We'd all like to see Joshua-Ortiz. Ortiz knows what Hearn was going to pay Miller. Ortiz won't hurt the promotion if Hearn pays Ortiz what he was going to pay Miller. If anything, more UK fans will order the PPV than they would've. If Hearn pays Ortiz what he was going to pay Miller, we'll get Joshua-Ortiz. Arguing that Ortiz should take less because in this one fight he earned this and in that fight he earned that ... is dumb. WHAT WAS MILLER'S PREVIOUS TOP PURSE? Clearly Miller's previous purses had nothing to do with what he was being offered. Hearn could've put Whyte in with Joshua. He could've put Usyk in with Joshua. Now he can put Ortiz in with Joshua if he pays Ortiz what he was going to pay Miller. If Eddie Hearn can't lock this down, they should make him turn his promoter's license.
What was Miller's previous high payday? I don't recall him making $5-6 million to fight Tomasz Adamek or Bogdan Dinu in an empty arena in Kansas. Do you?
Why, because your PREVIOUS HIGH PAYDAY argument goes out the window when I asked what Miller's previous high payday was? Hearn should pay Ortiz what he was going to pay Miller and be done with it. Jesus, I never saw a guy with so many top fighers at his fingertips - Whyte, Usyk Ortiz - drop the ball like this. MAKE A DECENT FIGHT. It's maddening.
One has to wonder why 500 000 was acceptable for facing Wilder but 5 mil was a "lowball offer" for facing AJ. And it is not impossible he can have negotiated that to about what Miller was supposed to get, despite being a lesser draw at MSG (probably clearly so). But 5 mil should be more than good enough while 10 mil would make Hearn look like someone there to be taken advantage of, so that was naturally not an option. If these figures are correct, something else must be at play here. It's all too strange. My guess is that he was afraid to caught in testing.
Because Hearn was paying Miller more than $5 million. And if Ortiz steps in to replace Miller, the money is already budgeted to pay the challenger at least what they were going to pay Miller. The quality of the card isn't diminished by replacing Miller with Ortiz. If anything, Joshua-Ortiz is a more popular matchup than Joshua-Miller. Previous HIGH paydays had nothing to do with setting the challenger's purse when the challenger was Miller. It shouldn't matter if the challenger is now Ortiz. Take the money allocated for Miller and just give it to Ortiz. Why is that so difficult to grasp?
We’re in a strange boxing world where contenders are turning down fights against the champion when offered career high paydays. First Whyte now Ortiz. It’s crazy.
Chisora admitted he squeezed some more money out of Hearn and played him on global television when Chisora beat Takam. Instead of Hearn offering Ortiz less than Miller and Ortiz asking for more than Miller was going to get, Hearn should just offer Ortiz what Miller was going to get and be done with it. It's not brain surgery.