm telling you, He's not Josh Warrington.

Lee Wood is bigger. He's stronger. He's tougher. He's going to throw more punches back. I like Lee Wood to win this fight. Take Lee Wood to win at plus 210. Method of victory, I am predicting a Lee Wood knockout. Plus 370 for Lee Wood to win by knockup.

Both these guys have been chaoed in their careers. Both these guys caoed a long time ago. But I know Lee Wood and his team. I know Ben Davison, his trainer. They wouldn't have taken this fight, which they didn't have to, if they didn't see something in Mauricio O'Lar that was open. Lee Wood's been very clear. He's coming out and he's going to rumble with this guy.

So I think this fight ends by knockout one way or the other, and I'm predicting Lee Wood plus 370 to win by knockout. This is the week I get back on track, everybody. So take these picks, take them to the bank. These are my picks brought to you by Fandul. That's it for this week's episode. My thanks to Sergio Amora and Eddie Hearn for joining the show. As always, subscribe, rate, review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you download podcast.

And I'll see you next week. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel. help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes.

Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that experience. excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only

deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.