Maybe the figure is wrong, that might be Jones take home, but they were offered fights. HBO said as much
Here's Liles saying he turned down 85-15. So let's say Jones is taking 8-10m, that means Liles turned down 1.5m. But Jones was on 8m a fight anyway [url]https://hannibalboxing.com/fabulous-times-the-frankie-liles-story/[/url] Did a fight with old friend Roy Jones Jr. ever look likely? “It was never close to happening. He and I were champions at the same time at super-middleweight and everyone knew our history together as amateurs and wanted to see the matchup. Roy at the time had his own promotions with HBO and he offered me a 15-85 split in his favor. Who’s going to accept terms like that as a world champion? I declined.”
Benn wasn`t that well known in America at that time, so I`m shocked NBC knew who he was, how embarrassing, he got completely exposed in that fight and had to reinvent himself in the states as a far better fighter till Eubank beat him. If Jones beat Benn after only being two years a pro it would have been humiliating to say the least.
What? Jones looked fast at the olympics but was no Loma by that stage at all, he was still really green.
Benn was being managed by Frank Warren in the 90`s and matched his fighters up against King`s in joint promotions, McCall v Bruno, Tyson v Bruno and Benn v McClellan, King was lining up Nunn to fight the winne of Eubank v Benn but lost to Steve Little on the undercard.
Don't be daft Mark, Benn was making huge noise with his streak of early violent knockouts and had big write-ups in KO Magazine in mid-88 when he was described as 'the middleweight Tyson' and The Ring in late-88 when the Benn-Logan fight was raved about as 'the British Hagler-Hearns' Bob Arum talked up Nunn-Benn fights as the new Ali-Frazier rivalry on ITV's 1988 year-end show
He was managed by Warren but Don King was the Co-Promoter of Benn. This article shows the politics at play: In September of '95 Jones dispatched Tony Thornton with somethig like 25 unanswered punches, Jones made a suitably bizarre dedication: "This is for everyone in the chicken business!" But he also had a bit to say about Nigel Benn. "You go tell Don King i'll take that fight [Benn] anytime! Nigel Benn is a great warrior and that's why I want to fight him!" The problem was that Benn was with King. King wanted Jones to sign a "winning options" clause. Though Jones was happy to work with King for the right amount of dollar, he, and perhaps to an even greater degree, Stanley Levin (something to do with Roy's management team - don't know his exact role, he seems to be mostly labelled as a "advisor"?) did not want any part of Don long term, and you absolutley cannot blame them for that. Furthermore, King was determined that a fight this big should be on Showtime, Jones was connected to HBO. Later, Jones was inerviewed by Claude Abrahams for Boxing News: "I hear about King offring $25m for me and Benn. Instead, he can come up with $10m apiece and we can fight [without giving up long-term control]. I want a three fight package!" Jones's "three fight package" wasn't a long-term deal for King, but rather an idea whereby he would come to England but not alone. "My bros must go with me. I must have some cover if I go to another country. Bruno-[Alfred] Cole would be a good fight. Let's make it a great night. I've seen Hamed. He's a pretty good fighter but [Derek] Gainer watched the fight against Robinson, he says he can beat him. Derrick don't turn no-one down. Bruno can punch but Cole has more skill. That will balance it out into a good fight. Me and Benn - enough said. I like Benn and that's why I want to fight him. It's a sportsman's challenge. But they can't speak for themselves. They can't make their own decisions without King. They can't make their own decisions. We can. They don't have the power. They are denying the public some great fights. I really like the big challanges. When I fought Toney it was a project. Benn is a project because he is a warrior and it will be a test for me. I really believe Benn wants to fight me. I respect him." Several things strike me about this. Firstly, I believe Roy was up for this. That strikes me. Do you? Or just bombast? Secondly, he really seems bored with the Sosas of this world. I think it screams of the page that he wants to be challenged. Thirdly, Jones shows real give. He doesn't make problems. Read between the lines. He's talking about coming to the UK AND taking a pay cut in this passage. I don't think you can hold it against him that he didn't want to sell his soul to the devil. Of course it never came off. After the Sosa fight Jones said: "Boxing isnt a challenge for me no more. The only challenge is Benn and he don't return my phone calls." You can see the boredom. Benn, for his part, was probably not the problem. After the Nardiello fight talking to Ian Darke: "Roy Jones...I don't mind being second to Roy Jones. I think he's a class act. I'd really like to fight him. He'll frighten me. That's what I need - somebody to really frighten me. I'd be up for that fight like a mother...so please, God, Don King, Frank ****** HBO, if you can get that fight i'll fight him in his - no, my back yard. Roy Jones is the only one who's gonna give me that real fear. He's going to put the fear of God up me."
[url]https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.independent.co.uk/sport/benn-fight-worth-50m-1598826.html%3famp[/url]
