Hearn reacts to Boris Johnson’s announcement, hopes fans can attend Joshua vs. Pulev

By Boxing News - 11/23/2020 - Comments

By Charles Brun: Eddie Hearn is excited about UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement on Monday about fans being allowed back into live boxing events beginning on December 2nd. These will be limited sized-crowds.

Hearn is having meetings to have fans attend the December 12th fight between IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua and Kubrat Pulev at the Wembley Arena in London, UK.

There’s no word whether Hearn and Sky Box Office plan on reducing the asking price of £24.95 for Joshua-Pulev. Hearn got all worked up defending the decision to hike the price on PPV during the pandemic.

Hearn didn’t say what Joshua and Pulev’s purses are for the fight. If the fans are paying more on Sky Box Office PPV more to make up the difference from the lack of crowds, is Joshua and Pulev seeing a decrease in their purses?

Hearn views Joshua-Pulev in the same light as Joshua-Ruiz II

If there are going to be fans attending the Joshua vs. Pulev match, it makes sense for the pay-per-view price to be reduced to what it was previously at on Sky Box Office.

Joshua’s defense against the old-timer Pulev isn’t considered a big fight in the eyes of the boxing public in the UK or anywhere else in the world, apart from Kubrat’s home country of Bulgaria.

In a twisted argument, Hearn maintained that the 39-year-old Pulev (28-1, 14 KOs) is just as talented as former IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr, and that Joshua-Pulev is just as big a fight as last December’s rematch between AJ and Ruiz.

Image: Hearn reacts to Boris Johnson's announcement, hopes fans can attend Joshua vs. PulevUnfortunately for Hearn, boxing fans don’t agree with his warped view that Joshua vs. Pulev is as big a fight as Joshua-Ruiz II, and they’re not happy at paying the same £24.95 price for what amounts to be a simple title defense for AJ against Kubrat as they paid for the MUCH bigger Joshua-Ruiz 2 rematch.

Eddie says “No price increase” for Joshua-Pulev

There’s no price increase for Anthony Joshua despite the fact that there are millions and millions and millions of pounds no longer coming into the [Joshua-Pulev] fight. So we’ll keep the price the same,” said Hearn said to IFL TV.

“Pulev is exactly the same ability as Andy Ruiz,” Hearn in sounding completely detached from reality. “In fact, he’s more accomplished than Andy Ruiz..”

The price is staying the same for Joshua’s fight with Pulev as it was for the Ruiz- vs. AJ rematch, but what Hearn is leaving out is the prices were increased for that fight on Sky Box Office because of the magnitude of the contest.

I don’t know what Hearn is going on about in saying that Pulev is “more accomplished” than Ruiz Jr. Pulev hasn’t beaten anyone that you can call a good fighter. His best wins have come against Hughie Fury and journeyman Dereck Chisora.

Pulev’s best career wins have come against these lesser fighters:

  • Dereck Chisora
  • Hughie Fury
  • Alexander Ustinov
  • Samuel Peter – when he was in his 40s
  • Tony Thompson – late 30s
  • Alexander Dimitrenko
  • Kevin Johnson – late 30s