Author: Sean Close
If you’re a boxing fan, you’ll want to watch junior welterweights Ryan Garcia and Teofimo Lopez battle it out in the ring. Both are skilled, skilled and extremely confident. In short, it was a match that promised fireworks. And certainly both Garcia and Lopez are looking for redemption. Garcia lost by knockout to Gervonta Davis in a highly publicized superfight last spring, but Lopez is looking to regain the ground in his career that he lost in a decision to George Kambosos a few years ago. Don’t get me wrong, Garcia-Lopez is going to be a big fight.
But will it happen? More importantly, could it happen during Super Bowl weekend in February? Garcia’s promoter, former pound-for-pound great Oscar De La Hoya, certainly thinks so. In an Instagram post on Wednesday, the man expressed his feelings: “Super Bowl weekend is the Super Bowl of boxing.” “Imagine if we could all work together and create a historic night for millions of people around the world.” Of course that sounds great, but this is a modern-day Since it’s boxing, will such an event really happen? It’s all the more reason why De La Hoya looks optimistic in the video that accompanies this post.
“Imagine Super Bowl weekend, the Super Bowl of boxing, with Ryan Garcia, Teofimo Lopez, or even Prograis winner Devin Haney, and Shakur vs. William Zepeda on the undercard. And the ultimate is Jaime Munguia vs. Derevyanchenko, or maybe Berlanga. And to open it up, there’s Kid Austin vs. Joe Joe Diaz. The Super Bowl of boxing. Let’s do this!” quite a bit It’s a lineup, and it’s definitely worth a look. Moreover, it’s not out of the realm of possibility for such a card to be made.
But will it?
Frankly, it’s all just like having Garcia one superstar and potentially joining him with so many impressive, popular, and, let’s be honest, expensive fighters. It will probably cost a huge amount of money. Garcia is young and popular enough outside of the boxing world to attract a young audience that just wants to see the social media-savvy Californian in action. Still, names like Lopez, Prograis, Haney, and Stevenson don’t come cheap. Even just one or two names on that list would cost a lot of money to put on the same card. And then, of course, there’s the infuriating fact that boxing politics, more than bad weather, ruined a potential big card.
Still, De La Hoya deserves credit here. He seems sincere. Moreover, if he pulls it off, boxing fans will rejoice in the victory.
