Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn has revealed talks he had with Sampson Lewkowicz, the handler for David Benavidez, about putting together a possible clash against Canelo Alvarez for May 4th.
While Hearn initiated the negotiations to show the Canelo-Benavidez fight on DAZN potentially, Lewkowciz reportedly wanted the Canelo-Benavidez USA TV rights on Amazon Prime Video.
Clash of the Broadcasters
Lewkowicz’s assistance on the USA TV rights for the fight creates a significant hurdle that would need to be overcome for the fight between undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo (60-2-2, 39 KOs) and ‘The Mexican Monster’ Benavidez (28-0, 24 KOs) to take place.
It’s understandable why Lewkowicz would want to take advantage of the huge interest in the Canelo-Benavidez fight by insisting on getting the best deal for his fighter, Benavidez. It’s questionable whether Canelo will be forced to compromise. It’s more likely that Lewkowicz will derail the negotiations with his request.
If they can compromise, it’s possible a can be made. Without Lewkowciz changing his stance on wanting the USA TV rights for Amazon Prime Video, his fighter Benavidez won’t have a chance to fight Canelo and will be stuck facing less popular opposition as he’s done his entire 11-year professional career.
If PBC folds as a company, Benavidez will then be free to seek out a fight with Canelo, but if he signs with a rival network, like ESPN, we could see the same thing happening if Lewkowicz insists on them getting the USA TV rights. Benavidez is the B-side and not in the position to insist that Canelo fight on Amazon Prime PPV.
David can take that approach of pushing for TV rights against non-stars, but not against a fighter like Canelo, who is on another level popularity-wise. Benavidez is only known by hardcore boxing fans in the U.S. and doesn’t have a wide following with the casuals due to his weak resume.
by Dan Ambrose
Source: Canelo Vs. Benavidez: TV Rights Dispute Emerges – Boxing News 24 (https://www.boxingnews24.com/2024/02/canelo-vs-benavidez-tv-rights-dispute-emerges/)