Hearn: I Made Derry Mathews Offer For Dodd on Bellew-Makabu

By Elliot Foster

Eddie Hearn has admitted that he wanted to showcase Liverpool’s own Derry Mathews on the Bank Holiday boxing bonanza in the city.

The Matchroom chief revealed that he was eyeing Mathews (38-10-2, 20 KOs) up as an opponent to fight at Goodison Park at the end of the month.

Mathews has been itching to return since losing to Terry Flanagan in a challenge for the WBO lightweight title in March and Hearn wanted to get the 32-year-old on the undercard of Tony Bellew’s vacant WBC cruiserweight title clash against Ilunga Makabu on May 29, exclusively live on Sky Sports.

“I made a massive offer for Derry Mathews to fight Sean Dodd and I felt like it would be a great fight for the event,” Hearn told Boxing Scene, “[but] that was turned down.”

Mathews has told us that there were discussions for the fight and even went as far as to say that “we have both said yes, we want [the fight],” but due to unforeseen circumstances that fight is now off the table and Dodd (10-2-1, 2 KOs), who is fighting for the vacant WBA Inter-Continental lightweight belt on the bill, will come up against Italy’s Pasquale Di Silvio (20-7-1, 6 KOs), 36, over 12 rounds.

Hearn continued: “I spoke to his management team [MGM Marbella] and everybody was up for the fight, but apparently they’ve got another fight for him [at the ECHO Arena in Liverpool] on June 4 [on a card promoted by Frank Warren and Queensberry Promotions], so they couldn’t accept.”

The Bellew-Makabu card, which is being billed ‘Real Life Rocky Story’, still has a star-studded undercard that features Hosea Burton in a defence of the British light heavyweight title against Tony Dodson and former world title challenger Stephen Smith makes a quick-fire return to title action after losing to José Pedraza last month when he contests the vacant WBC Silver super featherweight bauble, while geographical rivals Kofi Yates, of Wythenshawe, and Liverpool’s Tom Farrell, will square-up in an eliminator for the British super lightweight title.

Sam Eggington will also return on the card after losing his British and Commonwealth welterweight titles to Bradley Skeete in March and there is action for Paul Economides and former British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion David Price as he fights for the first time in Liverpool in almost three years.

Local talents Steve Brogan, Craig Glover and James Metcalf, alongside Ged Carroll, who impressed on his debut in the city last month, will get the chance to shine on the big stage.