World Boxing News managed to gain a reaction from Adrian Clark over the collapse of a welterweight unification between Brian Norman Jr. and Jaron Ennis.
Norman, the WBO champion, had hoped to fight Ennis for his IBF version later this year. However, once talks got underway, it was clear both sides were far apart in their evaluation.
Ennis’ promoter, Eddie Hearn, stated he made several offers to Norman and his team, including Clark, only to face rejection. Clark sees it differently, though. He says the purse fell short, and there was never any flat-out rejection on their part.
“There was an offer from Matchroom for Brian to fight Boots [Ennis] in Philly on 11/9,” Clark exclusively told WBN. “They presented an offer, and we countered. They presented another offer, and we countered again. From our standpoint, we wanted Brian to go home [after paying for everything] with around $1.3m-$1.5m.
“He was at $810k take home after Matchroom ended negotiations. I know that it is not their job to worry about our deductions, expenses, etc. However, my client made it clear what the arrangement needed to be to make the fight happen. Matchroom failed to reach that number [Which would have been $1.9m-$2m]. ”
He added, “We never turned down the fight. Only asked for more money.”
Hearn’s offer was around far south of the border for Clark, not considering the Top Rank split or the sanctioning and training fees. For now, Norman has moved on to battle Derrieck Cuevas on November 8.
Ennis will now plow on with his mandatory rematch with Karen Chukhadzhian, an opponent he’s already defeated. With all the politics and obstacles in his way, Ennis is unlikely to get his wish of becoming undisputed before moving up to super welterweight. He may even choose to drop the IBF strap himself ahead of the ordered purse bid on September 3.
The 147-pound belts have fully split into four, with Terence Crawford recently giving up his last title for EImantis Stanionis to claim. Furthermore, Stanionis is the full WBA titleholder, alongside Norman, Ennis, and WBC ruler Mario Barrios.
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
