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“Kell will move to light middleweight in 2017,” says Hearn to IFL TV.
“If he’s still around, we’ll definitely look at that fight,” said Hearn about Smith after Brook moves up to junior middleweight. “I don’t see Smith as a big fight in terms of what I’m talking about, which is Cotto and Canelo. I had a long chat with Kell last night. We really want to have the big fights at welterweight, and try to unify before moving up. The offer made to Kell [from Liam Smith’s promoter] was not nearly enough. It’s less than what he’s been earning, and it’s a British world title fight for Kell to become a two belt world title champion. Frank said we can just freeze our belt and move up. No, we can’t. If we decide to fight for the WBO junior middleweight title, then we lose our IBF world title. There’s no question about it. That’s a big move for us. With the [Jessie] Vargas fight in the wings, the unification fight, really, it’s not something we’re looking to do yet. People in boxing think Brook-Liam is a big fight, but I’m not sure that it is. People like Liam and Terry [Flanagan] are suffering terribly with their profile. I heard there was 1000 to 1,500 people last Saturday night at the Echo Arena. This was a homecoming of a Liverpool world champion. I don’t feel that fight [Brook vs. Smith] is that big outside boxing, and I feel the same way about Flanagan-Crolla as well. Liam is very, very good.”
“If he’s still around, we’ll definitely look at that fight,” said Hearn about Smith after Brook moves up to junior middleweight. “I don’t see Smith as a big fight in terms of what I’m talking about, which is Cotto and Canelo. I had a long chat with Kell last night. We really want to have the big fights at welterweight, and try to unify before moving up. The offer made to Kell [from Liam Smith’s promoter] was not nearly enough. It’s less than what he’s been earning, and it’s a British world title fight for Kell to become a two belt world title champion. Frank said we can just freeze our belt and move up. No, we can’t. If we decide to fight for the WBO junior middleweight title, then we lose our IBF world title. There’s no question about it. That’s a big move for us. With the [Jessie] Vargas fight in the wings, the unification fight, really, it’s not something we’re looking to do yet. People in boxing think Brook-Liam is a big fight, but I’m not sure that it is. People like Liam and Terry [Flanagan] are suffering terribly with their profile. I heard there was 1000 to 1,500 people last Saturday night at the Echo Arena. This was a homecoming of a Liverpool world champion. I don’t feel that fight [Brook vs. Smith] is that big outside boxing, and I feel the same way about Flanagan-Crolla as well. Liam is very, very good.”
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