Tag Archives: Eddie Hearn

Posted on 05/06/2022

By: Hans Themistode

Since officially opting against accepting Al Haymon and Premier Boxing Champions’ two-fight offer, promoter Eddie Hearn has become incredulous about the ongoing narrative surrounding Alvarez’s decision.

From the moment the Mexican star wrapped the final 168-pound title around his waist following his 11th round stoppage victory over Caleb Plant in November of 2021, Alvarez was bombarded with numerous offers.

Initially, Haymon dangled a two-fight deal in the face of Alvarez. Amongst the names that were mentioned on said deal, was a 168-pound showdown against current WBC middleweight champion, Jermall Charlo.

Ultimately, Alvarez found Hearn’s proposal more enticing. In just a few short hours, on May 7th, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, Alvarez will take on the first name as part of his three-fight agreement with Hearn when he faces off against WBA light heavyweight titlist Dmitry Bivol.

Soon after Alvarez inked his name on the dotted line, fans of Charlo have fulminated over the Mexican star’s choice. As his staunch supporters continue to publicly back their man as a more difficult fighter to deal with as opposed to Bivol, Hearn believes everyone has lost their mind.

“How can you say that Charlo is a tougher fight than Bivol at 175 pounds?” Said Hearn to a group of reporters. “Who has Charlo ever beat?”

The normally truculent knockout artist hailing from Houston, Texas, has continually called for a showdown against Alvarez. He continued his tradition following his unanimous decision victory over Juan Macias Montiel in June of 2021.

In an effort to lure his man into the ring, Charlo, who has never competed over 160 pounds, openly revealed that he would be more than willing to acquiesce to Alvarez’s weight demands by fighting as a full-fledged super middleweight.

Ultimately, following Alvarez’s decision to go in another direction, team Charlo pursued a middleweight showdown against highly ranked contender, Jaime Munguia. Although both fighters agreed to the financial portion of their deal, network disagreements pushed their bout to the wayside.

Despite the constant change in opponents, Charlo has settled on a new foe. On June 18th, at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, Charlo will take on fringe contender Maciej Sulecki.

Upon hearing the news, Hearn becomes bemused by Charlo’s opponent selection. In the end, however, Hearn is unwilling to place the blame completely at Charlo’s feet for what he believes is a subpar foe. Instead, the longtime promoter looks directly at Premier Boxing Champions for what he perceives is myopic matchmaking.

“Sulecki? I don’t blame Charlo because he’s fighting a guy he’s not even motivated to fight. Charlo is an outstanding fighter but you’re not going to see that unless he steps up and fights a real fight. Put him in with (Caleb) Plant, put him in with (David) Benavidez.”

Posted on 04/29/2022

By: Hans Themistode

The moment it was originally announced that Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao would officially square off, the boxing world salivated as countless consumers began anxiously emptying their bank accounts in order to buy tickets.

For years, both Mayweather and Pacquiao were considered the best fighters in the sport of boxing. However, fans would continually fulminate over the possible outcome. Following years of failed negotiations, the two ended their rivalry in 2015. While the pent-up demand resulted in 4.6 million pay-per-view buys, the fight itself was a bit of a disappointment in Eddie Hearn’s opinion.

The longtime promoter packed his bags and attended the event live in person. Although the hype surrounding the fight was at an all-time high, Hearn was displeased with the actual product.

Now, with Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano just a few hours away from taking place in New York’s Madison Square Garden, Hearn believes their upcoming clash bears several similarities to Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, albeit without the stench of what he maintains was an awful fight.

“This is Mayweather vs. Pacquiao for women’s boxing but at the right time,” said Hearn during an interview with FightHype.com. “That fight massively underdelivered on the night. I left there going, that was a bit shit. You ain’t gonna leave MSG on Saturday with that same feeling.”

Taylor, 35, has established herself over the years as one of the greatest fighters in female boxing history. In addition to her spotless record through 20 professional fights, Taylor grabbed Olympic gold in the 2016 Games. Presently, the Irish native will attempt to defend her undisputed lightweight crown when she faces Serrano, female boxing’s only seven division world titlist.

Considering that Hearn has been in Taylor’s corner from the very beginning and admitting that he’s watched and cheered for Serrano from a distance, Hearn believes that the hype surrounding this fight will live up to it.

“Just watch what you’re about to see. Every Katie Taylor fight is thrilling. Every Amanda Serrano fight is thrilling, vicious, and brutal. It can only be a cracker.”

