Eddie Hearn Addresses the Fury v Whyte Record Purse Bid
Finally, it looks like a fight between WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury (31-0-1, 22 KOs) and mandatory challenger Dillian Whyte (28-2, 19 KOs) is now set. On January 28, the purse bid was won by Fury’s co-promoter, Frank Warren. The contest is scheduled to take place on April 23 at a location to be determined.
It was a bitter and contentious battle between Team Fury and Whyte’s promoter, Eddie Hearn. They were constantly at odds about the percentage split and could not come to terms. In the end, Warren put down a record $41 million to capture the bid. Fury’s take is $32 million while Whyte is set to earn $8 million.
NOT A HAPPY CAMPER
The tension between Hearn and Warren has not cooled down. During an interview with iFL TV, Hearn broke down the process leading up to and following the purse bid.
“I thought we bid a strong bid […] Unfortunately, we were up against a situation we probably couldn’t win. So, we lost the purse bid, and then that’s it.”
YOU WIN SOME AND LOSE SOME
When pressed about why he hasn’t posted anything about the fight on social media, the CEO of Matchroom Boxing pushed back and said he didn’t have to do this interview but went on to address the questions.
“When people say, ‘oh, you’re being quiet about the fight, there is no fight yet,’ we had a purse bid. They got to pay the deposit and send us a contract. Once that contract is signed and everything’s agreed, on we go.”
Hearn was on edge throughout, often suggesting that shenanigans went on behind closed doors. Yes, Dillian Whyte gets his long-awaited world title shot. Salty at the process, sum this up as the casualty of the business of boxing. On this one, Eddie Hearn must take the loss at the negotiation table and move on.
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By: Michael Wilson Jr.
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