Wednesday 8 April 2015 14:01, UK
Carl Frampton has been offered £1.5m to fight Scott Quigg in Manchester this summer - and is "surprised" by the public offer.
Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn said he would post the cheque to Belfast in a bid to persuade Frampton and promoter Barry McGuigan to agree to the super-bantamweight unification showdown on June 18.
And Quigg himself, the WBA champion, wasted little time calling out his rival, telling him to “put his money where his mouth is”, once his promoter had revealed the offer.
"There are 1.5 million reasons for this fight to happen."
“I came to Belfast and you stated you wanted the fight," he told Sky Sports News HQ after his promoter Hearn and revealed the cheque for £1.5m.
"There are 1.5 million reasons for this fight to happen.
"This huge domestic fight can only take place as a co-promotion."
“There’s two super fights in Britain at the minute, Kell Brook versus Amir Khan and Scott Quigg versus Carl Frampton. One of them needs to happen and I do believe me and Carl Frampton will happen.”
Less than a month ago Quigg was ringside for Frampton's first IBF defence and afterwards both fighters told national television they want to fight.
Negotiations have been underway only for an apparent breakdown, Cyclone Promotions and McGuigan saying "they had made several attempts to organise a follow-up meeting".
Frampton responded to Hearn's offer by claiming Matchroom have changed their approach.
"My team and I have been in negotiations with Matchroom Sport to co-promote this fight," he said in a statement.
"It has been made very clear to Matchroom Sport throughout the entire negotiation period that this huge domestic fight can only take place as a co-promotion.
"It is therefore frustrating that Matchroom have deviated from negotiations with this offer.”
Hearn is now expected to respond to the co-promotion claims.