Posted on 03/11/2022

By: Hans Themistode

Tyson Fury is talking a big game as his heavyweight showdown against Dillian Whyte draws near. Fury will officially put his WBC world title on the line against Whyte on April 23rd, at Wembley Stadium in the United Kingdom, in what’s expected to be a jam-packed crowd of over 100,000.

As of late, Fury has shown extreme confidence in his ability to put his opponents out of their misery well before the sound of the final bell. Although Fury has earned a few concussive knockouts recently, promoter Eddie Hearn refuses to look at him as some sort of big-time knockout artist.

“I don’t think that Tyson Fury is a big heavyweight puncher,” said Hearn to IFL TV. “If you list the top five, six guys in the division, he’s not up there in terms of his power. You look at his resume, whether it’s [Christian] Hammer, whether it’s [Dereck] Chisora, whether it’s [Wladimir] Klitschko, whether it’s [Otto] Wallin, he’s never been an explosive puncher.”

Despite Hearn casting a dubious look on Fury’s power, the undefeated heavyweight titlist not only became the first man to defeat Deontay Wilder, but the British native did so without the need of the judge’s scorecards. During the final bout of their three-part sequel, in particular, Fury battered Wilder around the ring. As a result, Wilder hit the deck in rounds three, ten, and 11 before succumbing to Fury’s power in the penultimate round.

Without being given much choice, Hearn acknowledges that it was a job well done by Fury. However, he doesn’t believe it was a singular blow that ended Wilder’s night.

“He stopped Deontay Wilder more with pressure and work rate. But I don’t think he’s a one-punch knockout specialist. I feel like Dillian Whyte is.”

In Whyte, while he’s shown an ability to stop opponents right in their tracks, he’s recorded only two knockout victories in his past six ring appearances. Nevertheless, most recently, Whyte placed his power on display against former heavyweight contender, Alexander Povetkin.

Whyte bounced back from a shocking defeat at the hands of Povetkin in August of 2020, to score his own knockout win against the former Russian star in March of 2021. More than just his ability to crack, Whyte has an innate willingness to bite down on his mouthpiece and fight when needed.

It’s those very characteristics, along with his power, in Hearn’s view, that will allow Whyte to carry on when the going gets tough against Fury.

“I see that fight going late. I don’t see Tyson Fury winning that fight early by stoppage. If it goes late, I favor Dillian Whyte. He’s going to dog him all night, he’s going to trade left hooks and I think he has a great one in my opinion.”

Posted on 03/08/2022

By: Hans Themistode

Eddie Hearn is a staunch and firm believer in the talent of Canelo Alvarez.

The immensely gifted pound-for-pound star has walked through his competition no matter what division he’s competed in. During the last 12 months, more or less, Alvarez has stripped every 168-pound world titlist of their championship status.

In December of 2020, Alvarez easily outpointed Callum Smith to win his WBA and Ring Magazine titles, as well as the vacant WBC belt. From there, Alvarez violently ended the title reigns of Billy Joe Saunders and Caleb Plant, while sandwiching a third-round knockout win over Avni Yildirim in-between.

With all four world titles in his possession, Alvarez will now try his hand at 175 pounds. The Mexican superstar will take on Dmitry Bivol on May 7th, with the hopes of snagging his WBA title in the process.

Although Alvarez has opened up as a sizable favorite in the betting market, Eddie Hearn believes that conquering the undefeated Bivol is a monumental task.

“As good as Canelo is, I think this is a really tough, dangerous fight,” said Hearn to a group of reporters. “Moving up to 175 is a disadvantage unquestionably. But to do it against a young light heavyweight in his prime, he’s undamaged.”

Even with Bivol coming in as the bigger man, Alvarez won’t be a complete fish out of water. In November of 2019, Alvarez boldly opted to move up two divisions to take on then WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev.

In the end, while Kovalev proved to be tricky, Alvarez found the fight-ending shot in the 11th, leaving Kovalev slumped over the middle ropes and officially closing the curtains on their contest. Ultimately, Alvarez’s win, in Hearn’s opinion, was impressive but it shouldn’t be used as a measuring stick for how he’ll do for his second light heavyweight trip.

Throughout most of Kovalev’s career, although he was once a pound-for-pound stalwart, he bickered back and forth with his former trainer John David Jackson and dealt with legal issues as well as an alcohol addiction. Couple his outside of the ring matters with his age, 36 at the time, and Hearn is firmly of the belief that in the case of Alvarez’s fight with a 31-year-old Bivol, things could play out entirely differently.

“It’s not like it’s Kovalev who lived a bad life and is getting a bit old. This is a prime light heavyweight so, I worry about the Bivol fight. It’s a really tough fight.”

