The fight between Ruslan Provodnikov and Chris Algieri has been moved from Nassau Coliseum in Long Island (Who Knew That Was Still Open?) to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
The Barclays Center has been the recent home for Bernard Hopkins a Showtime fighter but Miguel Cotto may soon make the move from his beloved MSG to Barclays as he is a boxing free agent.
With the recent beef between Bob Arum of Top Rank and the MGM Grand in Las Vegas it is certainly possible the HBO is looking to capture the Barclays Center as a venue before Showtime makes it “their venue.”
We’ve already seen a divide in boxing promotions and the stations that host them, so why wouldn’t the venues be the next to choose sides? Arum moving Provodnikov to the Barclays Center can be a sign that the bond between the two sides are becoming stronger and Arum may have a deal in the works to cut out the MGM completely.
Top Rank can still have a presence in Las Vegas though since they’ve been known to host fights at the Thomas & Mack Center. Bob was extremely complementary of the Ventian (where all pre-fight events are held during the T&M fights) during his anti-MGM tirade. The split between Top Rank and the MGM Grand seems to be imminent.
I’m sure the MGM execs won’t lose a wink of sleep considering they still host Showtime/Golden Boy boxing PPVs and UFC PPVs.