Eddie Hearn has been accused of "blowing his $1 billion" budget with broadcaster DAZN by Floyd Mayweather's promoter Leonard Ellerbe as their feud continues.
The Matchroom Boxing kingpin took his boxing fights to streaming service DAZN last year after signing a lucrative deal following a departure from a lengthy deal with Sky Sports. Hearn has been promoting shows in America recently including boxing superstar Canelo Alvarez's recent defeat to Dmitry Bivol.
Ellerbe has hit out at Hearn once again in a vicious rant accusing the Briton of having a different kind of privilege throughout his promoting career. “Imagine being appointed as the CEO of a new boxing entity, having a $1 billion dollar budget to secure talent, and blow through it because you misgauged the US market with nothing to show for it,” Ellerbe said.
“Meanwhile, self-proclaiming yourself as a global icon and the best promoter in the business. His [Eddie Hearn’s] whole mantra 'I’m going to take over boxing in America' completely backfired.
"If he were the General Manager for any sport, was responsible for building a team and given a billion dollar budget and it completely failed, he would have been fired. He’s got a different kind of privilege, though.”
Hearn has been trading heated words with Ellerbe over social media, with a fight even proposed between the two promoters. The British star had also proposed that he signs Mayweather's protege Gervonta Davis who is set to become a free agent after his upcoming bout against Rolando Romero.
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The British promoter has been largely responsible for the rekindling of boxing on domestic shores, with Hearn now having a packed stable of talent including the likes of Anthony Joshua, Alvarez and Katie Taylor. His partnership with DAZN will span for five years as he continues to search for a 'global takeover' in terms of boxing promotion.
Hearn's prior comments appear to have angered Ellerbe further with the 42-year-old claiming he is a hundred times bigger than Ellerbe and his promotional outfit.
Hearn told Pro Boxing Fans : “If I don’t know what I’m doing, why am I a hundred times bigger than Leonard Ellerbe? “Why are we the biggest global promotional company in the world, bar none? And Leonard Ellerbe is not even relevant actually in the boxing industry.
“When you talk about the top promoters in the world, do you mention Leonard Ellerbe? Let’s be honest – not in a million years. “He then comes out and says, ‘oh, Canelo Alvarez only done 300,000 [pay-per-view] buys.’
"Double it and add more, and that’s how many buys [it did] and if you want, speak to DAZN, and they’ll confirm it as well. This guy is hilarious. He is so angry that he has lost his mind. I need to take him out for a nice cup of tea, Leonard Ellerbe.”