Posted on 03/07/2022

By: Hans Themistode

Well before Kell Brook violently closed the door on his rivalry with Amir Khan, Eddie Hearn was already envisioning a showdown between the former IBF welterweight titlist and current welterweight contender, Conor Benn.

Considering that Benn has walked through everyone placed in front of him, Hearn believes he has a future superstar and soon-to-be world champion on his hands. More than anything, the longtime promoter is attempting to boost Benn’s popularity while increasing his overall resume.

Although Hearn is convinced that a win over Brook would do just that, he reveals that coming to terms on a financial agreement with Brook is utterly impossible at this point.

“I don’t want to tell you what he asked for but it was slightly OTT (over the top),” said Hearn during an interview with IFL TV. “I basically offered him more than he got to fight Amir Khan. They asked for over three times what I offered them.”

In Hearn’s opinion, Brook’s brazen monetary request places an all British contest against Benn on ice for the time being. However, even if Brook were to lower his pecuniary demands, Hearn believes he’ll still be forced to dig deep into his pockets to acquiesce another British star, something he isn’t willing to do.

“I’ve heard actually, that Amir Khan is going to invoke the rematch clause, bizarrely. People have already contacted us saying, ‘would you like to pay us step aside to not invoke the rematch clause.’ You go on and do Khan/Brook 2.”

Just a few short weeks ago, Brook and Khan settled their pugilistic rivalry in the ring. Following years of pent frustration and persistent call-outs, Brook handed Khan a one-sided beating in front of a jam-packed British crowd at Manchester Arena.

Brook pummeled Khan into submission, forcing referee Victor Loughlin to call a halt to their contest in the sixth round. Before the two fought in the ring, however, as part of their long and drawn-out negotiations, Khan installed an immediate rematch clause on his side of the deal. While it’s unclear if Khan will, in fact, invoke his right to face Brook once more, Hearn is led to believe that there’s a good chance that the former Olympic silver medalist and one time unified 140-pound titlist will do so.

Until Brook gets things in order, Hearn isn’t interested in stalling the career of the 25-year-old Benn. With victories over Adrian Granados and Chris Algieri in 2021, Hearn is anxious to continue Benn’s maturation process. As for what could be next, Hearn refrained from naming an exact target. He did, however, unveil when everyone can expect to see Benn walk through the ropes again.

“His next fight will be announced for April 16th.”

Posted on 03/04/2022

By: Hans Themistode

Initially, many were led to believe that Canelo Alvarez and promoter Eddie Hearn were joined at the hip for his next two fights. Alvarez rebuffed a lucrative two-fight offer made by PBC’s Al Haymon that would see the pound-for-pound star take on Jermall Charlo and David Benavidez, in order to accept a two-fight deal from Hearn that will match him up against Dmitry Bivol and Gennadiy Golovkin instead.

With Alvarez officially booked up in May and September, Hearn recently revealed that his deal with Alvarez is actually for three fights. While no one has been officially named as of yet for Alvarez’s final contest with Matchroom, which will likely take place in December, Hearn believes he not only knows who Alvarez will likely face but also, where it will ultimately take place.

“It’s John Ryder in London, which will probably be his mandatory,” said Hearn during an interview with FightHype.com. “Or it’s maybe [Ilunga] Makabu in Guadalajara.”

Alvarez, who was born and raised in Guadalajara, Mexico, hasn’t fought on his home soil since scoring a 12th round knockout win over Ryan Rhodes in 2011. Since fighting primarily in the United States, Alvarez has morphed into arguably boxing’s biggest star.

Recently, Alvarez stripped Caleb Plant of his IBF super-middleweight title in November of 2021, to become the division’s first undisputed champion of all time.

Ryder, 33, jumped onto the radar of Alvarez following his recent win over former two-time middleweight champion Daniel Jacobs. Still, even with Ryder reeling off three straight victories, Makabu provides Alvarez something Ryder cannot, a chance at history.

The relatively unknown 34-year-old recently defended his WBC cruiserweight crown against Thabiso Mchunu during the first month of the new year. Before officially signing off to take on Bivol and Golovkin, Alvarez flirted with the idea of climbing up yet another weight class to snag his fifth world title, a record for a Mexican born fighter.

Admittedly, Hearn would love to see Alvarez pack his bags, stamp his passport, and head on over to the United Kingdom. But, even with that being the case, the longtime promoter admits that witnessing Alvarez return home would be on another level.

