Ben Baby
ESPN Staff WriterCameron Wolfe
ESPN Staff WriterRyan Garcia proved Saturday night he’s more than a social media star.
With a vicious left hook to the body, Ryan Garcia made a resounding statement to the boxing world with a seventh-round knockout of Luke Campbell. Garcia brings a new, younger audience into boxing, but Saturday was about the respect he gained from the hardcore boxing community.
It was the biggest step up in Garcia’s career, and early on it looked as though he might have bitten off more than he could chew as Campbell dropped him in the second round with a left hook. But Garcia overcame being knocked down for the first time in his career, and his power and speed were too much for Campbell.
Garcia’s win immediately brings to mind potential megafights against Teofimo Lopez, Gervonta “Tank” Davis and Devin Haney. Garcia wasted no time calling out Davis, saying, “I’m a man of my word. Let’s go, Tank. I’m ready.” A Garcia-Davis bout would be one of the biggest fights in boxing.
ESPN analysts Cameron Wolfe and Ben Baby debate what we’ve learned about Garcia and how he stacks up against the champions and top contenders in the lightweight division.
Wolfe: This was the hurdle Garcia needed to conquer before I could put him in the conversation with Lopez and Davis. He’s proved to me that he’s a fighter — especially getting up from being dropped to come back and badly beat a game Campbell — and that’s a requirement to get in the ring with Lopez and Davis.
I walk away feeling better about Garcia’s boxing ability living up to his star persona and fan base. I still have serious doubts about him beating either Lopez or Davis, but he’s earned a lot of respect from me.
Let me turn it over to you, Ben. Did Garcia show you he has enough to beat Lopez, Davis or Haney?
Baby: That might be a bridge too far for me, even after an impressive performance against a very good fighter like Campbell. And that’s not knocking Garcia, who surpassed my expectations for him on Saturday night.
Lopez’s win over Vasiliy Lomachenko was still more impressive for me given Lomachenko’s status as arguably the top pound-for-pound fighter in the sport. Lomachenko also beat Campbell earlier in 2019.
But I’m still not sold on Davis and I certainly don’t know if Haney has the firepower to keep up with the other top young champions who are on the rise. But here’s the most important question: Did Garcia just position himself to be boxing’s lineal cash cow after Canelo Alvarez? It’s hard to argue against it.
Wolfe: Garcia has everything to be that guy … as long as he keeps winning. His social media followers are an easy joke for hardcore boxing fans, but the widespread appeal that Garcia has with Gen Z is exactly what a sport lacking superstar power since Floyd Mayweather retired needs to expand its viewer base.
As much as we salivate over the long overdue Terence Crawford-Errol Spence Jr. fight, there’s an argument made that Garcia, Lopez and Davis can all surpass them in popularity sooner than later. With popularity comes money, and no boxer under 25 can touch Garcia’s popularity.
And this new era of young lions, particularly the lightweight division, seems set on fighting the megafights immediately without letting them marinate. If they do that, the fans and money will come for Garcia and the others.
This sets up a very fun quartet at the top of the lightweight division with Davis, Lopez, Garcia and Haney. As of right now, I rank them Lopez, Davis, Garcia then Haney. How about you?
Baby: For me it’s Lopez and then Garcia. The win over Luke Campbell did more for me than Tank Davis’ win over Leo Santa Cruz. And here’s a curveball — I still like Campbell more than Haney, since his résumé now looks the weakest. Campbell hasn’t been able to beat elite guys, but he’s lost to fighters who are all arguably better than Haney.
Regardless of where you put them, the 135-pound division features names who will carry the sport for years to come. There are a ton of marketable fighters who could be the shot in the arm boxing needs.
Wolfe: This lightweight division is my favorite in boxing. So many talented young boxers who want the smoke — they are all ready to fight each other. There is so much intrigue and interest in potential megafights over the next few years, even if some happen when they all eventually move up to junior welterweight.
If I could have one New Year’s resolution for boxing, it would be that all these young lions live up to their word and clash it out with the other young lions without letting these bouts marinate. Lopez and Garcia seem more than willing, given their most recent fights. Davis and Haney have spoken about it, too. If it all comes true, boxing is the biggest winner.
