If British boxing fans in particular have resided themselves to the fact that we aren’t going to see an Amir Khan/Kell Brook fight just yet, those very same fans cling to the hope that we may yet still see a bumper super-bantamweight clash between IBF 122 lb boss Carl Frampton and Bury’s WBA (reg) champion Scott Quigg.
The two camps have thus far failed to negotiate a satisfactory deal for the contest, with Eddie Hearn recently and very publicly offering Frampton a flat £1.5 million, that when the financial minutiae had been scrutinized – according to Frampton – seemed to favour Quigg, who doesn’t yet actually hold a “full” world title given the WBA’s ridiculous insistence on having 3 champions per weight class. (Guillermo Rigondeaux is their ‘real’ champion at the weight.)
Location was also thought to be a factor in the breakdown of talks, with Frampton enjoying an enormous base of support in Belfast, likewise Quigg in Manchester.
However, Frampton and manager Barry McGuigan then went and signed with elusive American ‘advisor’ Al Haymon and we witnessed Carl’s US debut in which he battled back from 2 early (flash) knockdowns to battle back and claim the unanimous decision against Mexico’s Alejandro Gonzalez Jr.
Quigg meanwhile beat former (2X) Frampton foe Kiko Martinez inside 2 rounds on the same night as “The Jackal’s” Gonzalez win, and given the Northern Irishman had taken 9 rounds to dispose of Martinez the first time, and decisioned him the 2nd, inevitably the balance of power for Frampton/Quigg negotiations once again began to shift given the strong showing.
At least in the eyes of the general public.
It now seems in light of the pair’s recent fights that Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn – who looks after Quigg – is prepared to return to the negotiating table and offer a unique 2 fight deal incorporating each man’s home city into the equation, yet the exact details of the purse split are unknown and apparently open to a little negotiation.
“I’m happy to commit to a two-fight deal – one in November in Manchester, and one in Belfast in the spring or summer. That’s not a problem,” Hearn said to Sky Sports.
“A double-header could smooth negotiations. That’s always been discussed. We can agree the split in advance.
“If it’s a good fight a rematch will happen anyway. Both guys think they will win the fight and move on. But they’ll probably find that, if the first fight is entertaining – which everybody knows it will be – then the biggest money in the division remains a rematch.”
Regarding his previous offer- the offer that team Frampton found unsatisfactory, Hearn said;
“That offer is still on the table, there was no time-frame. Some people have told me to reduce the offer after Quigg’s recent performance! But we don’t need to, it was fair before and it’s even fairer now.
“Scott is in a much better position than he previously was following his destruction of Martinez so it’s very difficult for me to revise my offer.”
The advice still has to be not to go raising your hopes too highly in anticipation of this fight.
If it can’t be put together then Quigg will be looking to fight veteran 4 weight world champ Nonito Donaire, who showed he still has more in the tank at 32 by destroying Anthony Settoul in Macau recently;
“It’s going to take someone to swallow their pride for this (Frampton) fight to happen. But after last weekend, it’s difficult for that to be Quigg,” said Hearn.
“For us, fighting Frampton remains our favourite option but we’re in deep negotiations with Nonito Donaire about a fight in either Dubai or Manchester later this year.”
Twitter @Undilutedpoison
