They can find a recent ponderous hitter who will knock out 15 players and call him “the next Berlanga.” They can find a hunky boxer and market him as “the next Hitchins.”

By doing it in-house, they control the narrative and, more importantly, the costs. DiBella argues that if Zuffa’s model works, the days of a fighter like Berlanga managing “overpaid” portfolios will be gone because the system will simply produce a cheaper version of the same “asset.”

“I have to be truthful with you, I don’t think it makes any difference. If that’s the case [Zuffa Boxing] doing things the right way, these guys are largely irrelevant,” DiBella said to Ariel Helwani.

“No offense to Richardson. He’s a good fighter. In five years, no one will care about Richardson Hitchins or Berlanga. It doesn’t matter.”

Berlanga faced the harshest criticism. DiBella pointed out how his early series was structured and how it shaped perceptions.

“There may be no fighter in the history of boxing, and this is a tribute to Keith Connolly, a little tribute to Berlanga, and a little tribute to Top Rank, who understood that you can take an average fighter and feed him 15 ham sandwiches and knock him out. After 15 ham sandwiches, he’s 15-0 with 15 knockouts.”

When talking about Berlanga, Dibella describes a guy whose entire reputation was built on a padded board designed to look spectacular on paper.

“So a little tribute to everyone. Berlanga is the most overpaid fighter, one of the most overpaid fighters in the history of boxing,” DiBella said.

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez suffered the first defeat of his career thirteen years ago, defeating the great Floyd Mayweather.

The pair clashed on September 14, 2013 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in a fight dubbed “The One”. Mayweather entered as the undefeated number one pound-for-pound and the biggest draw in the sport, while Canelo, then just 23, established an undefeated record and unified super welterweight titles. The competition was held at 152 pounds and generated huge commercial interest as a clash between an established king and boxing’s fastest rising star.

Mayweather put in an outstanding performance, using his trademark defense, footwork and timing to control distance across the court and repeatedly outplayed Canelo with sturdy counters and precise combinations. Alvarez had trouble cutting the ring and landing cleanly.

The American won by majority decision – referee CJ Ross’s draw was widely criticized – but the performance itself was unequivocal and cemented his status as the best player in the world.

Some believe this was shrewd matchmaking, as Mayweather added a gigantic name to his record before reaching the top. Others disagree, believing that Floyd would always be able to beat Alvarez.

In an interview with Grass BearAlvarez said he thought the deciding factor that night in Las Vegas was experience, not skill. The Mexican icon also revealed that the pain of his first defeat “hurt” him, but he managed to refocus by putting it into perspective.

“I was very frustrated, wasn’t I? Because I felt capable – at the age of 23 I felt I could beat the best in the world. And I was able to, I just didn’t have the experience and I realized that later.

“It hurt me a lot because whatever you want to call it, it hits your ego as a fighter – who you wanted to be, what you imagined, but it didn’t happen. And yes, it hurt a lot, it hit me really challenging and maybe I went through some level of depression. I don’t know if there are degrees of depression, but yes, maybe there is.”

“But then, thinking alone at home – because I like spending time alone – I thought: ‘Okay, I’ll snap out of it and think: I didn’t lose to just anyone, I lost to the best in the world. I’m 23 years senior and he practically didn’t do anything to me.’

“I told myself this wouldn’t stop me from being the best in the world one day.”

When asked what he lacked at the age of 23 and what he gained later, Canelo replied with confidence.

“Self-confidence. I think self-confidence more than anything else as a fighter = not mentally, because mentally I felt good – but self-confidence. Fighting more in these types of scenarios because it’s different. That would lend a hand me win.”

In 2026, Canelo will have to bounce back from defeat again. He is scheduled to return to the ring in September for the first time since losing his undisputed super middleweight title to Terence Crawford.

Adrien Broner has sparked fresh concern after he shared a late-night post from a flight showing multiple drinks as questions continue to mount over his boxing future.

The former four-division world champion posted the clip with the caption, “I’m almost close to Denzel on this,” referring to the film – a comparison that raises its own questions.

The backlash was almost immediate, with comments ranging from mockery to concern as Broner’s latest appearance came days after a tumultuous run that had already cast doubt on his latest comeback attempt.

Some questioned whether the return rumors had died down, while others took a more direct assessment of the current state of affairs. A smaller number urged Broner to peaceful down, but the overall reaction pointed in one direction: uncertainty.

Same pattern, fresh moment

Fasting is not an isolated moment. It follows a pattern in which failures are quickly followed by promises of redemption.

This comes after a messy period in which Broner was already given a “last chance” opportunity to return to the game after admitting he had returned to street life and was asking for one last chance.

Since then, events have unfolded rapidly, from a 48-hour spiral that required intervention to prevent drinking and driving, to further fallout involving those around him. Each moment reinforced the same question: had anything actually changed?

Adrien Broner under pressure

Broner continues to beg, begging for another chance. The final comeback is already approaching the next evening’s moment, when the former champion reaches the age of 37 and is running out of time to make the same promises.

It seems that Don King has become another promoter who has failed to tame “The Problem” who is intent on chasing quick money while living the same lifestyle – it’s getting tiring to repeat it.

For a fighter once on the verge of becoming a superstar, the gap between promise and reality has never been greater.

What will happen next?

There are no longer concerns about whether Broner will be able to return to the ring.

It’s a question of whether he can stay on track long enough to get back on track.

The recording speaks for itself. The reaction was sobering. The question is now elementary – is it the same cycle again?

About the author

Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Since 2010, he has been interviewing world champions, breaking down international titles exclusively and reporting from the ring. His work is distributed on major platforms including Apple News. Read the full biography.