Terence Crawford-Yuriokis Gamboa May Ignite Bigger Sparks than Canelo Alvarez-Erislandy Lara

By Ivan G. Goldman

Here’s a question for you. Will the Showtime pay-per-view bout between Canelo Alvarez and Erislandy Lara on July 12 be a better fight than the HBO showdown this weekend between Terence Crawford and Yuriokis Gamboa? If it is, that will be the exception that proves the rule, because most of the really sensational contests of the last couple of decades were given away to subscribers.

There’s no direct correlation between excitement and pay-per-view dollars. In fact, the pay-per-view economic model is to boxing what a dime bag is to a junky. It’s a quick fix that digs the sport into a deeper hole, driving away both existing and potential fans. PPV cards are just another example of short-term corporate thinking, a rampant disease these days.

Oddsmakers have favored the house fighters, Canelo and Crawford, in both contests.
Interesting that the main events this weekend and July 12 both feature Cubans. You could probably fit all the American fans of Cuban fighters in a Greyhound bus. Canelo is in tough against Lara, 19-1-2 (12 KOs), but don’t expect him to break any PPV records against this opponent. There is no meaningful title on the line. Read full Story...