PBC and Amazon Prime Video will have their first PPV on May 4th, with a possible one on March 30th as well.
The deal followed Showtime’s exit from the sport at the end of 2023. That left PBC’s stable of fighters with much uncertainty. This was since there were suggestions their biggest stars could depart from the sport.
“As we evolve our strategy to more efficiently allocate resources and align our content offering across the business, we’ve made the difficult decision not to move forward with boxing and other content produced by the SHOWTIME sports team. SHOWTIME will continue to air and support the remaining 2023 boxing slate and honor obligations through the end of the year. We want to express our deepest gratitude to our employees who have contributed to this award-winning sports programming over multiple decades,” Showtime’s statement
Davis’ Return
Gervonta Davis was initially in the conversation to headline the first PPV. That was following his recent release from jail for breaking the terms of his house arrest. He has not fought since his win over Ryan Garcia last April. The bout sold over 1.2 million PPVs, making it the highest-grossing event in 2023. That has set the stage for Davis to have a big fight. It remains to be seen who Davis will face.
He is the current WBA Lightweight Champion. This was after being elevated from the regular status after Devin Haney decided to move up from 135. Davis was reluctant to be the full champion since it would require him to pay sanctioning fees and face mandatories. The big names at 135 include Shakur Stevenson and Vasiliy Lomachenko.
Shakur is the WBC Lightweight Champion after beating Edwin De Los Santos for the vacant belt. That could be a huge unification on PPV. Loma, however, is facing George Kambosos Jr. for the vacant IBF belt. Davis may find it easier to sell an opponent outside of those names if he moves up to 140 to take on Devin Haney. As of now, there is nothing to indicate that his will happen. However, Saudi Arabia has shown an interest in making it.
PBC’s First PPV
The PPV in question on May 4th allegedly concerns Canelo Alvarez. The Mexican is the current undisputed champion at 168, having defended his belts against Jermell Charlo in his last bout. He is increasingly expected to fight David Benavidez, who has been the WBC mandatory for over a year. Alvarez has two fights left on his three-fight PBC deal, showing there is only a short time to get the deal made. But with a subscriber base of 167 million users in the US alone, Canelo has a huge market to appeal to, leaving boxing fans with a potential big fight.
“We are thrilled to join with Premier Boxing Champions to bring the best boxers in the world to Prime Video, and to give more fans than ever the chance to experience these must-see events,” Marie Donoghue from Amazon
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