Following Frank Warren’s surprise proposal to pit the best fighters of Queensberry Promotions against the leading lights of Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom organisation, the promotional heavyweights have traded further verbal blows today.
On Tuesday evening, Warren cut through promotional red tape to suggest the best of both stables fight one another – referencing intriguing clashes like Daniel Dubois vs Dillian Whyte and Anthony Yarde vs Joshua Buatsi amongst others on a poster dubbed, ‘Who wants it?’.
Hall of fame promoter Warren clarified his and backer’s BT Sport’s position that all fights are open to discussion in a move that could revitalise British boxing after the chaos wrought by the Covid-19 Pandemic. A bullish Warren insisted the onus was now on Hearn and Sky Sports to respond to his overtures to make the best fights happen.
On Wednesday, Hearn responded in The Mirror newspaper. “It was an interesting move,” said Hearn. “I guess they’ve been working on that poster during lockdown.
“You’d think that if you were serious about something like that you’d just call me or send an email rather than put a press release out. But listen, there’s no reason why we can’t discuss it.
“So let’s see where it goes, but I understand it’s tough times so if I can help them out in any way, I will consider it for sure. Right now, I’m laser focused on our business and delivering for our fighters.”
Hearn’s flippant response did not sit well with Warren who flurried back with another lengthy statement covering several issues (including Queensberry Promotions’ enquiry to the Board of Control regarding Matchroom MC David Diamante’s travel history amid Covid-19 concerns), but underlining his serious intention to make fights like Joe Joyce vs Dereck Chisora a reality.
“Check your voicemail,” countered Warren. “I called you this morning, a couple of hours ago in fact. So let’s cut through all this and get together and see if we can make the great fights the British public clearly want to see.”
Incredibly, Hearn and Warren have never shared a real-life conversation, having only passed each other once on a West End street, but perhaps this strange era of social distancing will bring them closer together.