The delayed start was a distraction, but did not seem to deter Alvarez' performancegetty images
Canelo Alvarez on Saturday night "won a fourth world title in a fourth division with a resounding technical knockout" over Sergey Kovalev in their WBO light heavyweight fight at the MGM Grand Garden, according to Sam Gordon of the LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL. The announced crowd of 14,490 "waited more than 90 minutes between the end of the undercard and main event" as DAZN, which televised the bout, "delayed the start to maximize viewership" with UFC 244 streaming on ESPN+. The MGM Grand Garden Arena "televised the conclusion of the UFC card, and the boxers were promptly introduced after it ended." The delay was a "distraction, but it certainly didn't deter Alvarez's performance" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 11/3). ESPN.com's Dan Rafael noted Alvarez and Kovalev during the extended wait were "shown nearly asleep in their dressing rooms before the bout, which did not begin" until 1:18am ET. Alvarez earned $35M with the win, while Kovalev made $3M "plus millions more" from the $12M package Golden Boy paid to his promoter, Main Events (ESPN.com, 11/3).
TOUGH CALL: In L.A., Dylan Hernandez noted the MGM Grand Garden Arena had a choice, either "anger its customers by forcing them to stare [at] an empty boxing ring or show on its screens the UFC match between Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz." The decision makers "elected to show Masvidal's victory." Alvarez "might be the so-called A-side on every one of his fights, but his sport was relegated to the B-side on Saturday night." Regardless of whether DAZN "understood the implications of delaying Alvarez's ring entrance, its decision was an acknowledgment of what others already have known" -- MMA is the "new king of combat sports." Boxing's "diminished stature was obvious in the buildup of this contest." The "typically festive weigh-in the day before was especially striking." The crowd was "small and lacking in enthusiasm." Meanwhile, Hernandez noted a "significant percentage" of boxing broadcasts this year have "moved to online streaming platforms." Though many in the sport are "encouraged by the influx of new capital, it was a source of concern" for Showtime President of Sports & Event Programming Stephen Espinoza. He said, "There have been others in this market that have been very open that they're getting into sports streaming and using boxing as a stepping stone. So that doesn't speak well to their treatment of the sport and their long-term commitment to the sport. What's going to happen here? You're going to leave behind a trail of expectations and everyone else cleans up the mess when these people are gone" (L.A. TIMES, 11/3).
A NEW KING: THE ATHLETIC's Lance Pugmire wrote boxing "long has maintained a superiority complex" over MMA. Pugmire: "Let the record show the first major fissure in that rigid stance emerged Saturday night." DAZN during the delay "went into a stalling pattern of conversation with boxing media, a slew of backstage shots and needless chatter" with former NBAer Ron Artest. A DAZN official "later reported subscription sign-ups and its overall audience surged immediately following the end of the Masvidal-Diaz fight," as more than 100,000 existing subscribers "signed in because of the decision." But the delay "created a Twitter firestorm" (THEATHLETIC.com, 11/3). In L.A., Mark Whicker writes, "This is why boxing staggers the imagination, why you wonder if the accumulated CTE has invaded the brains of the promoters and the TV executives." Whicker: "While you were sleeping, and while boxing was tacitly admitting that it can't compete with MMA, Canelo and Kovalev gave the less-than-full crowd of 14,490 nearly 11 rounds of intrigue" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 11/4).
