Eddie Hearn: “We Pay More Money, We Get Bigger Exposure!”
Among boxing circles, it’s no secret that IBF world super featherweight Tevin “American Idol” Farmer (30-4-1, 6 KO’s) and WBA super world super featherweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis (22-0, 21 KO’s) have maintained an intense rivalry.
The back and forth of these two has persisted for years. Fight fans craved the bout because each are wildly talented and both are title holders.
Farmer is a defensive wizard, whereas Davis thus far, has proven to be a heavy-handed knockout artist. Naturally, the boxing world was eager to see how these potentially dangerous dynamics would play out in the ring.
Recently, it actually appeared as if this juicy super featherweight showdown might actually come to fruition. Both boxers publicly said they were ready. Also, their mutual promoters The Money Team and Matchroom Boxing didn’t seem to be standing in the way.
Well, that was until offers were actually made. The Money Team presented a $2 million dollar offer, as compared to Matchroom’s $5 million dollar proposal. In the end, this marked the beginning of their newest fork in the road.
Farmer was unwilling to compete for the lower offer, while Team Davis was unwilling to fight on the DAZN platform.
Promoter Leonard Ellerbe has been quite found of labeling DAZN, ‘the Dead Zone’. Along with the colorful, albeit disrespectful moniker, Ellerbe has consistently said that the viewership on DAZN is not up to their standards and certainly not worthy of showcasing Tank Davis.
EDDIE HEARN FIRES BACK
In a recent interview conducted with IFL TV, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing countered Ellerbe’s description of DAZN.
In the piece, Hearn reiterated how The Money Team has consistently forecasted Gervonta Davis to be the next great pay-per-view star.
While outlining their wishful thinking, Hearn pointed out the existence of an entire global market outside of American airwaves.
Hearn then highlighted that when it came to this wider global market, DAZN did a far superior job of securing interested viewers.
“By the way, let me tell you about Leonard Ellerbe, right? Just to put things in perspective, Leonard Ellerbe goes ‘oh yeah, DAZN its Dead Zone’.
“This is his new joke, his banter, right […] there is another world out there other than America, right? I’m really sorry to tell certain people that in America, but another world does exist, ok?
“[…] Our shows are seen by millions more than Mayweather Promotions shows, right? So, when you say, ‘as if we’d let Tevin Farmer fight on the dead zone, ha, ha, ha,’ right, ok.”
“Outside of America, we smash your backside and tickle your balls with regard to international TV syndication, right?
“[…] More people would watch it on DAZN than would watch it on SHOWTIME pay-per-view and more people would watch it internationally than would on your show […] so there is your argument to both questions.
“We pay more money, we get bigger exposure.”
Sadly, for the fans there, it does not appear as if these two camps are approaching any sort of middle ground on this tense issue.
This is truly unfortunate because not only would this be a fun ‘pick em’ type fight, it’s a meaningful bout that would really help define who is who in the division.
“So, take the money babe! We already offered $5 million, what do you want 6, 7, 8?! Just tell me the number, we’ll pay it.
“Name your price, Gervonta Davis name your price. If we can’t deliver it, we can’t deliver it, but I hope he’s getting the same from them.”
By: Bakari Simpson
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