Wright's team: Payoff for Little Rock fight must be 'enormous'
By Noah Trister, The Associated Press
LITTLE ROCK — As negotiations between Jermain Taylor and Winky Wright inch closer to a Jan. 20 deadline, both promoters are talking tough about where a potential middleweight title fight would take place.
Wright's team says its fighter would need a substantial payoff to compete in front of Taylor's home fans in Arkansas. Promoter Gary Shaw would prefer to hold the bout in Tampa, or perhaps Las Vegas or New York.
Lou DiBella, Taylor's promoter, said Wednesday the middleweight champion won't go to Tampa. Wright is a resident of nearby St. Petersburg, Fla.
"I gotta do what's best for my fighter, for his career and his future," DiBella said.
Taylor (25-0) beat Bernard Hopkins in July to win the middleweight title, then beat him again last month. After that first title defense, Taylor's team said it wanted his next fight to be in Arkansas — he's fought before at North Little Rock's Alltel Arena and Barton Coliseum at the Arkansas State Fairgrounds.
But the WBC has ordered Taylor to make his next defense against Wright (50-3), and everything about that potential fight — especially the venue — has remained uncertain.
"For us to fight in Little Rock, the money would have to be enormous for Winky Wright," Shaw said.
If the two sides can't reach an agreement by the 20th, a purse offer could be held in which other promoters would have the chance to bid for the fight. Shaw said he's confident he would win a purse bid, and if he does, he'd be interested in holding the fight in Tampa.
"That would be one of my first choices," he said. "Another choice obviously would be Las Vegas. The other place that I would look at for both fighters is New York City."
DiBella said Taylor won't fight in front of Wright's fans.
"The fight can't go to Tampa, and it's not going to Tampa," DiBella said. "If it went to purse bid, we would just not fight the fight."
Taylor, of Little Rock, could be stripped of his WBC belt if he doesn't fight Wright — he already gave up his IBF title when he fought the rematch against Hopkins instead of a mandatory IBF defense.
"It's not about the belts. It's about winning and making money," DiBella said. "The belts are important. Right now we have three of them and we're trying to keep all three of them, but it's not about the belts."
DiBella said the fighters' handlers are still negotiating, and he's looking into possible dates for a bout in the Little Rock or Memphis, areas. He also wanted to make it clear Taylor isn't afraid to fight anyone.
"You have to be a man's man even to talk about (a tough fight with Wright) after two with Bernard," DiBella said.
DiBella said he expected to make an offer to Shaw within a day or so — and left no doubt who he thought should be dictating the negotiations.
"Gary can be a co-promoter, but we are calling the shots," DiBella said. "We are the champion."
*man DiBella knows how to run his mouth, lol..
also,
The WBC has decided to move the date of the purse bid for a proposed bout between world middleweight champion Jermain Taylor and former world junior middleweight champion Winky Wright. The original date was January 20, 2006, but the WBC has pushed it back 10 days to January 30. The purse bid will be held at Cancún, Mexico’s Grand Oasis Hotel at the end of the WBC Night of Champions celebration weekend. Neogitations are ongoing but there has been no agreement yet for Taylor to defend his championship against Wright.
By Noah Trister, The Associated Press
LITTLE ROCK — As negotiations between Jermain Taylor and Winky Wright inch closer to a Jan. 20 deadline, both promoters are talking tough about where a potential middleweight title fight would take place.
Wright's team says its fighter would need a substantial payoff to compete in front of Taylor's home fans in Arkansas. Promoter Gary Shaw would prefer to hold the bout in Tampa, or perhaps Las Vegas or New York.
Lou DiBella, Taylor's promoter, said Wednesday the middleweight champion won't go to Tampa. Wright is a resident of nearby St. Petersburg, Fla.
"I gotta do what's best for my fighter, for his career and his future," DiBella said.
Taylor (25-0) beat Bernard Hopkins in July to win the middleweight title, then beat him again last month. After that first title defense, Taylor's team said it wanted his next fight to be in Arkansas — he's fought before at North Little Rock's Alltel Arena and Barton Coliseum at the Arkansas State Fairgrounds.
But the WBC has ordered Taylor to make his next defense against Wright (50-3), and everything about that potential fight — especially the venue — has remained uncertain.
"For us to fight in Little Rock, the money would have to be enormous for Winky Wright," Shaw said.
If the two sides can't reach an agreement by the 20th, a purse offer could be held in which other promoters would have the chance to bid for the fight. Shaw said he's confident he would win a purse bid, and if he does, he'd be interested in holding the fight in Tampa.
"That would be one of my first choices," he said. "Another choice obviously would be Las Vegas. The other place that I would look at for both fighters is New York City."
DiBella said Taylor won't fight in front of Wright's fans.
"The fight can't go to Tampa, and it's not going to Tampa," DiBella said. "If it went to purse bid, we would just not fight the fight."
Taylor, of Little Rock, could be stripped of his WBC belt if he doesn't fight Wright — he already gave up his IBF title when he fought the rematch against Hopkins instead of a mandatory IBF defense.
"It's not about the belts. It's about winning and making money," DiBella said. "The belts are important. Right now we have three of them and we're trying to keep all three of them, but it's not about the belts."
DiBella said the fighters' handlers are still negotiating, and he's looking into possible dates for a bout in the Little Rock or Memphis, areas. He also wanted to make it clear Taylor isn't afraid to fight anyone.
"You have to be a man's man even to talk about (a tough fight with Wright) after two with Bernard," DiBella said.
DiBella said he expected to make an offer to Shaw within a day or so — and left no doubt who he thought should be dictating the negotiations.
"Gary can be a co-promoter, but we are calling the shots," DiBella said. "We are the champion."
*man DiBella knows how to run his mouth, lol..
also,
The WBC has decided to move the date of the purse bid for a proposed bout between world middleweight champion Jermain Taylor and former world junior middleweight champion Winky Wright. The original date was January 20, 2006, but the WBC has pushed it back 10 days to January 30. The purse bid will be held at Cancún, Mexico’s Grand Oasis Hotel at the end of the WBC Night of Champions celebration weekend. Neogitations are ongoing but there has been no agreement yet for Taylor to defend his championship against Wright.
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