By Terence Dooley

Eddie Hearn of Matchroom has got the ball rolling on a potential fight between WBA World Super bantamweight titlist Scott Quigg and the IBF’s title-holder Carl Frampton by sending Barry McGuigan a proposal for a summer showdown.  Hearn revealed the news during an interview with The Daily Mail earlier today, and has told Team Frampton that the ball is now in their court.

“Scott is not worried about where the fight is staged or what television channel it is shown on— we just want to make this fight,” stated Hearn.  “Of course the finances have to be right and we have submitted a proposal that will pay both fighters huge money.  They (Frampton and McGuigan) will talk with their broadcaster and see what's on offer and then hopefully we will sit down as soon as possible.  After that, we can push negotiations on.  I'm not sure if we will ever find an agreed split—I would be happy for a 60-40 purse split in favour of the winner.  If you really fancy it I can't see a problem with that.  Let's see.”

He added: “'If we can all reach an agreement, then I would love to make this fight in June.  We'd be happy to fight in Belfast if the numbers were right, but likewise Manchester would be brilliant and so would the O2 Arena in London.  There is a long way to go but who wouldn't want to see this fight?”

Frampton moved to 20-0 (14) by beating Chris Avalos live on ITV on February 28; Quigg is 30-0 (22) and last fought in November, a decision win over Hidenori Otake in Liverpool before undergoing hand surgery, which has ruled him out until the summer and means he will not be able to take a warm-up fight.

Previously, the stumbling block for the fight centred on the purse split, with McGuigan arguing that his man deserved the thicker end of the wedge, but with Frampton’s recent exposure on ITV the sides are now arguing over whether it is best to put the fight on the terrestrial platform or host it on Sky, who Hearn has a multi-fight deal with.  As the fight edges closer, the question of venue will probably become an issue, too—there is a lot to discuss if it is to be finalised for summer.

However, today’s news will be heartening for the many British boxing fans who want to see the two fighters meet for the right to fight Guillermo Rigondeaux, the division’s true champion.  Still, Gary Hyde has told BoxingScene’s Kurt Ward that he wants to force Quigg to defend against the Cuban or risk losing his portion of the WBA crown.

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