Simon Jordan has just confirmed that yet another candidate for fight of the year has been pulled at the last minute.
We’ve had Tyson Fury versus Anthony Joshua fall apart, Terence Crawford and Errol Spence arguing over who stopped their scrap, and who knows when Ryan Garcia and Gervonta Davis will finally face off. Surely boxing fans can’t take another big fight falling through? Well, we’re going to have to.
TalkSPORT’s Simon Jordan has declined Eddie Hearn’s invite for a six-rounder. The offer came after Hearn took issue with some comments Jordan made on one of his fighters – Conor Benn – and his failed drug test drama.
Jordan responded to the promoter’s offer on his latest talkBOXING podcast.
“I’m seeing Eddie Hearn and his little gang of refugees from the Wizard of Oz that work for him, that are making facetious comments about me, or about my propensity to ask questions, or my lack of knowledge, or what businesses I may own, or what colour my hair may be, and who may have met me twenty years ago.
None of it being relevant, all of it being a distraction leading up to some ridiculous scenario of where I’m apparently going to have a charity fight with Eddie Hearn and spit bucket Frank Smith is gonna come along and have a go as well.”
On a serious note, Jordan has no interest. Instead, he calls it deflection from the matter at hand – namely Benn’s two failed drug tests. He goes on to like the questions he’d like answered.
“It’s nonsense. It’s crap. It’s deflection. It’s trying to demean and deride and deflect away from the central [issue]. I’m not 12 years of age. I’m not going to have a fight with Eddie Hearn. I’m not trying to be controversial. I’m not trying to be divisive. I am trying to understand why it is that no one seems to have the balls to say right, let’s go through this set of questions.
How has a fighter failed his tests? Why are we being told that the first people’s knowledge of it was September the 23rd when now we find out that the first test was in July which means everyone’s knowledge of it was August? Why are people blaming the British Boxing Board of Control? Why are people – by people I mean the promoters – why are people suggesting that appropriate for the fighters which banned substance they’ll allow the other fighter to fight with?”
Just like Simon Jordan, the boxing world awaits more information from Conor Benn and his team – although it’s unlikely to come this week as legal issues and scientific research continue behind the scenes.