Eddie Hearn expects Keith Thurman vs Tim Tszyu to perform poorly on PPV.
The anticipation had been building for PBC’s first PPV on Amazon Prime Video. Initial reports indicated Gervonta Davis was in the running to face Frank Martin. With over 100 million subscribers in the US alone, Amazon Prime Video was seen as the ideal platform to deliver big boxing nights following Showtime’s departure. But the announcement of Thurman vs. Tszyu was met with skepticism.
Thurman has only had one fight in five year when he beat Mario Barrios via a unanimous decision in 2022. That also meant he had one fight since 2019, when he lost to Manny Pacquaio. Although Thurman is a well-known name since he is the former Unified Welterweight Champion, the 35-year-old is no longer at the top of the division.
To make the spectacle less intriguing, the fight is not for a world title. This is even though Tszyu is the WBO Junior Middleweight Champion. He got the belt after the WBO stripped Jermell Charlo for not facing Tsyzu, who was his mandatory.
Charlo chose to fight Canelo Alvarez as an alternative at 168. But since Thurman is not fighting for that title, as it’s a 155-pound non-title bout, those factors have only gone on to downplay the significance of the fight. Hearn expects that to show.
Hearn On Thurman-Tszyu
“I think it’s a good night of boxing. I think it’s a botched job where it’s like, ‘Let’s throw a lot of stuff together. The main event [Keith Thurman vs. Tim Tszyu] for me is a very weak PPV main event. I find Keith Thurman a very interesting sort of character.
“He disappeared for two years, and he came to the press conference…As a PPV, historically, we know those types of PPVs don’t sell, and if it’s a good card, it doesn’t really matter because you have to grab the attention with a great headline, whether that’s Tank against Ryan Garcia, whether that’s Canelo against X,” Hearn said
Hearn On Romero-Cruz
Nevertheless, the co-main event is for a world title. Rolando Romero defends his WBA Junior Welterweight Title against Isaac Cruz for the first time. That will be the first defence of his title, a bout that was made after Romero failed to secure the Ryan Garcia fight.
Since both fighters only have one loss against Gervonta Davis, the winner could get that Tank rematch. Cruz will also fight at 140, moving up from 135, as there are question marks over whether his chin can handle the power. While the bout is expected to deliver some fireworks, Hearn questioned Romero’s commitment to the fight, given the Garcia bout never got made.
“Pitbull, I think he’s a really entertaining fighter. He’s a little bit limited at the elite level. I think he will steamroll through Rolly, and he will stop him. You saw Rolly at the press conference. The guy looked like he didn’t even want to be there, but he’s obviously getting a few quid. Good luck to him. That’s not a fight that is going to drive PPV sales,” Hearn added
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