Khan withdraws as mandatory challenger to Thaxton

I dont think thats overly pedantic. Warren sits down with Amir and says this is what I, as your promoter, think you should do. This is the route I want to take. Khan has already said "If I win the world title I'll be back to fight Thaxton next" .

Sports Network are, in the uk, without doubt the hardest to do business with. The bigger the bully the harder it hits. Also, the bigger the fighter the more cards the promoter holds, especially when the options are limited. A sports network statement said they'd offered Thaxton "a career high purse" but he (well, his promotional team) had refused as they wanted 50-50. Put yourself in franks shoes, Khan sells 95% of the tickets and is the hottest proerty in british boxing (probably in terms of marketability top 10 propertiees in world boxing) would you be giving Jon Thaxton a 50/50 split ? Thaxton who's best performance realistically is a defeat (nearly beating Ricky Hatton). Of course Jon is a bigger threat and better fight than Lawton, but then Lawton didnt want 50% of the purse and Khan was coming off a bad night at the office against Limmond.

Did he, or Mick hennessy really thik they could play hardball with Frank Warren. Lets be fair, who needs who more? At 34 me thinks Mr Thaxton needs Khan more than vice versa.

 

His driving record leaves a lot to be desired.

His attitude, as previosuly mentioned Ive always found him quiet and miles away from the press releases I often read, which is why i doubt he dictates them.

Wouldnt you find boxing boring if it was full of "Ricky Hatton's"? No James Toney's, Mike Tysons, Naseem hammeds etc... just "best of luck sir" "and best of luck to you too sir"

 

Spot on Lads. Other than Juan Diaz, Amir Khan is the biggest pay day other in the Lighweight Division right now.

I wonder if the yanks will start showing his fights soon.

 

My point is we don't know what the offer to Thaxton was - it could have been insulting for all we know. You quote a SN statement - well that must be reliable.

You are asking me to put myself in Warren's shoes but seem unable to put yourself in Thaxton's. Why should he take a lesser offer when it was THE BOARD who had supposedly already agreed a 50/50 split? Yes Khan is the bigger draw but he is the challenger, Thaxton is the champion - is it really so unreasonable? It may not even have just been about the money, perhaps there were other reasons tied in with the offer that weren't suitable?

As for your comment about Hennessy I suspect he is just looking out for Thaxton's best interests just like ALL promoters do.

 

Why should he take the lesser offer? If Samuel l Jackson and Steve Mcdonald (the one form corrie, for comedy value) were both in a film would you expect them to get paid the same? If Wayne Rooney and the captain of your local pub team played in a celebrity match do you think their appearence fee's would be the same? If Ricky Hatton said he was to fight Gavin rees next do you think it'd be an even 50/50? Course it wouldnt, the "draw" fighter dictates the lions share. If they got 20,000 (for arguments sake) at the O2 arena for this one, wonder how many would be there to see Khan, and how many to see Thaxton?

I quote a sports netwok press release which hasnt been refuted by hennessy sports. I can only imagine it was "options" that stopped the fight, because surely if you're offered a career high purse during the winter of your career, you take it, dont you?

Yes, trying to look after Jon's career. But surely if he beat Khan he'd be a household name. Wonder where he'll be if he doesnt fight amir? Exactly where he is now, with a couple of grand extra in the bank for beating the likes of Dave Stewart in a Nowrich leisure centre before losing to an up and coming fighter like John Murray.

 

We will have to agree to disagree on this one - for me Khan leaves a lot be to desired in more than one respect.

He is a great talent but I'm not a fan of the persona he puts across.

Of course boxing needs personalities but I just don't warm to Khan's.

 

Thats fair enough, had I not seen him in his own environment away form the cameras I may agree. I never saw his TV programme where he was helping kids either, did anyone? How did he come accross on that?



Slightly off topic but JOhn Murray has publically offered to fight Thaxton, one would assume if he beats fewkes. Same promoter, wheres the problem.

 

You really aren't doing Thaxton any favours with those comparisons. Those examples are worlds apart BUT what if the organisations that governed them such as the FA deemed it should be a 50/50 split regardless - thats what the Board seem to have done with Khan v Thaxton.

I'm hoping the whole situation as to what the offer was is clarified as at the moment we only seem to be getting one side of the story and, lets face it, SN aren't likely to put out a press release showing themselves in anything other than a positive light in all this.

 

Been some criticism by the parent of one of the young guys who took part in Khan's show who alleged it wasn't what it appeared to be.

Murray or Fewkes could be the ones to benefit from all this if they can get themselves in a position to challenge for Thaxton's title.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/7177794.stm

Thaxton rejected an offer from Warren too.

Probably would of been his highest payday.

 

Does anyone here post on boxrec? I don't but been and had a read.

Just wandering who this 'Boxingchat' is - does he/she speak on behalf of SN as its been suggested Warren ASKED for the 50/50 split??

The plot thickens.

 

I post on boxrec and Boxingchat claims that he only has friends who work for Sn , he works In motor Industry or something close to that.
http://www.boxrec.com/forum/viewtop...0&postorder=asc&highlight=boxingchat&start=75

 

warren always has and always will weigh up financial risk and reward over the career of his fighters.

he knows he can make just as much money putting khan in for the wbo intercontinental against "soft" opposition than he can getting him to fight for the british against someone khan should beat but is a riskier opponent.

 

According to reports on the Eastern Daily Press website Jon Thaxton has refuted claims that it was his greed that caused the proposed fight with Amir Khan to fall through.

Apparently Thaxton did turn down a £100,000 offer OUTSIDE of the bidding process and Khan in turn refused a more generous offer (said to be three times that amount) made by Hennessy.

In the circumstances Thaxton says they decided to go to purse bids and let the best bid win and the BBofC be the mediator but Khan's team withdrew.