Continuing his exclusive interview with WBN, Top Rank boss and Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum turned his attention to rival Eddie Hearn.
The pair have endured a turbulent relationship in the past, which hasn’t stopped Arum from working with the Matchroom boss in any capacity.
But Arum pulled no punches when asked about Hearn’s decision to take on a YouTube event with two online presenters with no fundamental boxing skills.
Bob Arum talks exclusively to World Boxing News
“The thing with Eddie Hearn is that he’s desperate for U.S attractions because he hasn’t produced any to date,” Arum told World Boxing News exclusively. “So why not take a shot with two people that nobody’s ever heard of, except, I suppose, in the celebrity field with a function?
“For me, that’s like they’re participating in a joke. But if people want to watch that kind of thing, I mean I don’t think there’s any harm in it but it’s not serious. That wouldn’t be serious (enough) to include as part of boxing.”
Despite Arum’s view, Hearn announced with fanfare his intention to push a rematch between KSI and Logan Paul on DAZN in the United States. There have since been rumors Sky Sports are considering televising the bout of their Pay-Per-View Box Office platform.
A ‘world championship’ undercard is set to accompany the contest, possibly to justify PPV on British soil and push subscribers in the US.
Should this be the case, disillusioned UK fans would once again target Hearn for a backlash.
KSI v Paul 2 is slated for November, two weeks after Sky’s big London show featuring the World Boxing Super Series.
Punters would be expected to fork out for two £20 fights in two weeks, just before the run-up to Christmas.
Whether he believes Hearn promoting a pair of YouTubers is a sign of desperation on his part, Arum was firm in his response.
DESPERATE
“I think he should be desperate because he’s had all this money from DAZN, and he’s accomplished absolutely nothing with it in the United States,” pointed out Arum.
“For example, Canelo Alvarez, who he doesn’t promote and appears on DAZN, has done about two or three times the business for DAZN that Eddie Hearn has done in a dozen fights. So what does that tell ya?”
Billy Joe Saunders and Devin Haney are already being lined up to add kudos to the Los Angeles event, which is happening at Staples Center.
Saunders is set to defend his WBO super-middleweight strap, while Haney has an interim WBC lightweight bout before November 9th.
Phil Jay is the Editor of World Boxing News. Follow on Twitter @PhilDJay.
