Streaming service DAZN reportedly considered UFC stars Khabib Nurmagomedov and Jorge Masvidal as “premium” opponents for boxing ace Canelo Alvarez.<\/p>\n
Canelo recently entered into a high-profile lawsuit<\/a> with DAZN, seeking $280M in damages.<\/p>\n The lawsuit, filed in a Los Angeles federal court, stems from negotiations for a proposed\u00a0September<\/a> 12 fight for Canelo. According to Mike Coppinger of the Athletic, DAZN was unable to find the boxer a “premium” opponent for that date, and reportedly asked him to accept approximately half of $35M he should have made to take on a lesser-known foe.<\/p>\n Initially, it was unclear what exactly qualified as a “premium” opponent for Canelo, but boxing scribe Dan Rafael has shed some light on the situation.<\/p>\n Apparently, recent Canelo foes like Sergey Kovalev and Daniel Jacobs did not qualify as premium foes. Neither did prospective opponents such as Callum Smith or Billy Joe Saunders. Two-time Canelo opponent Gennady Golovkin did, however, as did Canelo’s promoter turned nemesis Oscar De La Hoya, and the aforementioned UFC stars Nurmagomedov and Masvidal.<\/p>\n One of the central issues in the Canelo\/DAZN issue is that he is supposed to fight 2x per year with at least 1 fight being against a “premium” opponent. Fair enough. At issue is who constitutes a “premium” opponent. (more)<\/p>\n \u2014 Dan Rafael (@DanRafael1) September 9, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n