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Hearn says making Brook-Khan is the priority over Spence

Photo courtesy of Matchroom Boxing
Fighters Network
12
Jan

Promoter Eddie Hearn said his priority is to make a welterweight all-England bout between titleholder Kell Brook and former champion Amir Khan in May and to hold off on staging a bout with Brook’s mandatory Errol Spence Jr.

While Errol Spence remains the mandatory to Brook’s IBF title, Hearn made it clear he would rather make Brook-Khan because it will do more business than a bout with the lesser known Spence. At the same time, Hearn also floated the possibility of Brook moving up to 154 pounds, where he believes he is much stronger. Either way, Hearn said Brook will likely make his return in May, either against Khan or Spence.

“The Khan fight is huge,” Hearn told RingTV.com on Thursday before a press conference for Badou Jack-James DeGale Saturday at Barclays Center. “We’ve been waiting for that fight for a long time. He would definitely make 147 to fight Amir Khan. Amir Khan is the absolute No. 1 priority. Hardcore boxing fans definitely want to see Brook versus Spence. It’s a really good fight. But when you sit down with the fighter, manager, father and you present the options to them, there’s obviously the financial considerations you have to have as well. There’s probably three times as much money to fight Amir Khan than to fight Errol Spence. It’s probably three times an easier fight (than to fight Spence).”

But first, Brook, who faced Gennady Golovkin at 160 pounds on Sept. 10, has to decide if he will move up to 154 pounds or drop back down to 147 and defend his title. “I want him to move up,” Hearn said. “I think he’d be a much better fighter at 154 pounds. He’s also world champion at 147 pounds. So he doesn’t really want to give the belt up. We want to fight Amir Khan. And Amir Khan, if we’re going to do the fight, wants it at 147 pounds because he knows he’ll be weak at 147 pounds. And then we have the Errol Spence fight as well, which the purse bid for that will be in a month’s time.”



Brook would likely have to vacate his title if he bypasses Spence and faces Khan. “If we want to stay welterweight and we want to stay IBF welterweight champion,” Hearn said, “I think we have to fight Errol Spence.” In other words, they have a number of decisions to make.

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