“Can you imagine, a Canelo Alvarez fight in Guadalajara? A part of me would love to bring him to the UK but also, to bring Canelo Alvarez to Guadalajara, and to see that as a spectacle. That’s maybe even over London.”

Posted on 03/03/2022

By: Hans Themistode

Conor McGregor has always kept a close eye on what’s taking place in the boxing world. The polarizing Mixed Martial Arts figure still has a sour taste in his mouth stemming from his last boxing venture.

In August of 2017, McGregor ditched his 4 ounce MMA gloves and opted to try his hand at boxing. For his pro debut, McGregor took on newly inducted Hall of Famer, Floyd Mayweather Jr. The two would tour the world while hurling every derogatory curse word in the book at one another.

In the end, their unconventional methods worked as their pay-per-view event generated 4.3 million buys, the second most in combats sports history.

Even with McGregor fattening his wallet considerably, earning reportedly north of $100 million dollars, he was despondent by the final result, losing via 10th round stoppage.

Ultimately, McGregor would love the opportunity to add a boxing world title to his enormous MMA collection. Although he isn’t sure when he’ll make his return to the squared circle, he does have an idea who he would like to work with.

“Sure, why not?” Said McGregor when asked if he would be interested in working with promoter Eddie Hearn during an interview on Seconds Out. “I have no problem with Eddie. He’s always been respectful to me. He’s doing big things in boxing. All the love in the world to Eddie and the Matchroom team.”

Hearn, of course, has morphed into one of the more premier figures in the boxing world. The longtime promoter recently wrapped up a three-fight deal with who many consider the best fighter in the world in Canelo Alvarez.

Along with Alvarez, Hearn has also promoted current IBF middleweight champion Gennadiy Golovkin, rising welterweight contender Conor Benn, and former unified heavyweight titlist Anthony Joshua.

Even with McGregor expressing a desire to dibble and dabble in a boxing ring once again, he admits that at the moment, his focus is somewhere else.

“There’s loads of options but MMA is where it’s at for the minute.”

Posted on 01/07/2022

By: Hans Themistode

Daniel Jacobs has always found his name near the top of the middleweight division. After watching his transient IBF title reign come to an end at the hands of Canelo Alvarez in 2019, Jacobs made the move to abandon the one weight class he’s known his entire career.

As of now, the New York native has enjoyed his newfound success as a super middleweight but his performances have left much to be desired. In December of 2020, Jacobs scored a fifth-round stoppage win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. In his next ring appearance, Jacobs was viewed as a heavy favorite against fringe contender Gabriel Rosado. Yet, despite the backing of the betting public, Jacobs struggled mightily with the Philadelphia native. While he would ultimately go on to pick up the split decision win, Jacobs has been embroiled in controversy as many believe Rosado was given a raw deal.

With two victories at 168 pounds now under his belt, Jacobs is set to return to the ring against John Ryder. The two are officially set to square off on February 12th, at Alexandra Palace in London.

Although Jacobs has enjoyed a long and fruitful career, according to promoter Eddie Hearn, if the former two-time middleweight champion fails to live up to his normally lofty standards, it could mean the light at the end of his boxing tunnel is within striking distance.

“For Danny Jacobs, it’s must win,” said Hearn during an interview with Matchroom Boxing. “If he loses in London to John Ryder, I think that’s the end of his career.”

For the 33-year-old Ryder, he’ll look to put further distance between himself and what he believes was a robbery during his showdown against Callum Smith in 2019. Despite Smith being tabbed as head and shoulders above his man, the former WBA 168 pound titlist was given all he could handle. Although Smith managed to retain his world title, Ryder was incredulous with the final result.

Since his controversial defeat, Ryder has reeled off two consecutive victories, including a fifth-round stoppage win over Jozef Jurko in September of 2021.

Presently, considering his recent form, Ryder will saunter into his showdown against Jacobs extremely confident. Still, while Hearn views Ryder as a live dog, he urges the super middleweight contender to look past the lackluster performance of Jacobs and take the former titleholder seriously.

“Danny Jacobs performance against Rosado was under par but Danny Jacobs is an elite super middleweight. He’s a world-class fighter and he’ll be looking to make a big statement. John Ryder will need to produce the performance of his career to beat Daniel Jacobs.”

Posted on 01/05/2022

By: Hans Themistode

The losses are rapidly piling up for heavyweight fringe contender Dereck Chisora.

At the age of 38, Chisora has yet to pick up a win since facing off against David Price in 2019. Since then, the British native has found himself on the losing end of three razor-close decisions.

