Eddie Hearn was forced to back out of his $1million bet with Jake Paul - but claims a new wager could see the YouTube star knocked out.
Paul and Hearn were going head to head in New York as Taylor put her undisputed lightweight belts on the line against unified featherweight champion Serrano. After ten hard rounds, it was Taylor who earned a split-decision win in the biggest woman's boxing fight in history.
Before the fight, Paul upped the stakes by challenging Hearn to a $1million bet. Paul said he would give the seven-figure sum to Serrano, who is managed by Paul's Most Valuable Promotions, if she won the fight.
But it was Hearn who had the last laugh as Taylor did him proud to get one up on Paul. Speaking at the post-fight press conference, the brash 25-year-old claimed Hearn backed out of the bet after they shook hands on it.
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"He backed out of the bet yesterday and he said that legally he couldn't do it for some reason. Now I think we are going to try and figure that out behind the scenes to help charity, but obviously I lost the bet," Paul said. Hearn disputed Paul's claim about him "backing out" and said there were legal issues over their stake as promoters are advised they shouldn't bet on their fights. The Matchroom boss admitted he was "gutted" to not be taking Paul's money.
"I'd love to sit here, be billy big balls and go 'he can keep it' but we were actually advised as promoters that we shouldn't be betting on our own fights which I feel dreadful about because it would have been beautiful to take a million off of him, he said. "But we are coming up with something else for charity."
“So myself and Jake have been coming up with an alternative which is going to make you laugh a lot. It probably involves me getting knocked out, but that’s only if Katie loses. If not, it’s going involve Jake Paul getting knocked out.
Hearn, who claimed he would have given the seven-figure sum to Taylor, was on friendly terms with Paul during fight week as the pair enjoyed a good camaraderie. Hearn didn't give specifics on how Paul will be "knocked out" other than stating he will be on the phone with "several people" about the bet.
