Every Thursday here at FightHype, we prove that there’s still a place for a good, old-fashioned written word money shot from the depths of my bulbous, bulging sack. So, get ready for some of that infamous Magno-rific gooey, salty, sometimes NSFW truth. This week, we have comments/questions regarding Shakur Stevenson vs. Turki, WBC vs. Turki, Bivol, Benavidez, and Boots Ennis vs. Eimantas Stanionis.
WTF is going on with Shakur/Turki?
Hi Magno,
Sooo what the fuck is going on with Turki and Shakur Stevenson? Stevenson, once a Turki kiss ass, has now somewhat turned his back on him on twitter over the weekend, and quoted Turki is being cheap all of a sudden. I guess once you hook up with Dana White, your financial plans start changing when it comes to hiring labor (fighters). This is already looking like a disaster for Turki seeing star power walk out on him.. (IMO, Shakur hasn’t impressed me in a while – not sure if he’s actually star power anymore but would love to know your thoughts on this too.)
– Alexis Arango
Hey Alexis.
I touched on this in Monday’s Notes from the Boxing Underground column.
If Shakur was, indeed, low-balled for this Zepeda fight, it’s just bad, cynical business ethics from Turki and the Saudis. I mean, you can’t ruin someone’s marketability and then penalize him for his marketability being ruined. Well, I guess, you CAN, but it’s kind of shitty.
Then again, Shakur only has himself to blame if he finds himself in this predicament where he has to make his own deals, and is running up against his own promoter in doing so. He made the decision to grab at that Saudi money and align himself with Turki’s shoeshine boy, Eddie Hearn. He should’ve had the common sense to see where this was so clearly headed. What kind of childish thinking goes into the belief that you could have an endless supply of major paydays despite ruining your own marketability, buried inside poor-selling undercards, fighting for indifferent fans on the other side of the world?
I think this Shakur-Turki stuff may get settled, because it’s too early in the takeover for Turki and the Saudis to tip their labor-busting hand and Shakur is too loud to be hidden. But the pulling back of purses will be a real issue, mark my words. Soon enough, when the grooming stage is over, Saudi-controlled fighters will find the Saudi bucks not as free-flowing as they once were.
WBC/Turki/Bivol/David Benavidez
Hi Magno.
Long time reader, first time mail sack contributor.
I’ve been watching the WBC’s moves in recent days and how they’ve been subtly pushing back against Turki Alalshikh. The stripping of Dmitry Bivol and awarding of the WBC belt to David Benavidez seems to be just the latest installment of a public power play.
Am I crazy in thinking this? Am I imagining things? Where do you think this is headed?
Thanks for always keeping things real. In a world where every writer seems to be for sale, you’ve always been an equal opportunity shit talker. We need more of that.
– Jason N.
Hey Jason.
I posted this on my Twitter account (@boxing_tribune) the other day:
“The WBC’s recent passive-aggressive stabs at Turki, who plans on running them into irrelevance, are amusing…It’s like watching the prelude to a Dahmer vs. Gacy knife fight…”Against both” is the correct side to take with this one…”
The passive-aggressive beef really started after Turki and his gobblers announced that they would be teaming up with TKO/Dana White and that their goal was to establish their own champions (and “crush” opposition). Unlike other boxing business people, who swallowed the “we’re gonna run you out of town” implications and went about their business, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman seems to have, understandably, crawled into his feelies a bit.
Trying to force Bivol into a mandatory defense against Benavidez was a big-time “daddy, pay attention to me” move. Stripping Bivol of the belt and giving it to Benavidez was more of a “daddy, I hate you now…pay attention to me” move. And let’s not forget Sulaiman jumping to (re)order Shakur Stevenson-William Zepeda after Stevenson went public with his money issues involving Turki.
Ultimately, WBC vs. Turki is hustler vs. hustler (although Turki represents the more damaging of the two hustlers). I’m only mildly interested because I find the posturing somewhat amusing.
I do feel bad for the fighters, though, who are stuck in the middle. Bivol shouldn’t have had to vacate. I think it’s fair to allow him the Beterbiev rubber match. Benavidez, meanwhile, doesn’t deserve any derision for taking what was handed to him. He’s gone about his business and has done things exactly as they should be done. He’s just run afoul of business maneuverings that have kept him from the opportunities he should be having.
When bullshitters hurl shit at one another, everyone around them tends to get splattered
Jaron Ennis vs. Eimantas Stanionis
Paulie Mags!
Give me your thoughts on Boots vs. Stanionis this Saturday and I’ll lay a bundle on what you pick. You got to be leaning on Boots, right?
– Clyde
Hey Clyde.
Geeez, I don’t want that kind of pressure. I’ll just make a casual suggestion and you can do what you want with it.
Jaron Ennis SHOULD win on Saturday. He’s more talented, more skilled, and just all-around better. He’s facing a guy in Stanionis who’s only fought once in about three years. Everything, including momentum and the all-important home field (home promotion) advantage is working in Boots’ favor.
But…
The betting odds have Stanionis as a +400 underdog and I absolutely do NOT feel that he’s that much of an underdog.
Stanionis has the kind of active, in-your-face style that will give Ennis some issues, especially as the fight wears on. Ennis has had problems with these kinds of fighters, at least in spots.
Ennis is the best fighter Stanionis has faced, but it could also be argued that Stanionis is the best Ennis has faced. It should be a close fight. If you have a few bucks you don’t mind risking, I’d put a modest wager on the upset. The odds, at least right now, are close to being too good to pass up.
For shits and giggles, I’d put a few bucks on Stanionis by decision.
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