David Haye is distancing himself from Anthony Joshua clash, says Eddie Hearn
Thursday 26 May 2016 14:31, UK
Eddie Hearn has warned David Haye that beating opponents like Arnold Gjergjaj puts him further away from facing Anthony Joshua.
The Matchroom promoter had dubbed a clash between former world heavyweight champion Haye (28-2-KO26) and current IBF king Joshua (16-0-KO16) 'inevitable' ahead of Haye's January comeback.
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But having watched Haye return with a first-round knockout of Mark de Mori, Hearn was disappointed to see 'The Cobra' Gjergjaj provide similarly minimal resistance to the power of the 35-year-old Londoner.
Hearn told Sky Sports: "'The Cobra' didn't do himself any favours setting that nickname in the first place. I think 'Garden Worm' might have been better than 'Cobra'.
"I always talk about the finances in boxing. It's not necessarily a conversation to have with fans but I feel like it's important they understand the dynamics of the sport.
Haye is desperate for the Anthony Joshua fight because he wants to make as much money as he can but he's further away in our minds now.
"The problem David Haye has is that there isn't the revenue to bring over or make a big fight without a pay-per-view and as disappointing as that might sound to fans, it's the truth. He's bringing in sub-par opponents because that's the budget for the opponent.
"The Mark de Mori fight was a gimme. He was very, very average but it was his comeback fight. The Arnold Gjergjaj fight was a real disappointment because it was probably actually a step down from De Mori. I think they sold 9,000 or 10,000 tickets. David Haye knows how to promote a show but quality shows? It wasn't good enough.
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"As a promoter myself, I don't want to get on my high horse saying it's not acceptable because we might have a stinker one week.
"The Lee Markham against Joe Mullender fight was always going to be a great fight but they picked it up in the ninth round to show a nightclub owner, who's basically a white-collar boxer, in a four-rounder. They then started talking about him fighting Tony Bellew next.
"You've always got the debate between hardcore and casuals. That fight night appeals to the casuals and we're guilty of that as well. The casuals is the mass market and you have to appeal to that.
"'Car crash' is sometimes a good word to use. David Haye is a world-class heavyweight but he's got to get real and I don't think Shannon Briggs is the fight - I think Dillian Whyte is the fight. That's the fight I think he should be looking at.
"Haye is desperate for the Anthony Joshua fight because he wants to make as much money as he can but he's further away in our minds now for that fight than he was when he made his comeback. That tells you about the progression and he's not going to be able to make the big fights."
Haye, who was away from boxing for three-and-a-half years prior to 2016, is currently ranked in the top 10 by the IBF, WBC and WBA.
Watch Burns v Di Rocco and Bellew v Makabu this weekend - Saturday from 8pm and Sunday from 6.30pm respectively, live on Sky Sports 1.
