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Hatton's Promoter: No Deal with Tszyu
Looks like Hatton's camp plays a Chicken dance now, in an attempt to prevent a Chicken dance later by Hatton himself.
I think they will chicken out and that there will be no Hatton-Tszyu fight, just like there was no Hatton-Mitchell fight.
Warren furious as Tszyu jumps the gun over Hatton bout
John Rawling
Monday January 10, 2005
The Guardian
The long-awaited showdown between the world No1 light welterweight Kostya Tszyu and the undefeated Mancunian Ricky Hatton is set to take place in Manchester on June 4, even though promoter Frank Warren last night accused the Tszyu camp of prematurely announcing the contest before details had been confirmed and contracts signed.
On his website, the Russian-born Australian national announced a 4am start for the bout, which will probably take place at Manchester's MEN Arena, and disclosed that he would be paid in the region of $5m (£2.7m) to surrender home advantage to the challenger for his International Boxing Federation version of the world title.
"It feels good that a deal has been done for my next fight. It gives me focus for the year ahead," said the 35-year-old.
"I'm excited to be fighting Ricky because I believe he is a worthy challenger. This is the fight I want to see, so I look forward to putting on a good show for them."
But Warren insists the deal is not done, and strongly criticised Tszyu for conducting his affairs in the media. "It is totally amateur, and I am pissed off about it," said Warren.
"They say they are calling a press conference in Australia to talk about a fight that is not yet done.
"I would have thought that I might know whether or not this fight is happening, because I am the one who is putting up the money, and I assure you that I have signed for nothing.
"There are still issues that need to be resolved, and we should have a proper agreement in place before fans are told that the fight is going to happen."
Warren is understood to have rejected demands for changes to the original verbal agreement he thrashed out with Tszyu's promoter Vlad Warton last month and said he had made no contact with Tszyu after sending a solicitor's letter on Friday effectively saying his offer for the fight was non-negotiable.
A major stumbling block could yet be the proposed 4am Manchester start time for the contest to allow for a live US prime-time broadcast on the cable network Showtime, with whom Tszyu is under contract.
Warren, whose own contract to provide boxing for Sky TV is due for renewal in the summer, will be under considerable pressure to stage the fight at a time acceptable to what would be a massive pay-per-view British audience.
The possibility of such a late start time would create significant security issues in Manchester, and it is not yet clear whether World Boxing Union title holder Hatton has agreed to the terms being offered for his side of the contract.
"The one good thing about Tszyu jumping the gun is that it shows he has decided he will fight Ricky after talking about wanting to face people like Oscar de la Hoya," Warren added, after weeks when the fight seemed unlikely to go ahead.
The champion had discussed the logistics of meeting a number of future opponents after returning to the ring in November, following a 22-month lay-off due to injury, to defeat the highly rated American boxer Sharmba Mitchell. The devastating performance, which saw him emerge victorious inside three rounds, suggested he had lost none of his considerable powers.
I think they will chicken out and that there will be no Hatton-Tszyu fight, just like there was no Hatton-Mitchell fight.
Warren furious as Tszyu jumps the gun over Hatton bout
John Rawling
Monday January 10, 2005
The Guardian
The long-awaited showdown between the world No1 light welterweight Kostya Tszyu and the undefeated Mancunian Ricky Hatton is set to take place in Manchester on June 4, even though promoter Frank Warren last night accused the Tszyu camp of prematurely announcing the contest before details had been confirmed and contracts signed.
On his website, the Russian-born Australian national announced a 4am start for the bout, which will probably take place at Manchester's MEN Arena, and disclosed that he would be paid in the region of $5m (£2.7m) to surrender home advantage to the challenger for his International Boxing Federation version of the world title.
"It feels good that a deal has been done for my next fight. It gives me focus for the year ahead," said the 35-year-old.
"I'm excited to be fighting Ricky because I believe he is a worthy challenger. This is the fight I want to see, so I look forward to putting on a good show for them."
But Warren insists the deal is not done, and strongly criticised Tszyu for conducting his affairs in the media. "It is totally amateur, and I am pissed off about it," said Warren.
"They say they are calling a press conference in Australia to talk about a fight that is not yet done.
"I would have thought that I might know whether or not this fight is happening, because I am the one who is putting up the money, and I assure you that I have signed for nothing.
"There are still issues that need to be resolved, and we should have a proper agreement in place before fans are told that the fight is going to happen."
Warren is understood to have rejected demands for changes to the original verbal agreement he thrashed out with Tszyu's promoter Vlad Warton last month and said he had made no contact with Tszyu after sending a solicitor's letter on Friday effectively saying his offer for the fight was non-negotiable.
A major stumbling block could yet be the proposed 4am Manchester start time for the contest to allow for a live US prime-time broadcast on the cable network Showtime, with whom Tszyu is under contract.
Warren, whose own contract to provide boxing for Sky TV is due for renewal in the summer, will be under considerable pressure to stage the fight at a time acceptable to what would be a massive pay-per-view British audience.
The possibility of such a late start time would create significant security issues in Manchester, and it is not yet clear whether World Boxing Union title holder Hatton has agreed to the terms being offered for his side of the contract.
"The one good thing about Tszyu jumping the gun is that it shows he has decided he will fight Ricky after talking about wanting to face people like Oscar de la Hoya," Warren added, after weeks when the fight seemed unlikely to go ahead.
The champion had discussed the logistics of meeting a number of future opponents after returning to the ring in November, following a 22-month lay-off due to injury, to defeat the highly rated American boxer Sharmba Mitchell. The devastating performance, which saw him emerge victorious inside three rounds, suggested he had lost none of his considerable powers.
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