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Eddie Hearn’s incessant overtures to Gervonta Davis resulted in a legal warning, according to the promoter.
In recent weeks, Hearn, the outspoken head of Matchroom Boxing, has repeatedly stated his desire to sign Davis to a promotional contract, amid rumors that the hard-hitting Baltimore lightweight is on the outs with his longtime handlers at Mayweather Promotions.
Davis previously stated in now-deleted social media posts and in an interview with Brian Custer that his recent fight with Rolando Romero would be the last fight on his contract with Mayweather Promotions, the eponymous company helmed by Hall of Fame boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. Davis stopped Romero in the sixth round of their 12-round WBA “world” lightweight title bout at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn last Saturday. Davis attracted a reported audience of 18,970, a record for a boxing event at the popular venue.
Hearn has been quick to publicly state that in the event that Davis indeed becomes a promotional free agent he intends to make an “aggressive” bid for the fighter’s services. Those pronouncements have resulted, according to the British promoter, in Hearn receiving a sort of cease-and-desist letter from representatives at Mayweather Promotions.
“I got a letter from Mayweather Promotions telling me to stop talking about him and whatever because he’s under contract to Mayweather Promotions,” Hearn told Tha Boxing Voice. “If he is so be it. How long he is for I don’t know but we would never interfere with a fighter under contract. If the opportunity comes available of course we would be very aggressive with an offer for Gervonta Davis, but if he’s under contract, obviously we don’t want to have those conversations.”
It is not clear what Davis’ promotional status is, thanks, in part, to mixed messages from Davis himself. After stating his displeasure with Mayweather, Davis stated during the pre-fight buildup to his bout with Romero that he could possibly resign with his longtime backers. While the question of working with Mayweather has been up in the air, it should be noted that Davis has shown no signs that his relationship with either influential manager Al Haymon or Showtime Sports head Stephen Espinoza has suffered.
Hearn’s public statements regarding Davis have also landed him in hot water with Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe. The two have traded insults through the media in recent weeks. Ellerbe recently told Custer that Hearn is “the one guy, if I had the opportunity, I’d stomp him out.”
In a previous interview with IFL TV, Hearn described how he would approach Davis if Davis is truly a free agent. Hearn even suggested that other promotional suitors, like Top Rank Inc., should also make a play for Davis.
“In that instance, he (Davis) has stated publicly that that was his last fight with Mayweather Promotions,” Hearn said. “So therefore, generally you would be able [to reach out]. In that instance, I would probably send him a DM (direct message)…I would just say, ‘Gervonta, look, if you are out of contract, we would love the opportunity to talk.’ It’s been done plenty of times before. Or you speak to someone who represents him, someone within the team. All you really want is a conversation. He should listen to everybody. Not just Matchroom. Top Rank, or whoever is going to make the play. But what an opportunity.
“There couldn’t be a better time for him. If he is out of contract, what a time for him.”