“My offer was less than a sixth of what they offered,” Hearn said to Pro Boxing Fans when asked about Fisher’s future. “When they announce the opponent, you’ll see why I didn’t match.”
Rather than attempting to keep Fisher, Hearn said he encouraged him to take the deal.
“Walk, swim, or crawl to the Zuffa office as quickly as you can and sign that contract,” said Hearn.
Hearn suggested the level of opposition attached to the offer was one reason Matchroom could not justify matching it. He said the proposed bout simply did not have the commercial value needed to support that type of purse.
“If the Zuffa offer was half of what it was, I wouldn’t have matched,” Hearn said.
The Matchroom promoter insisted he holds no ill will toward Fisher for pursuing the opportunity and said the heavyweight should do what is best for his career.
“That’s a brilliant opportunity for Johnny Fisher, and he’s got to take that with both hands,” Hearn said.
Fisher fought last December, stopping Ivan Balaz in four rounds in Monte Carlo after suffering a fifth-round stoppage loss to Dave Allen in their rematch last May.
Hearn indicated that Matchroom had different plans for the heavyweight’s development, saying the fights Fisher wanted next were not events he could realistically headline under the company’s business model.
Elsewhere in the interview, Hearn briefly touched on the ongoing dispute involving Conor Benn and manager Keith Connolly, claiming a proposal included a $250,000 payment in exchange for no further criticism of Benn or his team. Hearn rejected the idea outright.
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