By Dave Sholler
Photo © Ed Mulholland/FightWireImages.com
Promoter extraordinaire Lou DiBella should do us all a favor. When the name “Frank Warren” appears on his caller ID, he should let the call go straight to voicemail. Even though he is on record stating that he’d like to speak with fellow promoter Warren about an upcoming bout between their respective fighters, he should take this small piece of advice and let the call go to the answering machine.
Warren won’t be put through to just any voicemail though. You see, in preparation for receiving insulting financial offers and unfair fight locations for a potential fight between Warren’s Joe Calzaghe and his own stud Jermain Taylor, DiBella should record the following message:
“Hello, you’ve reached the voicemail of Lou DiBella of DiBella Entertainment. I’m sorry I can’t get to your call at the moment, but I’m trying to figure out why Frank Warren is so hell bent on low-balling my fighter. Plus, I’m busy watching the replay of a referee in Wales giving Joe Calzaghe a win for beating up Peter Manfredo’s gloves.”
While that voicemail recording might be a stretch, DiBella should proceed with caution in making Taylor-Calzaghe a reality. For starters, the current offer from Warren seems to be of no value to Taylor. As first reported by Rick Reeno of BoxingScene.com, United Kingdom media outlets are speculating that Warren is prepared to offer the Taylor camp in the neighborhood of $3million to fight Calzaghe in London.
Based on Jermain’s success, champions’ status and earning power, an offer like this is extremely low and makes very little economic sense. Furthermore, after witnessing Calzaghe’s comedic stoppage of Peter Manfredo Jr. in the UK last Saturday, the prospect of Taylor getting a fair shake in a bout in London is questionable at best.
Still, here's to hoping the fight doesn't fall by the wayside. Both sides stand to flourish monetarily if the fight is made, so long as it's done in a fair manner. Therefore, Warren needs to wise up and make a real offer to DiBella. He needs to realize that by offering Taylor boxing’s version of minimum wage now, he is throwing away a huge payday for himself and Calzaghe later.
Despite the circumstances surrounding his last fight, Calzaghe is a phenomenal super middleweight fighter with quick hands, a champion’s frame and huge international appeal. Matching him with Taylor, a slick fighter whose popularity and ring prowess is rapidly increasing, is like striking oil in your front yard.
Right now Warren is stuck in a dreaded financial mindset that makes a promoter both cheap AND greedy. Instead of seeing that the blueprint for this fight has many fight fans salivating, he is only thinking of his own bank account. In reality, boxing bloggers from both the UK and US are already getting behind their nation’s fighters, creating a buzz that can only improve ratings and/or PPV buys. In the end, his rigid style may prevent a fight that has everything promoters and fans alike look for: a good match-up, a solid storyline, and worldwide appeal.
Based on these facts, Warren should go back to the drawing board and come up with an offer that makes sense. After all, there is no logical reason for Taylor to fight Calzaghe for less than what he fought Kassim Ouma for. Nor does it make sense for him to fight for less cash than what he received for battling Winky Wright.
Warren being a stern negotiator is one thing, Warren being cheap is another. He just can’t seem to see the whole picture like DiBella does. While he acknowledges that fighting Calzaghe in London comes with increased risk, DiBella knows the financial reward would be worth it. That's why he won't say no to the London location, but only if his fighter is compensated handsomely up front. The former HBO honcho knows better than anyone that it takes money to make money. Warren, on the other hand, seems to miss that point.
In closing, maybe recording a sarcastic voicemail message isn’t necessary. Maybe DiBella should just email Warren a copy of the story currently running on Joe Calzaghe’s website. In plain print, Calzaghe’s website would sum up why Taylor needs more Big Ben-jamins to fight in England.
“Calzaghe v Taylor would be a super-fight of monolithic magnitude drawing substantial interest around the world,” proclaims Calzaghe’s website. “The winner of this fight would certainly earn a place in the history books and deserve the recognition of the best pound for pound fighter in the world.”
Dave Sholler is a frequent contributor to BoxingScene.com. He can be heard talking boxing on "The Mike Gill Show" weekdays from 4pm-7pm on ESPN 1450 in Atlantic City.