Frank losing fighters.
Of course it is about money - it is also about Ruiz not wanting to fight in Joshua's backyard - so there it is. Frank seems to think making money is a bad thing - which explains why his boxer's are leaving him. Meanwhile Frank is happy to promote Anthony Yarde travelling to that shining light of human rights and fair play - Russia.
The Ellerbe School of Bidness
Leonard says all this yet the Ortiz fight is struggling to sell - with some tickets being 'reduced' from $500 to $100. Ellerbe is right when he says the DAZN placed a ceiling on his earnings - that ceiling was $120m for four fights. It also placed a floor under his earnings - and that floor was $120m for four fights. Deontay's business sense puts him in the basement.
The fact that first, Arum, then Ellerbe, now Di Bella, line up to moan about Hearn expressing an opinion only tells me they don't like competition or criticism. But fighters see the difference and the contrast effect isn't kind to these old school boys.
Frank can sprinkle this with glitter all he likes, but the fight we wanted to see was Beterbiev v Bivol, and the way this weak sauce match was lined up even before Beterbiev got past Smith, suggests a Bivol fight is the last thing on Arum and Beterbiev's minds. It also explains why Artur didn't like Matchroom - as they tend to insist on challenging matchmaking.
This is the state of boxing media. This article states Whyte had an adverse finding - commonly known as a positive test. Clearly that cannot be the case. An adverse finding can't be over ruled by any panel anywhere. It is a failed test full stop.
The only kind of result that requires investigation by a panel is an atypical finding. A category that exists to cover things like TUE and fluctuations in normal biological processes. A panel of experts query any anomalies and then make judgement. At that moment the judgement is either adverse or negative. That they allowed Whyte to proceed to fight indicates the judgement was negative.
The way the boxing media write about drug testing is woeful, creating a narrative that such protocols are either pass or fail. Clearly they are not as there are three possible outcomes of a test - Negative - Atypical - Adverse. The panel exists to qualify atypical results into adverse or negative. So Whyte in this case was negative. Nothing to report - nothing to inform anyone about - and nothing to stop him fighting.
The comments here explain why Frank comes out with this bullshit. Folk will believe what they want to believe. I believe Egis Klimas who responded to Fury on Twitter
'Yo man before next time you will mention @usykaa name check with your team, management, advisers, promoters who agreed with all terms and conditions looks like you are the one who is holding this wagon yelling and talking is cheap @Tyson_Fury '
So either Joshua, Hearn, Whyte, Usyk, and Klimas are all liars - or Frank and Fury are.
If he is in breach, then sue him. I haven't read the contract, but it would be unusual if anything other than presence at the fight week main presser was mandated by a specific clause. Frank isn't stupid, he is sly. If I could find a bookie to take the bet, I would wager that Whyte doesn't even get the disgraceful WBC 20% - I would wager that Bob will withhold some of that contenders purse - and force Whyte to chase them through the courts for it. Call me cynical, but I know Frank is a cnut.
Joshua underestimated Ruiz in that first fight. He trained for Miller - big and tall and relentless but slow. Then he got Andy as a late replacement and simply took his eye off the ball. It's understandable - Andy doesn't look threatening - he's a short heavy and has the body of a New York traffic cop but anyone who saw his previous two fights knew he was durable and possessed great hand speed.
Joshua blew it the moment he knocked Andy down. He went to finish it and got caught because he was wide open. I think he did this because of the pressure of Wilder's sensational destruction of the deeply mediocre Breazeale. Joshua wanted that highlight stoppage - so he got reckless looking for it and got caught.
I see many people suggesting Joshua can't take a punch - or has a glass jaw - this plainly nonsense. He got caught flush by Whyte and came through it. He got caught flush and dropped by a Klitschko right hand and came through it. He got caught flush by Povetkin who broke his nose yet he came through it. Whatever happened in New York that night - where he was punched - his mindset - his physical conditioning - it wasn't usual.
Ruiz is a great fighter - he can also win this bout - he is a more natural and flexible boxer but he is at heart a hooker - he needs you close to him for those wide punches to land. If Joshua keeps his punches straight and applies cautious systematic aggression until the later rounds he should win. If he goes in swinging then Andy Ruiz Jr will retain those belts - and every heavyweight in the division will weep for the lost golden payday.
How is paying $99 for an entire year of sport paying Tiffany prices and getting Kay's jewellery? Has Hauser has been taking some of those drugs he enjoys accusing others of taking?
Inevitable.
Firing Robles is done in the hope that it will change Andy's fortunes. It won't. Ruiz is Ruiz whether he is 230lbs or 280 lbs. If you stand in front of him and trade he has a chance to beat you. If you can box and move he doesn't.
All this out of shape talk is bull****. Did Ruiz Jr gas out in that fight? No he didn't. He just got outboxed and outfoxed by a Joshua who had learned the hard way how to beat Andy Ruiz Jr.
He could be 40lbs lighter but it doesn't change his fundamental quality. He is a fighter and not a boxer. You have to stand in front of him for him to be effective.
Changing trainers doesn't change this simple reality. Haymon must be seething that all those belts slipped through his fingers.
In Summary Then ...
So to quickly summarise - Hardy did half what Luis Ortiz did but she gets a ban and a fine rather than a world title shot? We Be Corrupt.
I'm sorry - as reasons not to take a fight go - describing any offer that Matchroom USA will have made as 'lowball' is plainly fantasy. They were prepared to pay the deeply untalented Miller a guaranteed six million, with a share of the international ppv sales on top of that. $8m is a conservative estimate.
To think they suddenly got cheap when they have the US debut of Joshua on the line is illogical.
And even if they did suddenly go cheap and only offered Luis half of what they promised Miller - how does a record pay day translate into a 'low ball' offer? Half a million seems low ball to me.
The real sadness is that by passing up this chance Ortiz will now probably never get to fight Joshua. As after this voluntary he has mandatories stacking up. I just don't understand this decision.