On Halloween day in 2020, Chisora gave current unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk all he could handle. While the rough and rugged contender would push the Ukrainian star, he was unable to secure the victory. Seven months later, Chisora would suffer defeat again, this time at the hands of Joseph Parker.

Most recently, both Chisora and Parker locked horns in an immediate rematch. Although he gave it everything he had, Chisora was dropped three times before losing a close unanimous decision.

With another defeat smeared on his resume, many, including Parker, have urged the 38-year-old to call it a career. Promoter Eddie Hearn, on the other hand, doesn’t believe Chisora is necessarily slowing down.

“I don’t see Dereck Chisora deteriorating,” said Hearn during an interview with IFL TV. “But what I do see is him in a lot of tough fights. He’s losing to elite heavyweights.”

Even with Chisora hitting a rough patch and seemingly near the end of his rope, Hearn believes he can still compete with some of the division’s best. With former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder currently in the midst of his own difficult stretch, having suffered back-to-back stoppage defeats at the hands of Tyson Fury, Hearn has begun fantasizing about a showdown between the pair.

In no way, shape, or form does Hearn believe Chisora will be outclassed by the former titlist. In fact, if the long-time promoter were a gambling man, he’d wager that Chisora could pull off the upset, provided he stayed out of harm’s way.

“I wouldn’t suggest it but if Del [Chisora] wants to fight Deontay Wilder, he can beat Deontay Wilder. If he gets hit in the first three or four rounds, well, maybe at any time in the fight, it’s potentially over but he can outlast Deontay Wilder and wear him down. For me, I’m not out there actively looking for a fight for Dereck Chisora vs. Deontay Wilder but I can’t deny, I’m interested to watch it.”

Posted on 12/26/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Over the past few years, Gennadiy Golovkin has grown incredibly inactive. At his destructive peak, the Kazakhstan star made two or three yearly appearances. However, after scoring a concussive stoppage victory over Kamil Szeremeta in December of 2020, this year marked the first that Golovkin failed to enter the ring since turning pro in 2006.

While it wasn’t the year Golovkin’s fans had been hoping for, the current IBF middleweight champion was forced to deal with forces that were out of his control. Originally, the former unified titlist was set to take on current WBA belt holder Ryota Murata. The two were scheduled to square off on December 29th, at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

But, due to the rising concern surrounding the omicron COVID-19 variant, Japan has implemented new travel restrictions that prevent foreigners from visiting. Although there was growing optimism that Golovkin would be granted a special exemption, he was ultimately denied.

Even with their contest officially pushed by the wayside, promoter Eddie Hearn is confident that both sides will come to the negotiating table fairly quickly.

“Gennady Golovkin, due to fight Murata in December,” said Hearn during an interview with IFL TV. “Looks like it’s going to be rescheduled for March or April.”

Murata, a former Olympic Gold medalist, has spent the past two years sequestered on the sidelines. Before his recent string of inactivity, Murata was arguably in the midst of the best form of his career. The hard-hitting Japanese native immediately recaptured his WBA middleweight title against Rob Brant in July of 2019, stopping his man in the second round. Five months later, Murata would score a fifth-round stoppage win over Steven Butler.

Posted on 12/14/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Canelo Alvarez has always prided himself on challenges. Even so, once he was notified of his possible future opponent, the Mexican native was a bit shellshocked.

Following his 11th round stoppage victory over Caleb Plant on November 6th, Alvarez sat back and thoroughly enjoyed making history. With the win, the pound-for-pound star became the first undisputed super middleweight champion of all time. While Alvarez continued to enjoy his moment in the sun, Eddy Reynoso, head trainer and manager of Alvarez, was quietly plotting his next move.

Seemingly out of nowhere, the former Trainer of the Year, pleaded with Mauricio Sulaiman, president of the WBC sanctioning body, to allow Alvarez to move up in weight to take on WBC titlist Ilunga Makabu. Though both Sulaiman and Alvarez, for that matter, were first initially taken aback, Sulaiman has allowed the pound-for-pound star to face him, something Alvarez has openly viewed as a difficult but achievable challenge.

Upon hearing the news of Alvarez’s foray into the cruiserweight division, Oleksandr Usyk, former undisputed cruiserweight champion and current unified heavyweight champion, has revealed that he would be more than willing to come back down in weight to face him.

“I can fight him at cruiserweight,” said Usyk to BoxingInsider.com. “The only thing is that I keep my belts at heavyweight. I go to cruiserweight, fight him, then go back to heavyweight. I want to stay at heavyweight.”

