Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn is the latest to weigh-in with his thoughts on the recently announced exhibition fight between Jake Paul and Gervonta Davis. Hearn says he can’t really fault Gervonta for going after the money in this instance, particularly considering he believes Gervonta’s heart is no longer in the sport, and then talks about what this could all mean going forward. Check out some excerpts below.
Hearn on Jake Paul vs Gervonta Davis
“Interesting, going from heavyweight to lightweight very quickly. We knew that Jake would
potentially take a fight this side of the year…It is what it is…I think on one side you have to understand the business of it. I hate these exhibitions, hate these 14oz gloves — I don’t know what it’s going to be — but you’ve got Jake who’s a 210, 220-pounder fighting a 135-pounder. Bit weird, but at the at same time I can’t by a hypocrite and say if you’re Gervonta Davis and you’re being offered $20-30-40M or whatever the number is, and you’re getting $7-8M to fight Lamont Roach in a 50/50, what are you going to do?
“I mean, maybe the kid’s half checked out of the game anyway. So I think as long as we establish it’s not boxing and it’s just this entertainment thing, then I get it.”
On how he thinks Lamont Roach feels in this situation
“When fighters get to a certain point and a certain level it becomes all about the money. And Tank obviously right now, I don’t think he’s interested in legacy and belts, I think he wants dough, he wants money, and as much of it as possible and then if it’s the end, it’s the end. So Lamont Roach isn’t really at that stage, he’s actually chasing greatness, but he’s not capable of making a $20-30M payday yet.
“So I think he would think he would win that rematch against Gervonta Davis, and probably because of the appetite of Davis at the moment I think Roach might beat him. And I think that also comes down to Gervonta’s decision to take this (Paul) fight.”
On a potential Stevenson vs Roach fight
“That’s a good fight. A lot of people got a lot of respect for Lamont Roach in the fight game. I’m talking Shakur, I’m talking Ray Ford, I’m talking all those guys. They know how good he is. I think he’s a guy that comes with quite a bit of danger, if I’m honest. Like, the Tank fight gave him good profile but at the same time he’s a dangerous opponent, so what does Shakur get out of that fight? Well, effectively, with him moving up in weight, Lamont Roach, that’s just a voluntary defense for Shakur Stevenson.”
On what these recent events mean for a future Tank vs Stevenson fight
“I think probably seeing this news Shakur has to sort of say think ‘me and Tank might be one that slips by’ because I just don’t believe Tank is interested in a real competitive fight unless the money’s crazy. Because can you imagine now if you’re Tank and you make $20-30M or whatever the number is, then all the sudden you come back and say ‘okay you’re going to make $15M to fight Shakur Stevenson.’ And he’ll go ‘I just make $30M to spar with Jake Paul,’ do you know what I mean, and everything really changes. It all comes down to a fighter’s desire to leave a legacy in the sport.
“Although Shakur is chasing the big paydays and rightfully, so he’s also chasing a legacy in the sport. He wants to go down as a true great of boxing. He loves the sport of boxing. I don’t think Gervonta loves the sport of boxing anymore.”