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‘This year will be the first time that we’ll see a global ad spend of over a trillion’ U.S. dollars, says Charles Etienne Morier
Published Apr 23, 2024 • Last updated 26 minutes ago • 5 minute read
Like their partners in the Canadian news industry, the country’s media agencies are undergoing unprecedented transformation. The National Post is holding conversations with leaders of Canada’s largest agencies on the fast-changing fundamentals. This week, Charles Etienne Morier, chief operating officer of Touché! & Omnicom Media Group Montreal, speaks to writer Rebecca Harris.
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It has dramatically changed with technological advancement and shifts in consumer behaviour. Now, more than 80% of digital ad spend is transacted through digital buying platforms, so it has become increasingly important for our workforce to have a good understanding of the algorithms and how to maximize them.
The process has changed also. It’s no longer about creating a 30-second spot and then selecting a media channel to distribute the message. We start with the audiences, the channels where we need to reach them, and then tailor a message that will be appealing. And so, we need to work even more closely with our creative partners.
And we think 2024 will change even more. It’s going to be an inflection point despite all the changes we have gone through over the last three years. This year will be the first time that we’ll see a global ad spend of over a trillion (U.S. dollars). It shows the responsibility that we have as advertisers and agencies to spend that money wisely and ensure we make every ad dollar count, and that we are engaging consumers in a way that speaks to them in an age where there’s a lot of uncertainty about how they share their data and private information.
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The team now needs to be proficient in so many areas. We used to have strategy, media buying and planning, and optimization and reporting. Now, we need to be able to help our clients navigate within this complex digital ecosystem with clean rooms (environments where brands, publishers and advertisers share data), the deprecation of cookies, and dynamic creative optimization. Our agency has changed dramatically in the sense that we offer much more depth in our services now. So, our leaders need to be proficient in being able to discuss those subjects with clients. We have a strong learning system in place and it’s part of our value, to make sure that our teams stay curious because it’s changing so much by the day.
Brands that are breaking through are able to prioritize authenticity, relevance and creativity in their messaging and their approach to media. Consumers are bombarded with messages every day and there’s ad blocking, so we have to find new ways of capturing consumer attention… We need to make ads relevant to consumers and bring more value into their lives. And leverage the data we have at our disposal to tailor the message to specific audience segments and engage the consumer in multiple touchpoints.
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We’ve been working for almost two years on educating our clients, making sure that they are prepared. So, we are doing assessments to make sure we have everything in place to prepare for the impact of the deprecation of cookies. It will change a lot for measurement because we will not be able to measure the same things the same way. We will not be able to target in the same way. But I see it as an opportunity somewhat, to be able to come back to (advertising) that is more creative and more around content and context… and more in relation to targeting the right people in the right moment instead of relying too much on the data.
Retail media (platforms that allow retailers to sell ads to brands) will be expanding. Now, the stat is one in five dollars will be spent in retail media globally and 20 per cent of the commerce ecosystem will be done online. So, it’s going to be more important to have a strong omnichannel approach and deliver a positive consumer experience.
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There’s also social commerce… There are so many influencers – there are 50 million creators globally. So how, as an agency, we’re able to harness that and power that at scale is crucial, and how we can partner with creators effectively. It’s changing a lot in media planning on that front. There is a real shift from curation to generation of content.
Television as well is changing a lot, from linear to connected TV. There is a streaming war at the moment, so we need to create new standards, overcome walled gardens (where the platform provider controls the content and data) and figure out measurement.
And obviously automation will play a bigger role. The way I see it is (artificial intelligence) will bring more value to what we do to bring smarter, faster and more effective work. For me, it’s not just about AI itself. It’s more about connected intelligence with the human at the centre of it. So, it’s how we can use the tool to amplify what we are doing.
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A 13-year-old western Quebec boy accused of harassing and threatening another child online is facing four charges and conditions restricting his internet activity.
In a news release issued Friday, police in the MRC des Collines-de-l’Outaouais said the alleged victim’s parent filed a complaint after being “subjected to the suspect’s wrath for several months.”
Police said they went to the accused’s home on Sunday to arrest him, but had to return with a warrant the following day after his parents initially refused to co-operate.
The 13-year-old was arrested Monday evening and detained. He was formally charged on Tuesday with criminal harassment, uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm, distributing child pornography and unauthorized possession of an unspecified restricted weapon.
Among his release conditions, the boy can’t access social media and can’t use the internet without adult supervision.
Police didn’t offer details about the alleged threats or where the youth lives. The municipality includes the communities of Chelsea, Quyon, Val-des-Monts and Wakefield.
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