Despite Usyk’s willingness to move back down to a division he once ruled over, many have viewed the likelihood of a showdown between them taking place as unrealistic. Eddie Hearn, on the other hand, believes the Mexican star would absolutely face Usyk. Provided, of course, a suitable weight could be agreed upon.

“I think Canelo would fight Usyk,” said Hearn during an interview with IFL TV. “I think obviously, it would have to be at an agreeable weight. I can’t see Oleksandr Usyk coming back down to cruiserweight.”

Regardless of what Hearn believes is a realistic matchup, both men have other plans at the moment. In the case of Usyk, following his upset victory over Anthony Joshua to win his IBF, WBA, and WBO heavyweight titles – the pair are currently locked deep in negotiations for an immediate rematch.

As for Alvarez, after aggregating every world title at 168 pounds, as previously mentioned, the Mexican star is eyeing a run in the cruiserweight division. Nonetheless, if it was up to Hearn, the long-time promoter would much rather see Alvarez attempt to become a two-weight undisputed champion.

“I personally think that Canelo should look to become undisputed at 175. I think he can do it. To be undisputed in two different weight classes would be incredible.”

Posted on 12/08/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Despite the long list of knockouts and the undeniable drawing power of Gervonta Davis, Eddie Hearn believes his recent competition leaves much to be desired. The former three-division star is coming off the most grueling performance of his career this past Sunday night against Mexican native Isaac Cruz. While Davis would emerge victorious, for only the second time in his career, he was unable to stop his opponent before the sound of the final bell.

As Hearn continues to dissect the level of opposition Davis has faced, he can’t help but be critical.

“I think Tank is a brilliant fighter, brilliant,” said Hearn during an interview with Fight Hub TV. “But his resume is really poor.”

Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions, the promotional banner which Davis fights under, has long expressed his displeasure with Hearn. Recently, Leonard’s disdain for Hearn reached its crescendo as he threatened to “knock Hearn the f*ck out” if they came within the same vicinity.

Hearn, of course, acknowledges the long-standing feud he’s shared with Ellerbe. That said, Hearn has tipped his cap to his promotional rival on the job they’ve done with Davis while simultaneously criticizing their team for failing to put Davis in the ring with the likes of Devin Haney and Vasiliy Lomachenko.

“Obviously I always go back and forth with Leonard but I can’t give these guys enough props. They’ve done a great job for him. He’s a star. But, if you want to just box in-house guys, you can’t be a great. What about [George] Kambosos? What about Lomachenko? What about Devin Haney? That’s what makes you a great.”

Following an explosive win over Mario Barrios earlier this year, Davis successfully claimed a world title in his third division. At the time, Davis held the WBA’s secondary title at 130, 135, and 140 pounds all at once. Regardless of his achievements, fans have continued to clamor for Davis to step into the ring against his contemporaries. However, Floyd Mayweather made his feelings clear that Davis will only face the names associated with Mayweather Promotions and Premier Boxing Champions.

“We work smarter not harder,” said Mayweather following the 11th round stoppage win for Davis over Barrios. “We keep everything in-house. Mayweather Promotions, PBC, I mean, we all one family. We’re not about to go and make another company great. We got plenty of fighters that’s at 140, 135, and 130. We’re going to continue to fight the fighters that we got to fight.”

Time and time again, Hearn has publicly voiced his interest in matching up Davis against WBC lightweight champion Devin Haney. Still, while Hearn isn’t overly concerned with the career trajectory of Davis, the long-time promoter is steadfast in his belief that until the Baltimore native steps outside of his comfort zone and faces someone outside of the Mayweather Promotions banner, his path to greatness will be convoluted.

“Tell me a fight for Tank in-house, that will make him a great? If you want to just box in-house guys, you can’t be a great.”

Posted on 10/24/2021

by John “Gutterdandy” Walker

Leave it to the sport of boxing to find a way to waste any momentum it has accumulated with the sporting public.

In the wake of two excellent heavyweight title clashes recently — Oleksander Usyk’s dominant unanimous decision win over Anthony Joshua, and Tyson Fury’s obliteration of Deontay Wilder — boxing fans were eagerly looking forward to the next scheduled high-level installment from the glamor division between top ranked Dillian Whyte of the UK and Otto Wallin of Sweden.

Three great fights in a row, it seems, was too much to ask.

Wallin (22-1-0, 14 KOs) is the heavyweight who arguably gave Fury his toughest overall fight to date (Wilder actually only troubled the Gypsy King for a few select rounds over three fights).

