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FIGHTHYPE details what exactly went down between Brook/Khan negotiations
Amir Khan and Eddie Hearn Share Totally Different Stories About Failed Negotiations for Kell Brook Fight
UK boxing fans were recently given a glimmer of hope about seeing a summer showdown between undefeated IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook and longtime British rival, former world champion Amir Khan. As negotiations were said to be taking place, both camps went back and forth fiercely in the media, blaming each other for the fight not getting made. That was until the Bolton man signed a lucrative deal to face WBC middleweight champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez in a blockbuster clash on May 7 at a contracted weight of 155 pounds. Since that fight announcement, Khan has made it clear that he blames the breakdown of the potential clash with Brook solely on Brook's promoter, Eddie Hearn.
"Eddie and I were sitting at ringside at a show in Liverpool when he said he would give me 10 million pounds to fight Brook this summer. I said yes, even though I knew that with 90,000 fans at Wembley, the fight was worth much more than that. But when we went into full negotiations, he went back on that promise and came up with a lower figure; much lower. Nowhere near that number. I walked away and he tried to make me look bad by saying I had demanded an 80-20 split of the purse. That was not right," Khan recently told the Daily Mail.
With reports of Khan allegedly demanding an 80-20 split, a lot of people were quick to make various accusations about him, claiming he was afraid to face Brook and that he perceived himself to be a bigger star than he actually is. Hearn himself even told FightHype.com that he believed Khan's team were not on the same page and had no respect for Brook. It's a claim that Khan denied vehemently as he offered a different perspective
"I wish Kell all the best, and out of respect for him as a world champion, I would never have asked for a deal like that. But as soon as Eddie said that, people turned on me. They said I was scared of Brook. They're not saying that now I'm fighting Canelo, who no one else in the world wants to take on. If the ten million offer had been real, I could have fought for the money at Wembley and it would have been a fairly easy fight for me. Instead, I'm going for the chance to make history against Canelo to prove to everyone that Amir Khan is a great fighter. That means a lot more to me," Khan continued.
Hearn, however, hit back at Khan's claim, revealing that he was having positive negotiations with Khan's adviser, Al Haymon, that would have netted him upwards of $15 million pound. "Our talks were always based on a minimum of $10 million [pound] for Amir. In all the negotiations, up to last weekend, which included his adviser Al Haymon, the deal was for a 60/40 split in Amir's favor, which would have brought him between $10 and $15 million [pound]," Hearn explained.
Nevertheless, it appears both camps were never on the same wave length with what appears to be a misunderstanding of some sort. Was there some sort of strategy from either camp to deceive people into believing they want the fight? Quite possibly. Was it a clash of power and personalities that was standing in the way of this fight happening? Again, it's possible. One thing is for certain, however. If this fight ever does get made, the ongoing war of words in the media could very well help build the story and continue to generate more interest in the fight. Keep in mind that we've been here before with the likes of Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, a fight that saw over five years of back and forth talk in the media before it finally got made. As it turned out, Mayweather vs. Pacquiao was bigger than anybody could have imagined despite the long wait. We could be heading down the same route here in the UK with Brook and Khan.
"Eddie and I were sitting at ringside at a show in Liverpool when he said he would give me 10 million pounds to fight Brook this summer. I said yes, even though I knew that with 90,000 fans at Wembley, the fight was worth much more than that. But when we went into full negotiations, he went back on that promise and came up with a lower figure; much lower. Nowhere near that number. I walked away and he tried to make me look bad by saying I had demanded an 80-20 split of the purse. That was not right," Khan recently told the Daily Mail.
With reports of Khan allegedly demanding an 80-20 split, a lot of people were quick to make various accusations about him, claiming he was afraid to face Brook and that he perceived himself to be a bigger star than he actually is. Hearn himself even told FightHype.com that he believed Khan's team were not on the same page and had no respect for Brook. It's a claim that Khan denied vehemently as he offered a different perspective
"I wish Kell all the best, and out of respect for him as a world champion, I would never have asked for a deal like that. But as soon as Eddie said that, people turned on me. They said I was scared of Brook. They're not saying that now I'm fighting Canelo, who no one else in the world wants to take on. If the ten million offer had been real, I could have fought for the money at Wembley and it would have been a fairly easy fight for me. Instead, I'm going for the chance to make history against Canelo to prove to everyone that Amir Khan is a great fighter. That means a lot more to me," Khan continued.
Hearn, however, hit back at Khan's claim, revealing that he was having positive negotiations with Khan's adviser, Al Haymon, that would have netted him upwards of $15 million pound. "Our talks were always based on a minimum of $10 million [pound] for Amir. In all the negotiations, up to last weekend, which included his adviser Al Haymon, the deal was for a 60/40 split in Amir's favor, which would have brought him between $10 and $15 million [pound]," Hearn explained.
Nevertheless, it appears both camps were never on the same wave length with what appears to be a misunderstanding of some sort. Was there some sort of strategy from either camp to deceive people into believing they want the fight? Quite possibly. Was it a clash of power and personalities that was standing in the way of this fight happening? Again, it's possible. One thing is for certain, however. If this fight ever does get made, the ongoing war of words in the media could very well help build the story and continue to generate more interest in the fight. Keep in mind that we've been here before with the likes of Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, a fight that saw over five years of back and forth talk in the media before it finally got made. As it turned out, Mayweather vs. Pacquiao was bigger than anybody could have imagined despite the long wait. We could be heading down the same route here in the UK with Brook and Khan.
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