Eddie Hearn predicted Joshua Buatsi versus Dan Azeez wouldn’t happen, as he was keen to let the world know in San Francisco, he was two-for-two with prediction. One being Joshua Buatsi and Dan Azeez wouldn’t happen, and the other being Showtime Boxing would leave the sport of boxing. Albeit, Hearn was a bit dismayed and sad to be fair about the end of Showtime Boxing.
On two different occasions, Hearn spoke about the event of Buatsi-Azeez, which will now see Mikael Lawal vs Isaac Chamberlain top the card, and the venue changed to the much smaller venue of York Hall.
In a scrum prior to the Devin Haney versus Regis Prograis press conference, Hearn started with the following.
“Call me Mystic Ed,” said Hearn to a group of reporters prior to the press conference in reference to a British personality 'Mystic Meg'. “Again this is just rumors, and a lot of rumors are just rubbish anyway. [Someone said] ‘They haven’t sold any tickets, they are going to pull the fight.’ So I said that in an interview and today they pulled the fight.”
The fight which was going to be Matchroom Boxing’s direct competitor in the U.K., Boxxer, which has television distribution via Sky Sports announced a deal this week that it would launch on Peacock as well. The first fight would be a somewhat anticipated globally, and a hot regional British match-up between two highly acclaimed light heavyweights in the Olympian, Buatsi, and Dan Azeez. The Peacock deal made the fight also interesting to see what the production would look like.
Hearn, who used to promote Buatsi prior to him leaving for Boxxer and Sky Sports, had some things to say about Buatsi in the media scrum.
“[Dan Azeez is out] With a back injury, four days out,” Hearn continued. “You get injured, it is a tough sport. It is a shame because Joshua Buatsi’s career has fallen off a cliff.”
Hearn would later tell ProBox TV News the following directly when it pertains to Joshua Bautsi’s offer to fight Dmitry Bivol.
“The money Joshua Buatsi got offered to fight [Dmitry] Bivol was at least double he would get this time around,” Hearn told ProBox TV News. “In a purse bid situation, at least double, maybe triple. [Buatsi] is not going to take the fight, because of what he has been offered before which he turned down. Now when the fight comes around again, he is going to get offered half of what he got offered before.”
Buatsi told ProBox TV News the following directly in Virgil Hunter’s Gym in Hayward, California back in April about what happened with the Dmitry Bivol fight.
“From my side, there were other things that I said. If I say yes to it comes with these other points that I had to consider,” Buatsi told ProBox TV News back in April. “So the way it's come out and the way it's been said, if you listen carefully, or if the ins and outs, you're going to think that he turned down Bivol for over a million ‘who would do that or you're gonna think oh, he's ducking Bivol…I just thought for myself, it wasn't beneficial.”
Hearn seems clear that Buatsi, who is a talented Olympian now seven years removed from his Olympic run needs to do something with his career, as this delayed fight seems to further the sentiment that Buatsi just can’t quite get the momentum going to get a ton of excitement around his career globally.
“His career has stalled,” furthered Hearn. “I hope he gets back on the horse because he is a pretty good fighter.