During their clash, the 6’6″ tall Swede used his slick counterpunching abilities to confound Fury at times, inflicting two large gashes on the Brit’s face, one above his left eye courtesy of a wicked left hook. That cut was severe enough that the fight could have been waved off, but Fury gutted his way through to a UD win that nevertheless saw Wallin rocking him hard with big shots as the fight came to a close.

Though he lost to Fury, Otto Wallin had arrived at the top end of the heavyweight division.

Since that fight, Wallin has gone from strength to strength, and looked primed to provide Whyte (28-2, 19 KOs), who has been awaiting a title shot for what seems like forever, with some very stiff competition for their bout scheduled for October 30 in the UK.

But now, the fight has been cancelled amidst questionable circumstances, and Wallin has been left heartbroken and angry.

Wallin was getting ready to depart for the UK when he was informed via email that Whyte had injured his shoulder and the fight was cancelled. No supporting documentation was provided to the Wallin camp by Whyte’s promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing. Further queries have gone unanswered.

The sketchy details surrounding the cancellation have set Wallin and his camp on edge: a shot at WBC world heavyweight champ Tyson Fury awaits the winner of Wallin vs Whyte.

At a recent presser called to make their case, Wallin and his manager Dmitry Salita fumed about the situation. “I’ve been training very hard, and had my mind put into this,” lamented a downcast Wallin.

“Just the simple fact that I haven’t seen my family [in Sweden] in two years … I’ve been staying here [in the USA], training, to make sure I’ll be ready when this big opportunity comes. I was gonna go fight, win this fight, and then go back to Sweden to see everybody. It’s tough when you haven’t seen your mom in two years (Wallin’s father passed away before he fought Tyson Fury in 2019).”

Not helping matters is the fact that Whyte had publicly mused recently about skipping the tough Wallin challenge altogether and waiting for Fury to offer him a lucrative title bout in their native United Kingdom.

“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t looking at [future fights],” Whyte said. “I am definitely looking at fighting Fury and Wallin is a dangerous operator – he pushed Fury all the way.”

Those remarks seem more ominous now, in light of the last-minute cancellation of the fight. The suspicion is that Whyte simply decided to pull the plug and wait for Fury to come calling for a lucrative, all-UK showdown. Wallin is left with a lot of hard preparation that at the moment seems like it was for nothing.

“This is such a big opportunity,” said an agitated Dmitry Salida, Wallin’s manager. “[Wallin] put so much on the line. It’s so important that the right thing happens here.”

“Injuries happen in boxing,” Salida continued. “But there’s just so many circumstances in this particular situation that makes it so unsettling … all we want is the truth. That’s all we want.”

The right thing, according to Wallin and Salida, is a rescheduling of the bout. Faced with a lack of communication from Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing, the Wallin camp are appealing to the British Boxing Board of Control and the WBC to seek a remedy to the now fraught situation.

One thing the Wallin camp isn’t interested in, however, is an offer from Croatian heavyweight Alen “The Savage” Babic, who Whyte promotes, to take his boss’s place. Matchroom head honcho Hearn has since pushed for Wallin to take on “The Savage” instead of Whyte, but Salida scoffed at the suggestion.

“Otto Wallin is a world class fighter,” Salida said. “[Babic] is irrelevant. It’s just branding for whoever that person is. I’ve never heard of this guy before (Babic was scheduled to appear on the undercard of Wallin vs Whyte).”

The Wallin camp remain fearful that Whyte will be allowed to bypass the Swede altogether and proceed straight to a title fight with Tyson Fury. Salida feels Whyte has been spooked by many boxing scribes and promoters predicting a Wallin win against the Brit.

“I am a man of my word,” said Wallin. “We have a contract signed and we are supposed to fight. And I will honor that. I am very serious when it comes to contracts and giving my word on something.”

“The redo should happen” Salida added, “but we want to see proof [of Whyte’s injury]. That’s all we want. We want to see the truth, all we want is fairness.”

“And if the right thing doesn’t happen, it will be so detrimental to our sport.”

Posted on 08/01/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Time isn’t exactly on the side of Canelo Alvarez and promoter Eddie Hearn. With the Mexican star failing to negotiate terms for an undisputed showdown against IBF super middleweight titlist Caleb Plant, team Alvarez has reportedly elected to move on.

Under normal circumstances, the unified 168-pound champion has primarily fought twice a year, both being on Mexican holidays in May and September. Alvarez (56-1-2, 38 KOs) took care of business on Mexican Labour Day weekend this past May, stopping Billy Joe Saunders in the eighth round and relieving him of his WBO super middleweight title.

