Promoter Eddie Hearn was fuming on Thursday after failing to negotiate a unification deal for his recently signed fighter, IBF welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis’ to fight WBO champion Brian Norman Jr.
A “Fortune” rejected
The offer of about $1.5 million that Hearn made to Norman Jr. (26-0, 20 KOs) was rejected by his team. Hearn says the $1.5 million he offered Norman was a “fortune,” and he thinks he’s a fool for turning it down. Hearn cannot be serious in believing that a small amount is a “fortune” for Norman. If he really believes that, he has respect for Norman Jr’s potential.
He believes that Norman, 23, will never see that kind of money for the rest of his career. If Hearn wasn’t so Scrooge McDuck-like, he would have Norman Jr. gave the $2 million or whatever he asked for because Ennis needs those belts to take his career to the next level. Hearn should see this as an investment instead of focusing on his shrinking short-term profit margin.
Boots Ennis will now defend against his IBF mandatory Karen Chukhadjian on November 9 in Philadelphia. Hearn mentioned that Boots might vacate his IBF title to focus on fighting other guys, but then changed his mind and said he might go ahead with the fight against Karen.
The cost of missed opportunities
Boots doesn’t want to fight at 154. So, he is not going to give up his IBF title. Fighting Chukhadzhian again would hurt Ennis’ popularity, severely hinder it, and it could have been avoided. If Hearn hadn’t been so caught up in his negotiations with Norman, he would have had that fight for Ennis, and his popularity would have gone through the roof had he won.
The fight would be incredibly entertaining with Boots and Norman going to war and trading bombs in what would be a fun fight to watch. But if Hearn doesn’t deliver Norman, fans will see Boots chase Karen around the ring for 12 rounds on November 9, looking inept again.
He will stay at 147, probably as long as it takes to collect the belts. This means that Hearn will have to pay the champions, Norman Jr., Barrios and Stanionas what they are asking. To look at it from a tactical point of view. Hearn needs to make those fights as fast as possible, because if he waits, those champions will become more popular, and they will demand significantly more than the pitiful $1.5 million he offered Norman.
“We made an offer to Stanionis, well north of a million dollars. Where is Stanionis going to see money like this? Who is Stanionis? It was laid on the plate for them,” promoter Eddie Hearn told the Matchroom Boxing YouTube channel, complaining about champions Brian Norman Jr. and Eimantas Stanionis, who is asking more than he was willing to pay them for a unification fight against IBF champion. Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis.
Hearn’s repeated failures to negotiate deals with the other champions at 147 show that he won’t be able to help himself. Devaluing them by predicting they’ll never make similar money doesn’t help mask its failure to deliver the fights Boots needs and wants.
“The problem with boxing. Brian Norman, Stanionis and Marios Barrios, they know they can’t beat Boots. Nobody really wants to be big. Brian Norman, who no one has ever heard of, has a chance to beat Jaron Ennis and become a superstar in the sport, making a fortune ($1.5 million) along the way. But he talks about it, but he is not about it.
Hearn’s negotiation struggles
Hearn seems to be doing a poor job of negotiating the fights with the three champions that Boots (32-0, 29 KOs) has to fight to become the undisputed champion. He has already struck out with his attempts to negotiate a deal with WBA champion Eimantas Stanionis and has gotten nowhere with WBC champion Mario Barrios.
Moving forward, someone a little more level-headed needs to be in charge of the negotiations for Boots Ennis, because Hearn is too emotional and can’t see what’s really important. He is so concerned about his short term gains that he does not see the investment for the long term.
Ennis has to give up on his futile pipe dream of becoming the undisputed champion because his promoter, Hearn, doesn’t want to open his piggy bank to pay the champions’ asking price.
“Stanionis, don’t get me started on him. That old pipe on Twitter. When I made the offer to Stanionis, I never threw up my caviar. Now he doesn’t want to know either. Barrios fighting someone else, whatever. Barrios is a good fighter. These guys, they’re not really about it.
“They talk about it, but nobody wants to roll the dice and try to be big. People come back on Twitter, ‘Oh, Eddie. I bet your offer was like $300,000.’ I wish it was. It was more than five times that ($1.5 million), but he still doesn’t want to fight. What is Brian Norman’s biggest wallet? $200,000?” Hearn said.
