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Eddie Hearn believes there was much more appeal and merit to an Amir Khan vs. Kell Brook welterweight match-up back when he was the one in charge trying to make the British super fight happen.
The head of Matchroom Boxing is aware that Khan-Brook is still a commercially attractive bout, but he believes the high-stakes nature that that fight once promised is now entirely absent.
Khan-Brook, which reportedly sold out within 10 minutes from its announcement in December, is scheduled for Feb. 19 at the 21,000-seat AO Arena in Manchester, England, and is being promoted by Boxxer. The fight will air on the pay-per-view platform Sky Box Office, in England, while it will be shown on the ESPN+ app in the United States.
In his most recent negotiations with Hearn, Bolton’s Khan said that he took less money to fight on Sky/Boxxer, as he felt that there would be higher viewership on the broadcast network than on the streaming app DAZN, with which Hearn has exclusive ties.
Hearn tried many times to get both fighters on the same page, especially when they were in their primes, but he could never strike a deal between the two. Of course, it did not help that the fighters were on different career trajectories. Khan (34-5, 21 KOs) was busy making a name for himself in the American boxing scene, and Brook (39-3, 39 KOs), after picking up the IBF welterweight title with a win over Shawn Porter in 2014 in America, elected to carry out his career in his homeland. That, and all the bad blood, of course.
“When I was trying to do the deal, it was a very different fight,” Hearn told SecondsOut. “When I was trying to do the deal it was for a world title. It was a fight that was a blockbuster. Still, people want to watch the fight, I know.”
Given that he feels the bout has expired past its sell-by date, Hearn said it is not likely he will watch Khan-Brook live on TV.
“I’m interested to know who wins,” Hearn said. “Will I sit down and watch it, probably not. Of course I want to know what happens now. It’s intriguing now. Both guys are finished. You just don’t know what’s going to happen. When I was trying to make the fight there was so much more at stake. Now, it’s almost like a shake of the hands. ‘Listen, let’s just do it.’
Asked if he believes the fight is simply a “money grab” Hearn responded, “Of course,” while adding that money grabs are a part of the business.
“I’ve been involved in money grabs,” Hearn said. “But [Khan-Brook] is [a money grab]. It’s just the two of them going, ‘Let’s not be silly. This is massive money for the both of us. Let’s make the fight, mate.’
“But they are both 50 percent the fighters they once were. But it’s still going to be a 50-50 fight. I still look at Kell and it looks like he’s training hard. Kahn doesn’t look particularly sharp or great, but he’s going to give it his everything.”