As Vergil Ortiz and Oscar De La Hoya navigate a legal dispute, the developments take a new turn. Does Turki Alalshikh play any role in the Ortiz–Jaron “Boots” Ennis fight, which has been mired in controversy? One of the stakeholders in the drama, Eddie Hearn, claims the Riyadh Season head is not involved at all.

The confusion likely stems from the guarantee Ortiz sought. Reports indicate he demanded $7 million, $4 million above his agreed guarantee under De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions deal. Eddie Hearn believes Ortiz’s demand and De La Hoya’s offer are more a product of the market than any interference from Alalshikh.

Eddie Hearn responds to Saudi funding talk around Ortiz–Ennis

Sean Zittel spoke with Hearn at the final weigh-ins ahead of the much-anticipated bout between Andy Cruz, promoted by Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, and lightweight champion Raymond Muratalla. Getting straight to the point, Zittel asked whether Turki Alalshikh was funding the Ortiz-Ennis fight. Or was this a normal promoter-funded show? Why is there such a big gap between $3 million and $7 million?

“No, no,” Hearn replied. “This is a fight to be funded by Matchroom and Golden Boy but funded by the economics of the show.” So instead of a Saudi-subsidized event with guaranteed massive purses, the promoters would pay fighters based on what the event realistically earns from PPV sales, gate, sponsorship, and TV rights. Their confidence likely stems from the belief the fight would sell well, which could justify big paydays. However, nothing is guaranteed.

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Expressing optimism, Hearn said negotiations going public doesn’t mean the fight is dead. In boxing, that can actually pressure both sides into closing the deal. While he avoided diving deeper into the Ortiz-De La Hoya dispute, he said he hoped the fight would come together. “I think it’s the best fight in American boxing. I think it’s 1 v 2 in the division, and I’m still hopeful,” Hearn said.

Yet if Ortiz’s pricing climbs too high, Ennis could move on to another opponent. Zittel’s question about whether Oscar was right pegging the bout at $3 million or whether Ortiz’s demands were realistic pushed Hearn to explain boxing’s economics.

He explained that a fighter can earn far more than the guarantee if the event performs well.

Follow the money: Hearn on boxing’s guarantees and payouts

“There’s all kinds of different economics and structures to a deal…so it’s like a guarantee; a minimum is just the guarantee against the upside,” Hearn said. Meanwhile, some stars, like Anthony Joshua and Canelo Alvarez, waive big guarantees because they take the majority of the revenue instead. If the fight explodes commercially, they make far more.

“So really when you get a guarantee plus upside, that’s actually like a dream deal because you’re getting two sides of the coin,” Hearn added. “Quite often when you give a guarantee, it’s the safe number for a promoter because what you don’t want to do is give a guarantee of five or six million and the fighter ends up making 4 million and you’re topping up the million on both sides.”

That explains why many promoters stick to conservative numbers.

Now, with new players like the Saudis entering the market with massive payouts, fighters often expect similar purses elsewhere. In Vergil’s case, he already fought on a Riyadh Season card when he faced Israil Madrimov on the Feb. 22 Beterbiev-Bivol undercard in Riyadh earlier this year.

But that isn’t always realistic. Hearn said that runs counter to boxing’s basic economics. If a fight doesn’t sell, the promoter absorbs a major loss. From a business standpoint, De La Hoya’s $3 million may look low next to Saudi money, but in a normal U.S.-based PPV, it could be realistic.