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Matchroom Boxing working on fights for next year
Dan Rafael - ESPN
Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn was in a talkative mood when we sat down for an interview inside the media center at the MGM Grand during Sergey Kovalev-Andre Ward fight week.
Besides offering updates on the possible Anthony Joshua-Wladimir Klitschko heavyweight mega fight in the works for the spring, the plans for heavyweight contender Luis Ortiz and the prospect of a possible Carl Froch-Gennady Golovkin super fight, the British promoter covered several other topics during our discussion.
* Linares-Crolla II: On Sept. 24, Venezuela’s Jorge Linares (41-3, 27 KOs) won a spirited unanimous decision to take a lightweight world title from Anthony Crolla (31-5-3, 13 KOs) in a terrific fight in Crolla’s hometown of Manchester, England. There was a rematch clause in the contract and Hearn said plans are in the works for the sequel.
“The rematch will happen in March,” Hearn said. “We’re looking at March 25 in Manchester. It’s going to be another good fight.”
Linares reinjured his fragile right hand but Eric Gomez, president of Golden Boy Promotions, Linares’ promoter, confirmed Hearn’s comments to ESPN.
“There’s a rematch clause and we’re willing to do it. Linares will be ready to go back to England and do it again,” Gomez said. “He’ll be ready come March. He’s in (physical) therapy for his hand but he is feeling better, keeping in shape and will be ready. He has no problem going back to England. Linares is a road warrior. They treat him very well in the U.K. They’ve always made him feel welcome there and he likes it there.”
*Brook’s future: After England’s Kell Brook (36-1, 25 KOs) suffered a broken orbit bone and got stopped in the fifth round by unified middleweight titlist Gennady Golovkin in September, most figured Brook, who jumped up two weight divisions to challenge him, would eventually vacate his welterweight world title and settle in at junior middleweight.
But Brook recently announced he planned to remain at welterweight and defend the title against extremely dangerous mandatory challenger Errol Spence Jr. (21-0, 18 KOs). Hearn said he was as surprised as anyone by Brook’s decision.
“I spoke to Kell the other day. I went to his house and I said to him, ‘Do you want to move to 154 pounds?’ He said, ‘What about my belt?’ I said, ‘You’d have to vacate.’ He said, ‘I’m not vacating the belt.’ I said, ‘Then you have to box at 147 pounds.’ He said, ‘That’s fine.’ It’s a mission for him to get to 147 but he said he can do it and he can perform without a problem.”
So Hearn said he will look to negotiate the fight with Spence adviser Al Haymon with the hopes of putting it on in April or May. If it goes to a purse bid, Hearn would be in great position to win it because the Brook side gets 75 percent of the money and it’s a much bigger fight in the U.K. than in the United States.
“It’s a pay-per-view fight in the U.K.,” Hearn said. “It’s a great fight. Kell is not the kind of guy to swerve a fight. I said, ‘You’d have to fight Errol Spence.’ He went, ‘Fine.’”
If Hearn had his way he would put together a welterweight unification fight between Brook and Manny Pacquiao. But Hearn said he knows that is unlikely.
“Pacquiao’s going to want a big fight,” Hearn said. “I told Kell, ‘You’re a big fight but you’re not that big fight for him so if we can’t get a unification, you have to fight Errol Spence.’ He said, ‘No problem.’”
*Cleverly-Braehmer II: On Oct. 1, in Neubrandenburg, Germany, Wales’ Nathan Cleverly (30-3, 16 KOs) knocked out Germany’s Juergen Braehmer (48-3 35 KOs) in the sixth round of an upset to claim his secondary light heavyweight title.
Braehmer had a rematch clause and Hearn said he is working with his promoter, Team Sauerland, on the rematch. Hearn said it likely would take place in April in Germany.
*Burns’ future: Before junior welterweight titlist Ricky Burns (41-5-1, 14 KOs), of Scotland, retained his title by unanimous decision against mandatory challenger Kiryl Relikh on Oct. 7, there was much discussion that if Burns won, he would next take on former titleholder Adrien Broner. Hearn brought it up, Burns and Broner did also.
But then a few weeks ago, it was announced that Broner would instead headline a Showtime card against Adrian Granados on Feb. 11 with no mention of a Burns fight. Hearn said he is still hopeful he can put it together with Haymon, Broner’s adviser.
“We wanted Broner but he’s going to fight Granados,” Hearn said. “They talk about Broner in June. But (Haymon wants) us to fight Rances Barthelemy, which is a tough fight.”
Barthelemy (25-0, 13 KOs) is a former lightweight world titlist and current junior welterweight contender with the kind of skills that would likely be a big problem for Burns. Hearn said he was not sure yet which direction Burns would go in.
