EDDIE HEARN is prepared to lose a fighter from his stable if they are not willing to take what he describes as the “right fights”.
Speaking to Boxing News, he revealed that during tonight’s fight between Leigh Wood and Josh Warrington there will be an announcement on DAZN regarding two additional shows, both of which, he hopes, will lay down something of a marker.
One of the two shows is expected to be headlined by featherweights Michael Conlan and Jordan Gill in Belfast on December 2. That, according to rumours online, will be supported by Tyrone McKenna vs. Lewis Crocker, Caoimhin Agyarko vs. Troy Williamson and Sean McComb vs. Sam Maxwell; four fights that have the potential to deliver an exciting night of boxing.
Gill, who has 30 fights under his belt, last fought on October 29, 2022, in what was the first defence of his European featherweight title against Kiko Martinez. It was a disastrous night for the 29-year-old, who was dropped four times prior to the fight being stopped in the fourth session.
Having not fought for nearly 12 months, typically Gill would get a fight where he is expected to win and win handsomely over an eight or ten-round distance. Hearn, however, is looking to get rid of the “runout” type of fight unless it is absolutely necessary.
“Ideally he’d like a runout but, at the end of the day, when you’ve been fighting at the top level you don’t need eight and ten-rounders,” he told BN.
“We’re going to be putting more pressure on fighters, more pressure on managers, more pressure on trainers and advisors to take fights that we believe are the right fights for them but also fights that complement the card, make the fans excited, make people tune in [and] put bums on seats.
“When a fighter really, really, really needs a runout or that kind of fight we will do it, but we can’t have it every way. If we’re gonna get criticised for a fight on the card all because we were almost pushed into that by the team to make it, it doesn’t work for us. We’ve got a responsibility to do the right things for fighters but at the same time we don’t want to see Jordan Gill in an eight-rounder or a ten-rounder.”
Jordan Gill knocks out Karim Guerfi at The O2 Arena on February 27, 2022 in London, England (James Chance/Getty Images)
Hearn then moved on to his unbeaten Irish super-welterweight Caoimhin Agyarko who for months has been linked to a fight against former British champion Troy Williamson. In his 13 fights to date Agyarko has rarely looked like losing against inferior opposition and is in need of a step-up to find out how good he really is.
“He’s ready,” Hearn said of Agyarko. “If he ain’t ready now, he ain’t never gonna be ready for this fight so you have to roll the dice.
“I’ll pay the money for the right fights but what I’m not prepared to keep doing is pay money for nothing fights because we’ve got to be tighter as a sport for that sort of thing. For Jordan Gill, you look and say, ‘Well, what is my future? This is a big fight, a big payday; I win this fight I go on to massive fights in the division and I think I can win this fight.’ Roll the dice. You’ve got nothing to lose.
“And for other guys who have had the preparation, had the grounding, had the experience, it’s time to roll the dice a little bit. I’m not saying we’re all out gambling. If it’s a 70-30, 60-40, don’t worry. If you’re good enough, you’ll win.
“We’ve got to be prepared to lose fighters if they’re not prepared to give us the right fights and the fans the right fights, while still managing their career properly and respectfully. We’ve got to be tougher as we move forward.”
