Article by Phil Jay posted about an hour ago.
Irishman will have to agree to less money or world title challenge is off
European light-welterweight champion Paul McCloskey has been locked in talks with Khan Promotions about taking a pay-cut on his already small purse to ensure his WBA 140lb title challenge against Amir Khan goes ahead a week today at the MEN Arena in Manchester.
The bout has been removed from Sky Sports scheduling until an agreement is reached between all parties, with 24 year-old titleholder Khan already taking a massive cut from £1.25 million to £250,000 and McCloskey, 31, is expected to at least half his purse or the fight could be called off.
It’s been a week of turmoil for the Khan camp and whether it affects his mental state in the ring or not, remains to be seen on Saturday night. With his conditioning trainer being sacked and Freddie Roach training Manny Pacquaio at the same time, to the Sky Box Office fiasco, it all can’t be helping the Brit’s prepartions for his homecoming.
The fight is expected to go ahead as planned as McCloskey is not thought to be considering pulling out of his first world title shot over a money wrangle and will still pick up his biggest ever career purse. The whole debacle will leave a bad taste in the champion’s mouth though and it may be the last time he fights in Britain for the foreseeable future.
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What's up with the cheap purse in the 1st place? I'm surprised either fighter will even step in the ring for basically nothing. If they let the promoters get away with this BS, they will try to short change all of the top bouts.
Even in the UK, they know this fight isn't ppv worthy standing on it's own. I'm sure Sky would have ran with it as a ppv, if enough people had been buying it.
I don't see why McCloskey should pay for team Khan's inability to provide an acceptable undercard.
Hatton Promotions is whose responsible for the undercard, not team Khan.
If Kahn is taking a million in paycut then Mcloskey should take a hit too.I cant see him backing out off a world title fight with a week to go after all the hard work hes gone through in camp