FRANK WARREN has called on Anthony Yarde to accept a 50:50 pay-per-view split in order to secure the long-awaited clash with Joshua Buatsi.
The two British light-heavyweights are expected to fight this summer but there is still no agreement despite weeks of talks.
Now Warren, who has been Yarde’s promoter for the entirety of his 28-fight career, has explained why the two sides are still yet to reach an agreement.
He said: “We as Queensberry have agreed terms with Boxxer and Joshua Buatsi’s management team and we are waiting to agree similar terms with Anthony and his manager Tunde Ajayi and his lawyer and we haven’t done that yet.
“The hold up is how the money is being split. For me, it’s a meaningful fight in a lot of ways and I think Anthony is the more popular boxer with the bigger name who has been in the bigger fights. However, Josh is No.1 with a couple of organisations so he brings that to the party – you’re fighting for that No.1 position.
“Anthony has had two warm-up fights to get himself back in the swing and now he’s got to be in a big fight but Tunde keeps talking about the money and has asked people to step up.
“But for me it’s really simple: go pay-per-view so it is worth what it’s worth. Pay-per-view determines your true worth as a fighter because the public will buy it or they won’t. They will buy a ticket, or they won’t. These are the splits, that’s what it is. They get an even split of the pot.
“They both bring something to the table which is pretty much equal and even if one deserves 10 per cent more, it’s a load of bollocks because we just have to get the fight on now. Stop this nonsense. If you want the fight, get it done.”
It is understood that there have been suggestions that the fight could end up taking place in Saudi Arabia, which would likely secure both boxers more money than they stand to earn by facing each other back home.
However, Warren is adamant this fight between two Londoners should take place in London and has no intention of sending it to Saudi.
He said: “If you want to get to Saudi, like when you wanted to fight in Vegas, you’ve got to go and do the business and look good. You’re not going to get on in Saudi or in Vegas having two warm-up fights, you have to make a statement.”
Following Yarde’s victory over Marko Nikolic in February, he and Buatsi were interviewed together and it seemed as though an agreement on a fight was only a matter of time.
But, when asked if there is a genuine worry it might not happen at all, Warren said: “I’m going to be really callous here, we are in the business of putting on fights, we’ll put on fights so if it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen.
“I think outside the two guys fighting in the unification, Anthony is the best light-heavyweight out there. I like Anthony, I have extra time for him and I don’t want to see his career mishandled.
“I consider Anthony more than a boxer to us, from day one we took a view on him, after he had 11 or 12 fights as an amateur, and got behind him. We did that because of his talent. I don’t want to see this being screwed up for him. He needs to take advice from people who know what they’re doing.
“Sign the contract and we will sort the date. What’s the point of sorting a date if you haven’t got a contract?”
