By Matt Lieberman: Eddie Hearn claims that ESPN received’t be renewing High Rank promoter Bob Arum’s contract with their community, and his firm is now “fully completed.”
Hearn received labored up, frothing on the mouth over an interview Arum made right this moment by which he referred to as him a braggart, “clown,” and a “joke.” He additionally stated that Hearn has wasted DAZN’s cash.
The Matchroom Boxing boss Hearn states that High Rank hasn’t placed on any large fights for ages and that final Saturday’s Devin Haney vs. Vasily Lomachenko occasion introduced in solely 150,000 buys on ESPN PPV.
Eddie states that High Rank is behind his Matchroom firm within the U.S. on the #2 spot.
Hearn says ESPN not renewing High Rank’s contract
“I like braggadocious. I’m braggadocious,” stated Eddie Hearn to iFL TV, reacting to being labeled as such by Bob Arum of High Rank. “What I can’t perceive is that what he’s saying is that everybody in America thinks I’m a joke.
“I imply, I promote Canelo Alvarez, and we simply did 50,000 [fans] in Guadalajara. I did Canelo-GGG final 12 months, and I did Canelo-Bivol. We bought out Madison Sq. Backyard with Katie Taylor.
“He’s simply executed the most important combat he’s executed in years and years and years in Haney-Lomachenko. It did 150,000 buys. High Rank has no large fights, however I’m going to ask you a query. What was the final large combat High Rank executed?
“It’s [Haney vs. Lomachenko] not even an enormous combat. It did 150,000 buys, however if you wish to name Haney-Loma a mega-fight, when was the final one earlier than that? So when was the final mega-fight they did for Fury?
“Get this. You’ve received Teofimo Lopez towards Josh Taylor on the theater at Madison Sq. Backyard [in New York City]. They will’t even promote that out. It’s received 4,000 seats.
“High Rank is totally completed! Bob Arum calls me a joke and what was it, ‘Braggadocious.’ I’m not being humorous. Accomplished, over, finish of story. ESPN contract, gone!
“I stated in America. They’re #2 after me,” stated Hearn about High Rank being #2 to Matchroom Boxing within the U.S. “Just about [all the other promoters being done in the United States except for Matchroom.
“PBC, you look at the financials for PBC, done. You look at them as a business. You’ve got all their star fighters fighting once every 18 months. I’ve always said that I give props to Top Rank. In terms of promotional companies, they are a good promotional company.
“Show me the good fights that Top Rank is putting on. They’re not putting on any big fights at all. They’re trying to use their budget to make their financials look positive. They’re finished. They’re not going to get their ESPN renewal at all, and they’re not putting any mega-fights on anymore.
“Their biggest fight of the year was Haney-Lomachenko. 150,000 buys, and next up is Teofimo-Josh Taylor at the theater. They can’t even sell that out. It’s 4,000 seats. We’ve got Edgar Berlanga out-selling them.
“Bob Arum is the saltiest man on the planet, saltier than salty. One thing I do like about Bob Arum is that he can completely slate me, as he’s done there and he could phone me tonight and ask to do a deal with me, and I’d have no problem doing it.
“I respect Bob Arum because he’s a survivor, but he is done, over!
“He was,” said Hearn when told that Haney said that Arum was asleep during his fight with Lomachenko. “Bob is 93; he’s a legend. He’s going to fall asleep during fights. He’s 92 years old. He’s a legend in that respect. Listen, I won’t be here at that age. He’s still working. It’s amazing what he’s doing.
“But do you think Bob Arum understands the boxing audience? Do you think he understands how the younger generation digests content, the way they use devices, the way they use streaming, and what they want? No, but he is a promotional legend.
“He did ‘Thrilla in Manilla.’ He did ‘Rumble in the Jungle,’ but you’re a big moronic if you start saying I’m a joke. Look at what I’m doing. I’m out-performing you. If I’m a joke, what are you? Number 2,” said Hearn when asked what Arum is.
Arum slams Hearn
“Among the boxing people in the United States, Eddie is a joke. He’s really a joke, a clown,” said Bob Arum to iFL TV about Eddie Hearn. “He’s taken the DAZN money and had a big campfire with the money.
“Even Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy on the same platform has outshone Eddie. So I don’t take Eddie very seriously, but I don’t take any promoter that is so braggadocious and really doesn’t deliver seriously, but in Eddie’s own mind, he’s the greatest thing that ever lived,” said Arum.
