Eddie Hearn calls bullshit on Amanda Serrano excuses
When a prizefight between undisputed world lightweight champion Katie Taylor (15-0, 6 KO’s) and interim WBC/WBO world featherweight champion Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano (38-1-1, 28 KO’s) was announced, it was easily viewed as one of the best female bouts that could be put together. Sadly, the fight was cast into doubt when, citing an unacceptable pay cut, the Real Deal pulled out of the event.
Rather than take the short money, Serrano’s trainer and manager, Jordan Maldonado, secured her a lucrative spot on the Spanish-based television show “Exatlón” which airs on Telemundo. Unwilling to watch the historic boxing match go up in smoke without a fight, Taylor’s Matchroom Boxing promoter, Eddie Hearn, threatened the “Exatlón” show and Team Serrano with legal action if they proceeded with the alternate plan.
WRONG FIGHT ISLAND!
Up front, there is no denial that Hearn did attempt to give Serrano a pay cut for the upcoming dust-up. All parties admit that this much is true. However, once it was clear that the Real Deal was not going to flex on the issue, Hearn left it alone and agreed to pay her the original sum of $300,000.
The trouble with this was, by the time that the Matchroom promoter got the financial aspect ironed out, Team Serrano had signed up for “Exatlón”. Naturally, Hearn couldn’t care less about the Telemundo feature and sought to get the mega-fight back on track. Greatly strengthening his position was the fight contract signed by both parties.
Oddly, after being promised the original sum of money, Team Serrano remains unwilling to accept the Taylor fight. In a recent interview with PEP Talk UK, Hearn goes into greater detail of the ongoing negotiations.
“Despite my couple of conversations with Lou DiBella a few weeks before about the date and would Amanda Serrano take any less money, which he made very clear that she wouldn’t, I gave her the full money as per the contract and so forth. Unfortunately, during that period another broadcaster came in and offered Amanda Serrano a real tasty gig on an island in the Dominican Republic to do a reality TV show.”
The truth is, she just fancied doing that! She didn’t want to go and do an eight week training camp and fight Katie Taylor…I understand that, but not on my watch! So I spoke to the broadcaster, who was unaware that she was under contract to us for this fight, and the broadcaster turned around and said, ‘we understand, obviously we are not going to proceed now with Amanda Serrano, she is under contract.’
Amanda Serrano signed a contract herself, Lou DiBella signed a contract. And under the terms of the contract, which is very, very common under force majeure, when you sign a contract we have the right to reschedule the fight. And that is what we have done!”
~ Eddie Hearn, Matchroom Boxing
NEW HURDLES
Now that the pay is no longer a sticking point, promoter Lou DiBella has stated that fighting without audiences is something of a deal breaker. DiBella also has raised concerns about Serrano having the proper time and condition to train.
“Two of the top four pound-for-pound female fighters fighting each other. Should the biggest female fight in history happen when one can’t appropriately train or spar? Should it happen on an undercard with no audience in the backyard of one of the promoters?”
~ Lou DiBella, DiBella Entertainment
In Hearn’s opinion, neither issue has any merit.
“So Lou DiBella says you can’t train in the state of New York. Well guess the fuck what? Katie Taylor is in the state of New York training for the fight! So she has no reality TV show any more, we’re saying you should honor the fight that you signed for.”
“You’ve got eight weeks, you’ve been training throughout. You’ve been posting on your Instagram every session in a boxing gym, you know, that you can’t train in. So we’re hoping that we get a call to say, ‘okay we’re on!’ I doubt it, because it’s become a little bit of a pride thing now. So that’s the basis of the situation.”
~ Eddie Hearn, Matchroom Boxing
It would be a shame if what prevents this wonderful bout from taking place is a couple of bruised egos. Stay tuned to 3kingsboxing.com to see how this sticky situation works itself out.
By: Bakari Simpson
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