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WBA rules in favor of Golovkin for 75-25 purse split

Brook (left) on the receiving end of a right hand from Gennady Golovkin. Photo: Matchroom Boxing
Fighters Network
12
Oct

The WBA rejected Danny Jacobs’ request for a larger percentage of the pending purse bid, agreeing that Gennady Golovkin will get a 75-25 share of the pot instead of the 60-40 take that Jacobs’ side was asking for, the WBA announced on its Twitter account on Wednesday and which was later confirmed by Golovkin promoter Tom Loeffler.

The WBA’s decision, which was voted on unanimously by its Championships Committee, comes as a blow to Jacobs’ camp, which was hoping his designation as a “regular” middleweight champion would allow him to reap more of the purse split.

The WBA hasn’t officially ordered a purse bid yet, and is giving both sides until Oct. 22 until the actual auction is apparently supposed to take place to make the fight. Loeffler remains committed to try and get a deal done before the fight goes to bid as a way to appease Jacobs’ side, which is likely fretting over the WBA’s decision not to at least make it a 65-35 split. Keith Connolly, an advisor to Jacobs, declined comment when reached on his cell phone.

“I think the WBA recognized that Gennady has made 16 title defenses,” Loeffler told RingTV.com on Wednesday. “He’s been the WBA champion for over six years, so we’re just happy they upheld their rules and hopefully it allows us to continue to move closer to make the fight with Jacobs. I think it’s always more beneficial for a promotion to try and work out a deal so both sides are satisfied.”



The fight is still being targeted for Dec. 10 in New York with both Madison Square Garden and Barclays Center possibilities to serve as host. If the fight goes to a purse bid and Al Haymon, who handles Jacobs, gains control of the promotion, he would certainly put the fight on Showtime even though Golovkin has an exclusive contract with HBO. Would Loeffler allow Golovkin, who holds the WBA, WBC and IBF titles, to fight on Showtime if that were to happen? Jacobs’ side is open to fighting on HBO if the right arrangement can be made.

“It’s much more beneficial to work out a deal rather than let it go to a purse bid,” Loeffler said. “So we’ll cross that bridge if we get to it in the purse bid situation.” Loeffler declined to provide any more details on the current state of the negotiations with Jacobs’ camp and Haymon, other than to say, “It’s a great fight for boxing and we’ll do what we can on our side to try and make the fight.”

In making the decision, the WBA took into consideration Golovkin’s dominance as a champion. Golovkin (36-0, 33 knockouts) has held the belt since 2010 when he stopped Milton Nunez in the first round for the “interim” title. He was elevated to a “Super” champion in 2014 after his stoppage of Daniel Geale, the WBA noted in its release, which was written in Spanish and had to be translated. Brooklyn’s Jacobs (32-1, 29 KOs) established himself as the WBA’s “regular” champion when he stopped Jarrod Fletcher in five rounds in 2014 in his sixth fight back from cancer.

“We’ve always liked the fight and welcomed the fight,” Loeffler said on Wednesday. “It’s just a matter of trying to come to an agreement to make the fight happen. Every sense that I have is that Danny wants the fight. And if you want to show that you’re the best — you have to fight the best. It’s a huge opportunity for Danny.”

 

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