Hearn: Brook-Khan in 2012, We'll Please Froch's Fans

"The fans aren't happy, we're not happy and Showtime aren't happy," said Hearn, head of Matchroom Sport. "[Showtime VP of Sports Programming] Ken Hershman is very sympathetic to the fans, like us, and we're going to do something for the fans who lost out for that show. We don't know what it is yet, whether it's some kind of compensation on flights they couldn't change or some kind of free ticket offer for the next one on December 17. We worked so hard to get the Carl Froch fans over for that fight and we want them to come back, therefore we're going to do everything we can to make everything a little less painful for them."

Hearn also spoke on Kell Brook, the 24-0 (16 KO) welterweight from Sheffield, England who will be facing Rafal Jackiewicz (38-9-1, 19 KO) of Poland in a WBA elimination bout on October 8 in Sheffield. Hearn said "it's only a matter of time" before Brook follows stablemates Barker and Froch to America, and that they have their eyes on a world title fight in the near future.

"It's an eliminator, so the natural progression after that is to go on and fight for a world title," Hearn said. "He's got to show us and everyone else that he's ready. It's just another step-up for Kell Brook, I want him to look devastating in there."

Hearn said that a clash between Brook and IBF welterweight titlist Andre Berto, who is promoted by Martinez's promoter Lou Dibella, would be "an absolute war," but that their main focus is enticing British star Amir Khan to the ring for a fight in mid-2012.

"We want to get a world championship under our belt by the time Amir Khan moves up to 147 and look at that fight potentially in the middle of next year because that's a huge fight in Britain," said Hearn.

Ryan Songalia is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) and contributes to GMA News and the Filipino Reporter newspaper in New York City. He can be reached at ryan@ryansongalia.com . An archive of his work can be found at www.ryansongalia.com . Follow him on Twitter: @RyanSongalia.