“Shakur signed with Zuffa, so that will be him moving forward. But I just don’t know who they’re going to put him in with because Zuffa are paying these guys five times more than anybody else,” said Hearn to Fight Hub TV.
“You going to put Shakur in with O’Shaquie Foster and give him $15 million? I mean, good luck to Shakur. I love him. I said to him, ” He’s great, mate. But yeah, it’s a weird model, and it’s a model that’s not going to last very long.”
The Matchroom chairman’s criticism was aimed at the economics rather than Shakur himself. Hearn argued that once fighter purses reach those levels, opponents will expect similar paydays, making major fights increasingly expensive to make.
At the same time, he made it clear he does not believe Stevenson has lost his competitive drive.
“I think Shakur is a legacy guy, but you get told all different things. They’re probably saying to you, you’re going to fight Haney, you’re going to fight this guy, you’re going to fight that guy,” said Hearn.
Hearn’s concern appears to be whether those fights can actually be delivered once the business realities begin to catch up with the early promises.
He also took a swipe at Zuffa’s championship plans.
“I think Shakur is a legacy guy, but maybe he gets to win one of those beautiful belts,” said Hearn.
Shakur is one of the biggest names attached to Zuffa’s launch and one of the fighters expected to help establish the promotion. Hearn’s view is that attracting stars is one thing. Building a schedule of meaningful fights around them while paying premium purses is another.
The question he raised is simple. If Zuffa is paying fighters several times above the market rate, how long can that model continue before the numbers stop making sense?
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