Eddie Hearn reacts to losing Tyson Fury vs Dillian Whyte purse bid

Frank Warren won the purse bid to host the heavyweight clash

Eddie Hearn says he is not disappointed to have lost the purse bid for Tyson Fury’s upcoming heavyweight title defence against Dillian Whyte.

The Matchroom promoter’s £24 million offer was outbid by Frank Warren’s £13m figure, which is a record purse bid amount for a WBC event. The fight is now expected to take place at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium in April.

Hearn believes Warren has paid over the odds for the fight and said that if he his bid had been successful, the bout may not have even gone ahead.

“We would have lost a lot of money and [Fury] probably wouldn’t have taken the fight [at the price we were willing to pay],” Hearn told The MMA Hour. “We don’t get on all the time; I do have a lot of respect for him but you never know what you’re going to get.

“Of course I’d like to have promoted the fight, but you have to put a number which you’re prepared to lose. The minute you start acting on ego is the minute you make a catastrophic error which could cost you millions of dollars. I don’t play that game.

“I back our guys but to a point where we understand the business. If you start going in with your d*** and you’re bidding £10 million over the number, and you finish the show and look at the bottom line and you’ve done £5-£10 million, well done... that’s great business! If we didn’t turn up they would have saved millions of dollars as the only bidder.”

Contracts have still yet to be signed to ensure the fight take place, but Hearn says Whyte’s approach to facing Fury revolves around keeping his head down and working hard.

“As of this morning, we haven’t received a contract,” Hearn added. “That’s not unusual but we don’t have it.

“It’s a process you go through. Someone said to me I’ve gone quiet but I lost the purse bid, it’s not my fight [to promote]. I’m not out here to hype the fight up, I’m here to support Dillian.

“[Dillian] is just chilled and training. There’s a way to deal with Fury and sometimes going on the quiet side [works]. Do you really want to get in a slanging match with Fury and use all that energy?

“Do your work, do your training and go and try and knock him out. There are no conversations about another direction. This is the only direction. This is the fight.”