Advertiser Eddie Hearn says Sky Sports and Boxxer have doubled Matchroom Boxing’s offer to sign Tokyo 2020 silver medalist Ben Whittaker to a professional deal.
Whittaker, who has won medals at the European Games, World Championships and Olympic Games as an amateur, has shot to fame since announcing his intention to turn professional.
The Daily Star’s Chris McKenna It broke last week that Whittaker led by 258 Management has now signed a seven-figure deal with Sky Sports and Boxxer following multiple offers from top promoters.
Eddie Hearn said Matchroom Boxing made their offer, but simply couldn’t match the eventual deal Sky Sports made in pursuit of the Team GB star.
“I also believe that [he’s signing with Sky]. I saw the offer – God,” said Hearn Andi Purewal of Boxing Social. “The offer was twice what we were prepared to pay. Ben knows what we can offer him all over the world, but the amount is so great, so lucky for him.
“Everybody wants to sign with us. Their agencies will say, ‘Here’s the offer – can you match it?’. You have to look at the value of the fighter, and Ben is a great fighter, but the final offer from Sky is actually twice as much. Just take it. I think it’s a short term deal anyway.
“He’s a good fighter, a good platform for them, but we have to get the business right, or there’s no long-term sustainability.”
Click here to watch Eddie Hearn’s full interview.
Photo: Mark Robinson / Matchroom Boxing
