Eddie Hearn asks for purse bid date extension from IBF, to give time to sign Cotto!

Still didn't address the injury angle. It's been a year and Johnson& Beterbiev still haven't gotten their title shot. An injury sets him back longer than waiting on Brook. It's not a smart risk to take when you're trying to set up Spence vs the winner of Garcia-Thurman later this year if Spence wins. There's a vision and plan. Not worth the risk of injury setting back his career and future unification I feel like Im trying to explain something to my 6 year old nephew and he just keeps going "la-la-la-la cant hear you". Risking an injury in a meaningless stay-busy fight is not a good idea. We agree on that. Fighting for an interim title is a completely different situation. But like most topics around here, this has now been beat to death. So fine, whatever

I'm not a fan of more belts. I'm not a fan of winning titles outside the ring. Fighting Berto for the vacant IBF is won in the ring. Don't know why you're pushing for more belts. That's a weird position to take. To many belts already And like I said earlier and have been saying. I wouldn't risk the injury and lose the spot like what happened to Beterbiev and Johnson it isnt "more belts" like with the other sanctioning bodies. You are arguing just to argue. The IBF is the only sanctioning body that uses an "interim" title in the proper way. If the champ is injured and cant do his mando, then rather than have the mandos career come to a standstill, they allow him to fight for an interim title. And when the champ is ready, he either fights the interim champ or he gets stripped. Its pretty simple, and nothing is diluted. If the injured champ ultimately fights the interim, then the interim title goes away. And if he doesnt, then he gets stripped and the interim becomes full champ and the interim title goes away. Its not like the WBA where they have multiple champs for years on end. The IBF doesnt roll that way. There is really NO DIFFERENCE between Spence fighting the highest available contender for the vacant title, vs fighting the highest available contender for the interim title. Its the SAME fight.

Cotto has been on the slide for a few years, i think at his age and this stage of his career, that layoff is probably a very bad thing. In theory, i'd like to see him come back against an opponent that isn't so great but still good. I know that sounds odd but at least if he won, we would see that he's still well above a certain level and then fight a really good fighter. I guess that's what the Kirkland fight was about though. If he come back and fought Brook and lost, it might not really give us an indication of where Cotto is because Brook is very good in his own right and there's no shame losing to him, so we wouldn't really know if he lost because he's done, or because Brook is good anyway...if that makes sense. I'd still definitely tune in anyway but i could see Brook getting no credit if he won, because of the lay off. Yeah its what I assumed the Kirkland fight was all about. Why did it fall through anyway? I'd tune in for the fight too as it would be a real cross road event, the old timer proving he still has something agaisnt the fringe world level fighter with eveyrthing to prove.

I'm not a fan of more belts. Especially not a fan of belts won outside the ring Lol who that in yo sig?

F*ch that weak ass sh*t. Ok.........

I'm not a fan of more belts. Especially not a fan of belts won outside the ring please explain the difference between spence fighting Berto for an interim title 2 months ago vs Spence fighting Berto for a vacant title 2 months from now. *and i use Berto only as an example. The actual opponent is irrelevant

Who is the current IBF interim titlist at welterweight? Hell, name all the current IBF interim titlist you can. I can't think of any. Maybe they got some in the lower classes but I don't recall the IBF using the interim title much. as I said earlier, the IBF allows for an "interim" title ONLY in the event of injury to the sitting champ. Which is exactly what interim titles were designed for. And when Brook requested the extension, Haymon should have asked Lindsey Tucker to order an interim title bout Rule 16. Interim Championships 16.A. When permitted In the event a Champion is advised that he has an illness or injury that may interfere with completing his mandatory within the sixty (60) day time period as set forth in Rule 5.D.3., he must seek a Rule 11 Exception to extend his mandatory due date. If the request for an Exception is granted, the Championships Chairman, subject to the approval of the President, may order a bout for an interim title. If the request for an Exception is not granted, the Championships Committee, subject to the approval of the President, may vacate the title.

And nobody would have a problem with that. And if thats what he wants to do then fine, but then he should vacate so the Spence kid can go about his business. All this nonsense about maybe staying at 47, maybe going to 54, negotiating with Khan, negotiating with Spence, and blah blah blah. Meanwhile the kid is stuck sitting for 6 or 8 months Exactly, this is what I'm talking about. Fight or vacate.

And nobody would have a problem with that. And if thats what he wants to do then fine, but then he should vacate so the Spence kid can go about his business. All this nonsense about maybe staying at 47, maybe going to 54, negotiating with Khan, negotiating with Spence, and blah blah blah. Meanwhile the kid is stuck sitting for 6 or 8 months This here... #fightorvacate Cotto vs Brook is a solid fight!! Hope they make it! Hope they don't. I'd rather marquez get the cotto fight, and i have ZERO interest in it. But at least he's earned it.

Cotto vs Brook is a solid fight!! Hope they make it!