Dan Rafael - ESPN
Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn was in a talkative mood when we sat down for an interview inside the media center at the MGM Grand during Sergey Kovalev-Andre Ward fight week.
Besides offering updates on the possible Anthony Joshua-Wladimir Klitschko heavyweight mega fight in the works for the spring, the plans for heavyweight contender Luis Ortiz and the prospect of a possible Carl Froch-Gennady Golovkin super fight, the British promoter covered several other topics during our discussion.
* Linares-Crolla II: On Sept. 24, Venezuela’s Jorge Linares (41-3, 27 KOs) won a spirited unanimous decision to take a lightweight world title from Anthony Crolla (31-5-3, 13 KOs) in a terrific fight in Crolla’s hometown of Manchester, England. There was a rematch clause in the contract and Hearn said plans are in the works for the sequel.
“The rematch will happen in March,” Hearn said. “We’re looking at March 25 in Manchester. It’s going to be another good fight.”
Linares reinjured his fragile right hand but Eric Gomez, president of Golden Boy Promotions, Linares’ promoter, confirmed Hearn’s comments to ESPN.
“There’s a rematch clause and we’re willing to do it. Linares will be ready to go back to England and do it again,” Gomez said. “He’ll be ready come March. He’s in (physical) therapy for his hand but he is feeling better, keeping in shape and will be ready. He has no problem going back to England. Linares is a road warrior. They treat him very well in the U.K. They’ve always made him feel welcome there and he likes it there.”
*Brook’s future: After England’s Kell Brook (36-1, 25 KOs) suffered a broken orbit bone and got stopped in the fifth round by unified middleweight titlist Gennady Golovkin in September, most figured Brook, who jumped up two weight divisions to challenge him, would eventually vacate his welterweight world title and settle in at junior middleweight.
But Brook recently announced he planned to remain at welterweight and defend the title against extremely dangerous mandatory challenger Errol Spence Jr. (21-0, 18 KOs). Hearn said he was as surprised as anyone by Brook’s decision.
“I spoke to Kell the other day. I went to his house and I said to him, ‘Do you want to move to 154 pounds?’ He said, ‘What about my belt?’ I said, ‘You’d have to vacate.’ He said, ‘I’m not vacating the belt.’ I said, ‘Then you have to box at 147 pounds.’ He said, ‘That’s fine.’ It’s a mission for him to get to 147 but he said he can do it and he can perform without a problem.”
So Hearn said he will look to negotiate the fight with Spence adviser Al Haymon with the hopes of putting it on in April or May. If it goes to a purse bid, Hearn would be in great position to win it because the Brook side gets 75 percent of the money and it’s a much bigger fight in the U.K. than in the United States.
“It’s a pay-per-view fight in the U.K.,” Hearn said. “It’s a great fight. Kell is not the kind of guy to swerve a fight. I said, ‘You’d have to fight Errol Spence.’ He went, ‘Fine.’”
If Hearn had his way he would put together a welterweight unification fight between Brook and Manny Pacquiao. But Hearn said he knows that is unlikely.
“Pacquiao’s going to want a big fight,” Hearn said. “I told Kell, ‘You’re a big fight but you’re not that big fight for him so if we can’t get a unification, you have to fight Errol Spence.’ He said, ‘No problem.’”
*Cleverly-Braehmer II: On Oct. 1, in Neubrandenburg, Germany, Wales’ Nathan Cleverly (30-3, 16 KOs) knocked out Germany’s Juergen Braehmer (48-3 35 KOs) in the sixth round of an upset to claim his secondary light heavyweight title.
Braehmer had a rematch clause and Hearn said he is working with his promoter, Team Sauerland, on the rematch. Hearn said it likely would take place in April in Germany.
*Burns’ future: Before junior welterweight titlist Ricky Burns (41-5-1, 14 KOs), of Scotland, retained his title by unanimous decision against mandatory challenger Kiryl Relikh on Oct. 7, there was much discussion that if Burns won, he would next take on former titleholder Adrien Broner. Hearn brought it up, Burns and Broner did also.
But then a few weeks ago, it was announced that Broner would instead headline a Showtime card against Adrian Granados on Feb. 11 with no mention of a Burns fight. Hearn said he is still hopeful he can put it together with Haymon, Broner’s adviser.
“We wanted Broner but he’s going to fight Granados,” Hearn said. “They talk about Broner in June. But (Haymon wants) us to fight Rances Barthelemy, which is a tough fight.”
Barthelemy (25-0, 13 KOs) is a former lightweight world titlist and current junior welterweight contender with the kind of skills that would likely be a big problem for Burns. Hearn said he was not sure yet which direction Burns would go in.
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