If the cancellation of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.’s fight last Saturday deterred you from ponying up the $44.95 to pay for the rest of the Top Rank-promoted card, you missed a hell of a show.
After Nonito Donaire reassured the boxing world he was worthy of his spot among the top five fighters in the sport with a dominant stoppage of Wladimir Sidorenko, WBC lightweight champion Humberto Soto defeated Urbano Antillon in a hellacious battle of attrition that many appreciative fans have pegged “Fight of the Year.”
Following the victory, Top Rank CEO Bob Arum proposed a two-stage, single-elimination lightweight tournament where Soto, 54-7-2 (32), would defend his title against Brandon Rios, 26-0-1 (19), with the other semifinal featuring Antillon challenging IBF 135-pound titlist Miguel Vazquez.
While in theory, such fights would be barnburners to the hardcore fan’s delight, the question remains whether they would be worth the warrior’s time at this stage of his career. Honestly, if he were to beat Rios and face the winner of Vazquez-Antillon, how much money could Soto really make from those two bouts when compared to the other options at 135 and up?
Having been passed over for a shot against Manny Pacquiao in the past, Soto’s current prospects for bigger paydays lie in a unification bout with Juan Manuel Marquez or television-friendly names like Michael Katsidis, Robert Guerrero, or even Juan Diaz. So what’s stopping these fights from airing on Home Box Office?
LINK TO FULL STORY: http://www.maxboxing.com/news/promo-lead/is-humberto-soto-in-no-mans-land-how-hbo-can-change-that
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