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Like Floyd Mayweather and Gervonta Davis, the ongoing legal dispute between Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing and the WBO Cruiserweight champion Lawrence Okolie is taking no name of stoppage. Instead of resolving the matter that kept the fighter out of the ring for nearly a year, the duo is going back and forth trying to put the blame on each other.

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First, the 29-year-old boxer took a rigid stance. Shedding a light on the entire drama, he claimed that despite the end of the promotional contract, Hearn is not allowing him to go. Okolie claimed that he wanted to stay with Matchroom Boxing but Hearn did not want to raise his pay. Instead, the latter is asking Okolie to pay 5 lakh British Pounds in return for leaving the promotion.

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The beef between the fighter and the promoter began back in February 2022 after Okolie’s win over Michal Cieslak. It all started with the entry of Sky Sports. $4 Billion worth of Broadcasting company offered a big money contract to Okolie. Keeping this on Hearn’s table, the British boxer asked for a raise that eventually resulted in the dispute.

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Read more- Undefeated Champ Makes Serious Allegations Against Eddie Hearn: ‘He Got His DAZN Billion, Waved Around Cheque & Then Left’

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When IFL TV asked Hearn about Okolie’s claim, the promoter rejected it and in response blamed the boxer and the Sky Sports network.

What did Eddie Hearn say about Okolie’s accusation?

Hearn claimed that he never asked for money from Okolie and asserted that the latter has at least one fight left according to the contract.

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When an IFL TV reporter asked about the money accusation, he replied, “I’m not going to go into it too much. What I’ll tell you is this..A lot of what, Lawrance said is not correct. We never asked him for £500,000. He has a fight left. Someone interfered with that contract. Offered him more money and he wanted to take the money rather than honor the deal.”

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According to him, he did a tremendous job for Okolie and now he is not going to lose bundles of sleep over it.

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Next, he directed his attack toward Sky Sports that interfered. He accused the Broadcasting network of allegedly ‘interfering’ with the fighter’s contract. Clarifying the negotiation chaos, he said he was never going to match Sky Sports’ offer but what he wants is one fight from Okolie.

Watch Out for More: Eddie Hearn and the AJ – Fury fight

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What do you think of this dispute? Do you think that these contracts are increasing problems for the fighters? Let us know in the comments below.

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Abhishek Singh

1,180 Articles

Abhishek Singh is a Boxing writer at EssentiallySports. Following the completion of his training as an amateur boxer, he is currently preparing to appear for trials at the state and national levels. With over 3 years of experience in playing the sport, Abhishek is also the holder of a Bachelor's in Arts degree from the University of Delhi. He is also a staunch supporter of Canelo Alvarez and Floyd Mayweather, and strongly believes that Canelo is one of the greatest punchers and Floyd the greatest defender of all time. When not practicing his uppercuts and hooks at home, he can be found watching cinematic classics.

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