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NEW YORK – Eddie Hearn and Jake Paul are prepared to literally gamble on their respective fighters.
A seven-figure wager was agreed upon by the two ahead of the Katie Taylor-Amanda Serrano lightweight championship at Madison Square Garden in New York City (Saturday, DAZN, 7:30 p.m. ET). The spontaneous gesture was made on stage during the final pre-fight press conference Thursday afternoon at MSG Hulu Theater.
“I got a bet for you, Eddie,” Paul said to the head of Matchroom Boxing, Taylor’s career-long promoter.
“I’m not having a tattoo,” Hearn fired back, referring to the bet made between Paul and Tyron Woodley surrounding their first fight last summer.
Permanent ink was not among the terms, nor was an offer for Paul to bet all of his worn jewelry that Brooklyn’s Serrano (42-1-1, 30KOs)—whom the content creator signed to his Most Valuable Promotions banner last September—would defeat Ireland’s Taylor (20-0, 6KOs) this Saturday.
“I was hoping to bet for a lot for than that,” commented Hearn. “I mean, ten grand’s not a lot.”
“This is $500k,” insisted Paul. “$500k dripping right now.”
Hearn saw and raised him.
“Maybe we can talk about a million.”
That was music to the ears of Paul, who was prepared to shake hands on the spot to solidify the deal.
“We’ll talk, we’ll talk,” Hearn responded while leaving Paul hanging. “I know about your bets. We’ll get that together.”
Paul did his best to sweeten the pot.
“Let’s do one million, c’mon,” insisted Paul, before being reminded that Serrano was the betting favorite to dethrone the long-reigning Taylor. “I’ll meet the oddsmakers’ odds. A million plus odds, let’s do it.”
The two eventually shook on the deal, though one more step will be taken to close the deal.
“We’ll get that papered up, because I don’t know about you,” Hearn said with a grin.
The healthy wager comes along with career-best paydays for both fighters. Taylor has long served as the highest paid female fighter in the world, fitting for all that she has done in the sport in addition to the Olympic Gold medalist and two-division champion serving as a sizeable draw in the U.K. and the U.S.
Serrano will make her first seven-figure payday, long overdue for the only seven-division titlist in women’s boxing history or for any Puerto Rico-born fighter, male or female. The 33-year-old Boricua southpaw has a chance to potentially double her payday on Saturday.
“Don’t forget about the bet,” Paul stated to Hearn at the end of the press conference. “When Amanda, I’m giving your million dollars to her. So, I just want to put that out there.”
Serrano fights at lightweight or heavier for just the fourth time in a career that has spanned 25 pounds from junior bantamweight (115-pounds) through junior welterweight (140-pounds). A true featherweight at her optimal best and where she’s the reigning WBC/WBO champ, Serrano jumped two weight divisions for her most recent fight, a ten-round decision win over former title challenger Miriam Gutierrez last December 18 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
Taylor attempts the thirteenth defense of at least one lightweight title dating back to her October 2017 WBA title-winning effort over Anahi Ester Sanchez in just her seventh pro fight barely eleven months into her pro career. Taylor became the undisputed champion by defeating all four reigning titleholders, completing the run with a June 2019 ten-round, majority decision over Delfine Persoon in this very venue.
A win by Serrano will make her the only Puerto Rican boxer in history—male or female—to claim undisputed championship status in the three- or four-belt era.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox