Hearn made a clear distinction between the two. In his opinion, Berlanga has chosen the route of money that fits his roof, and Hitchins got there after running out of other options.
For Berlanga, Hearn was not specific about opportunity and limitation.
“I don't think he's going to win world championships, but financially this is a good opportunity for him,” said Hearn speaking to Fight Hub TV.
Berlanga, 28, has become a high-level gatekeeper or special fighter to attract people. You can still make good money, but the days of being given a sudden shot at an unchallenged eight-check king are probably over. You are in a job reset position.
The stats for that Sheeraz fight are brutal. Berlanga was knocked out three times before being knocked out in the fifth of that fight last July. If you lose back-to-back fights to Canelo and then Sheeraz and get stopped in the second, that undefeated power puncher marketing strategy is dead and buried.
Traditional promoters like Matchroom or Top Rank probably won't touch Berlanga at his previous price because he's proven he can't beat the top division at 168.
“He's not going to beat the top guys at 168. Come on,” Hearn said of Berlanga.
Hearn's comment is boxing's version of “saying the silent part out loud.” It's a brutal reality check, but when you look at the position of the 168-pound division, it's hard to argue that he's wrong.
By saying “Come on,” Hearn is essentially dispelling the marketing hype he himself helped build while trying to sell the Canelo fight. It shows that even the people who promoted Berlanga did not believe that he was with the elite.
Hearn described a situation where options disappeared for each of the Hitchins. The matching room has been withdrawn. Other promoters showed little interest. The position of the negotiations taken before his last fight did not help.
“We withdrew our bid. Top Rank was not an option, and Golden Boy was not an option,” Hearn said.
“They tried a trick, and we were done,” said Team Hitchins.
By saying “We retracted our promise,” Hearn indicated that he didn't want to go back and forth anymore. He felt the gap between what Hitchins wanted and what he valued was too wide to bridge.
When Top Rank and Golden Boy also stopped by, it proved Hearn's point. If the biggest players in the game don't beat you, you don't deserve it.
Hearn calls out Richardson Hitchins and his team for fumbling the bag. In boxing circles, “trying to be smart” refers to a promoter who overestimates his market value and asks for money or terms that his ticket sales force does not justify.
“If you care about your legacy and want to be great, don't take it,” Hearn said.
Hearn's comments are a direct reflection of the Zuffa Boxing business and what fighter independence means. In the traditional world of boxing, “greatness” is often measured by a fighter's ability to move through the ranks, take belts from the four major sanctioning bodies (WBC, WBA, IBF, WBO), and ultimately go unchallenged.
By saying “don't take it,” Hearn argues that signing with Zuffa is effectively trading your “legacy” for a “payoff” in a closed system.