While the pound-for-pound star would love to keep his tradition going by fighting on Mexican Independence Day weekend on September 18th, Hearn admits that the chances of that happening are getting worse and worse by the day.

“I spoke to Saul a couple times,” said Hearn during an interview with IFL TV. “I think the decision is, do we go on September 18th? The decision has to come any day now.”

With Plant seemingly out of the running for a showdown with Alvarez, Hearn has remained confident in his ability to lineup another high-quality opponent. Although Alvarez has firmly placed his flag in the 168-pound ground, there’s a high possibility that his next contest takes place elsewhere. Presently, IBF middleweight belt holder Gennadiy Golovkin and unified light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev, are amongst the select few in the race to Alvarez.

On multiple occasions, Hearn revealed that any of those aforementioned names would make for a great fight against the unified 168-pound titlist.

In the case of Golovkin, the Kazakstan product believes he received the short end of the stick in back-to-back fights with Alvarez. In September of 2017, Golovkin was forced to settle for a split decision draw. With that said, it was ostensible to most of the viewing public that Golovkin should have been given the win.

The two would do it again 12 months later, this time, Golovkin would suffer the first defeat of his career, albeit somewhat controversially. Since then, the 39-year-old has attempted to lure the Mexican star back into the ring.

As for Beterbiev, Hearn has stated on numerous occasions that while the Russian knockout artist is a massive puncher, a matchup against him is one that Alvarez “sickly” wants.

Still, despite the credentials of both fighters, Hearn believes another 175-pound titleholder is in the driver’s seat as the next opponent for Alvarez.

“I think [Dmitry] Bivol is the fight,” admitted Hearn. “He’s ready, obviously, we promote him. They want the fight and have been looking for that breakout fight. I think it’s a really, really good fight, a tough fight. We’ll have to see.”

Bivol, 30, has long craved a matchup against Alvarez. The WBA light heavyweight belt holder may have walked through his competition up until this point but he’s struggled as of late with activity.

After appearing in the ring only twice in 2019, Bivol (18-0, 11 KOs) took the entirety of 2020 off. He recently returned this past May against journeymen Craig Richards. Bivol would eke out a close decision win on the night. Now, he could be on the verge of landing the opponent he’s yearned for.

Posted on 06/08/2021

By: Hans Themistode

As time slowly ticks off the clock, promoter Eddie Hearn realizes that it would be ideal to begin putting together a financial plan for a matchup between Canelo Alvarez and Caleb Plant. Hearn is ultimately hoping that he can bring the two together for an undisputed super middleweight showdown this coming September.

Although he hasn’t worked out the numbers just yet, Hearn believes he’s getting close and plans on sending something to Premier Boxing Champions (PBC), the promotional banner Plant is currently under.

“We will make an offer to Caleb Plant through the PBC to do that fight in September,” said Hearn on the Ak & Barak show. “I expect a reciprocal offer for Saul “Canelo” Alvarez to do that fight on FOX.”

Alvarez, 30, is fresh off stopping former WBO super middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas. With another 168-pound world title now safely tucked underneath his arm, Alvarez is just one belt away from becoming the first undisputed super middleweight champion of all time.

While Plant respects Alvarez for his ambitions, he has no intentions of simply handing over his title. The Nashville, Tennessee native easily outpointed long faded former champion, Caleb Truax, in January earlier this year.

Although Hearn is fully expecting a counteroffer from PBC to push their contest off the streaming app DAZN and onto the pay-per-view platform, the longtime promoter believes that isn’t a smart idea. Considering when their matchup would take place, Hearn sincerely believes that placing Alvarez vs. Plant in the middle of a schedule that is currently loaded with pay-per-view matchups simply isn’t the best idea.

“What I’m very concerned about at the moment, is the run of pay-per-view events that are upcoming. I believe that the numbers in terms of pay-per-view buys will start getting massively affected by the saturation in the marketplace of pay-per-views.

“Last night you had a pay-per-view (Floyd Mayweather vs. Logan Paul), next week you have Teofimo (Lopez) against (George) Kambosos on Triller, that’s going to be a tough sell. Then, coming up the week after, you have Gervonta Davis against (Mario) Barrios. Now, as big of a star as Davis is, my goodness is that a tough sell. Then, possibly a couple weeks later, you got (Tyson) Fury against (Deontay) Wilder. Then you’ve got (Manny) Pacquiao against (Errol) Spence three weeks after that. Then one week after that, you’ve got Jake Paul against (Tyron) Woodley. Then a week after that, you want to do Canelo Alvarez against Caleb Plant. I’m very, very concerned about pay-per-view numbers in general.”