"Sky blocking AJ by paying him more" - Eddie Hearn

Oh, he is definitely bitter. Though I think it has been building for a while. Don't think they ever got over how the American market and other promoters circled the waggons to prevent Joshua getting a fight with both Wilder and then Fury from 2018 onward. Add in the chaos surrounding Joshua's coming out part in the U.S. basically tanking his brand image stateside, and to a degree back home, which they spent years building. Then, this is just the latest reminder that for as great a promoter as he is, there are more powerful vested interests in the game who aren't going to quietly lay down for him.

Ultimately this bitterness is self-defeating; Hearn built a cult of personality around himself in the promotion of his Matchroom FC brand, but he made too many enemies along the way. He should try to get back to what made him popular, but with Joshua's star on the wain, he probably knows that isn't possible now.

This Sky capture of the fight looks to be the straw that broke the camels back. Oh yes, he is bitter.

 

I wasn't really trying to counter argue tbf lol

It's not a subject im too fussed over
Just mentioning what i saw and heard

 

Mate, you need to relax. Go to the pub or something. This is borderline obsessive.

 

well I agree with you that it's a wasted effort
You lot will never admit that you might have been wrong and so these arguments spill across multiple pages.
I'll leave it there

 

I know what I heard him say. Believe it or not I have no reason to make it up as validation from you means nothing to me.

 

That would be fine except, you seem to have forgotten that you quoted me to tell me I was wrong and it was a duck.
I politely asked you and others to back this up
You couldn't
The end

 

Just pointing out you were incorrect and still are.

 

Only in your head, neurological
Only in your head

 

Looking At Connor Mcgregors recent ppv numbers:

Mcgregor lost to khabib 2.4 mil buys

He then fought cerrone and drew 1.3 mil ppv buys.

He then fought poirier lost and did 1.6 mil buys. A triology fight vs Poirier will do over 1 mil buys.

Huge stars don't stop selling PPVs when they lose against other top fighters.

The doom predicted for AJ if he loses is well overblown.

 

I’d be surprised if his Dazn contract doesn’t have an out if he loses one or two on their platform once it kicks in, and maybe a drop in purse/fee if he loses to Usyk and for any loss thereafter. No way they’re going to be paying him $10m and more for fights if he loses two or three in a row.

(Those would be minimum numbers they’re guaranteeing, and could go up maybe with PPV percentages or certain fights like Wilder that would still be in demand.)

 

I do find your Matchroom shilling a bit much sometimes but I can't disagree with anything you've said here. If he loses to Usyk he could still do 1m PPV against Wilder for example

 

You know very well loses in both sports are viewed very differently

You mentioned it a ton on here


If AJ gets spanked, a lot of interest will be lost in him by casuals

 

If Joshua loses to Usyk for a second time he can't and won't carry on as if nothing happened- pointless to pretend otherwise.

The damage will be significant commercially, but the damage to him mentally will be the bigger problem. He's already vulnerable, plagued by doubt and not even close to the fighter he was a few years ago. If he loses again next month that's 3 loses in his last 5 fights. A lot for me will depend on how he loses. If he loses a points decision in a close fight it's one thing. If he get beaten up and stopped I have my doubt as to his future in boxing beyond the very short term. There will be clauses in his contrast which dictate what happens next (financially speaking) if he loses.

The public interest in AJ peaked a long time ago. In terms of his interest and appeal to the public at large, it is not even close to what it was during the height of 'AJ mania' after he beat Klitschko. Several controversies, lack of a fight to capture the imagination post Klitschko, inactivity and the rise and rise of Tyson Fury as the far more relatable and charismatic unbeaten HW have all contributed to this.

I said this before but I don't see an obvious big or interesting fight out there for him were he to lose.

Wilder- won't happen in a million years
Fury- will fight Usyk assuming he wins beats him then probably re-match then retire by 2024- I predict it may at that point really be for good as he will earn silly money for the unification fight(s)

A fight against Dillian Whyte would be a clear 'battle of the losers' which is not an easy sell at all at that stage. It's also a re-match which has not merit or reason to happen as the first fight was so conclusive and since then Dillian has been beaten, hurt and knocked out too many times.

I am 100% certain AJ will never fight a Dubois or Hrgovic, or for that matter Joyce so that only leaves re-building against the likes of Wallin, for a potential Fury cash out that looks less and less likely to happen with every passing day..

 

Eddie Hearn choice of undercard seems to be a revenge act against sky broadcasting the fight.

 

It’d be shyte if it was DAZN to be fair. No need to put much cash or effort in to the undercard when everyone (including the Saudis) is paying for the main fight.