This is a seriously a bad look for Eddie/DAZN. Through Hooker the champion, he had 75% of the purse bid on his side, so how the hell has he managed to lose to Top Rank? It’s brilliant news financially for Mighty Mo, which is how Hearn will try to spin it, but it’s terrible for his DAZN deal who desperately needs content. Hooker is one of the few fighters of any note, that Eddie has managed to sign and he’s already lost one fight to a rival network. It’s unbelievable that Eddie didn’t do a deal with him in advanced to take an agreed flat fee, so he could drive up his bid, using the security of his 3 fight contract as leverage. I can only think that Eddie was either complacent, or Hooker refused, sensing this could happen and that Eddie needed signings desperately. Either way, this is embarrassing for “Billon dollar, 10 Million a card” fast car
Eddie is being gazumped by the veteran OG Dons of the sport. He is like Santino Corleone, going in all guns blazing, zero respect for the business and being outfoxed and out manoeuvred by OGs Arum and Warren. Away back to Essex, Hearn.
If Hooker loses it will be a huger shocker for DAZN. Was very surprised when it was announced he had lost the bid.
That excuse doesn’t wash for Hearn. This whole DAZN project, Eddie has been saying that he is willing to overpay fighters as he knows he needs to get this venture off the ground and that DAZN is the hottest ticket in town etc. He’s signed Hooker to a 3 fight deal, now only potentially 2 of them will be on DAZN and as I said in my original post, he needs content for the platform. This has got to be a big worry for Matchroom USA. Moving away from DAZN, his promotion of Danny Jacobs hasn’t exactly worked out that well either IMO. He was promising to boost his profile etc well Poor ticket sales of his last two fights under Hearn have seen his next fight moved out of the Barclays into the tiny Theatre in MSG. This has got to be extremely embarrrasing for Jacobs, a Brooklyn native. I wonder if Eddie is spreading himself to thin.