I'm as big a fan of Spence as there is on this board. He deserves a shot at Brook, no question. But, if you can't understand a guy wanting to fight Cotto instead of Spence, you haven't been paying attention. This is prizefighting. And making exponentially more money is rarely a duck. It's just good common sense and business. And nobody would have a problem with that. And if thats what he wants to do then fine, but then he should vacate so the Spence kid can go about his business. All this nonsense about maybe staying at 47, maybe going to 54, negotiating with Khan, negotiating with Spence, and blah blah blah. Meanwhile the kid is stuck sitting for 6 or 8 months

I'm as big a fan of Spence as there is on this board. He deserves a shot at Brook, no question. But, if you can't understand a guy wanting to fight Cotto instead of Spence, you haven't been paying attention. This is prizefighting. And making exponentially more money is rarely a duck. It's just good common sense and business.

Eddie Hearn is a lying piece of sc*m. He is lying that they are close to reaching a deal with Errol Spence. Hearn has the IBF in his back pocket. (Pays big sanctioning fees to IBF with Joshua, Degale etc). The fact is, that Brook wants the Cotto fight at 154, and they need time to negotiate that fight. Kell Brook is going vacate like a p*ssy, and fight the weakest shot fighters at 154 till he finally secures his payday against Amir Khan. How can you blame him wanting to set Kell Brook up with a big PPV name, I never b1tched and moaned about Canelo taking the Miguel Cotto, Amir Khan fight or the Chavez Jr fight because I like those fights they're big and good for the sport. Even though GGG Vs Canelo is equally bigger than all of them I can put my difference aside and just enjoy the fight. Kell doesn't have anything to prove to you (because he has outgrown 147 and he has beaten much higher rated opponents than Spence in Porter) or anyone else so basically you all can go fxck yourself and this comes from a Kell Brook hater.

Kell is fighting Spence Will be announced next week

Take a bum tune up and risk an injury and lose his IBF mandatory spot like Beterbiev and Tuereano Johnson? I would sit on the shelf too. He didn't have a problem with Eddie negotiating with Khan because if the fight happened Kell would have to vacate and Spence would fight for the belt. If the fight didn't happen Kell would have to vacate or fight Spence for the belt. The goal is the belt, not Kell. I know there are some fighters out there who claim they want all the belts but continue chasing the man that gave them the belt. Spence isn't like that. When he says he wants the belt he really wants the belt. And if he could get it without having to fight Kell Brook, in the UK, for 25% of the purse, that would be good news for Spence.

they probably would agree, because 1 week is no big deal. But if they didnt agree, then I guess the IBF would probably deny the request because it would seem pretty obvious that no deal was imminent. As for Haymon, I dont know if that would matter. Haymon didnt seem to have a problem when Hearn was negotiating with Khan. Haymon was just fine to have Spence sitting on the shelf for these past 6 months Spence and Khan are both with Haymon though. And Haymon fighters are never what you would call hyperactive, under any circumstances.

Some good points here, but I don't want Spence to be elevated. I want him to win it from the Champ. It sounds more like Golovkin strategy. if brook fights him, then great. But if he doesnt, then whats the difference? Fight Berto (or someone else) for the interim title, or fight Berto (or someone else) for the vacant title. Either way if Brook dont fight him then Spence cant win it from the "champ" And its not a "golovkin" strategy. Its a "why sit on the shelf for 6 or 8 months when you have another option" strategy

no, since the IBF allows an interim title in the event of an injury to the champ, what Haymon should have done was to petition the IBF to allow Spence-Berto or Spence-whoever for the interim title. That way Spence stays active, and if/when Brook takes a different fight, he gets stripped and Spence would be elevated to full champ There was no need for Spence to come off a 6 million viewer telecast and then sit for 6-8 months. Its retarded Some good points here, but I don't want Spence to be elevated. I want him to win it from the Champ. It sounds more like Golovkin strategy.

I wouldn't have risked it. Berto isn't worth it. How does Berto get him a step closer to Garcia-Thurman winner? Waste of time. Berto doesn't even want to fight Porter or Garcia he damn sure aint about to fight Spence. We're talking about the same Berto everybody said was horrible for Floyd to fight? A win over Victor Ortiz suddenly makes you a force in the division again? it doesnt really matter if it was Berto or someone else, as long as it was for the interim title. THAT would have been the point. Ultimately it would be the same person he would end up fighting if Brook vacates, so why wait? Fight now, get the interim title, and then if Brook ultimately vacates then spence is elevate to full champ.

I said risk an injury and gave two examples of the situation with the IBF happening recently. You didn't address what I said. you were referring to him fighting a dummy in a stay-busy fight. Thats NOT what I suggested, so I didnt think it needed addressing. What I suggested was him fighting the top available contender for the Interim title. But if it makes you feel better, no if I were handling Spence I would NOT have suggested he fight a dummy in a stay-busy fight, because before the ink was even dry Brook would be saying "im ready but now spence is busy so i need to fight an optional"