Matchroom Boxing head Eddie Hearn and Teofimo Lopez Jr. have been duking it out online in recent days.

It all started when the 140-pound contender Lopez took a shot at Hearn and DAZN on social media, responding to a post about a DAZN subscription cancellation. 

Lopez tagged Hearn on Wednesday and wrote: “Like I said. No more than five years. It’s going to happen whether you sterling silver spoon-fed shmuck likes it or not! #AnalyticsDontLie.” 

The comments were brought to Hearn’s attention on Thursday in an interview with Boxing Social, prompting the promoter to respond to the former unified lightweight champion Lopez (19-1, 13 KOs). 

“I talk about the commercial value of a fighter. You’re talking about a guy [Lopez] who boxed once in 2021, twice in 2022, and once in 2023. He’s a young man, and all because he has an unrealistic expectations of his commercial value,” said Hearn.

“It’s black and white. Top Rank [Lopez’s promoter], I don’t always feel sorry for Bob [Arum], but I know the frustration that he’s feeling [with Lopez]. Imagine going into a meeting with a fighter who might have a value of $2 million in a fight for a defense, and this kid thinks he should get $8 to $10 [million]. But the numbers are black and white.

“We know what ESPN will pay because they’ll run the analytics like you say. They’ll run your past performances, your ratings, your numbers, maybe your digital imprints, maybe your social numbers, whatever.”

Hearn and Lopez have a history together. 

On November 27, 2021, Matchroom promoted then-unified champion Lopez’s mandatory defense of his IBF lightweight title against George Kambosos Jr. after original purse winner Triller was forced to default. 

The bout took place on DAZN at the Hulu Theater in New York, and Lopez lost a split decision. 

“We know your gate,” said Hearn. “You crept over the line to sell out the theater against Kambosos with 4,000. It was my show. If you want to say, ‘That’s because you promoted it, and it was on DAZN.’ When you boxed Josh Taylor at the same arena [on June 10 and won via unanimous decision], you couldn’t sell it out. So, we know how many tickets you’re going to sell. If you look at the revenue in the park, we can make you an offer. 

“On what planet do you live on if you think that offer should be three or four or five times bigger than what it is? From where do you think this money comes from? That’s the frustrating thing about these conversations. 

“Do yourself a favor, get out and fight, make yourself a couple of million bucks, build momentum, and work toward a mega-fight. Sitting on the sidelines, moaning and saying Bob Arum should be paying you $8 or $10 million for a fight that doesn’t rate or sell tickets is not the answer. 

“By the way. ‘DAZN will be over in five years.’ Is that a good thing for you? That’s actually a bad thing for you, Teofimo, because if there’s one person bidding, your numbers are going to keep going like this. It’s weird, and I think Teofimo is a great fighter, a great character, but it’s a strange, strange comment [from him]. I don’t really know – just another pop.”

It appears Lopez has no interest in collaborating with Hearn. When a user on X wrote to Lopez saying he was burning a bridge with Hearn and DAZN, Lopez quipped that it’s “not a bridge I want to ever be a part of.”

Earlier in the week, Lopez posted a video of himself tossing a garbage bag in a truck while declaring the job pays better than being a boxer. 

“Boxing is garbage without Teofimo,” he wrote. 

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer, and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com, or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.