There may be a lot of questions concerning boxing’s newest entrant, but money shouldn’t be one of them, according to Adrien Broner.
The multiple division champion from Cincinnati, Ohio, recently announced a partnership with BLK Prime, a hitherto unknown subscription streaming service that made a splash in boxing last month after it revealed it would be promoting Terence Crawford’s 147-pound title fight with David Avanesyan. The shocking news shocked boxing fans because it seemed that Crawford, the WBO titlist was headed towards a showdown at WBC, WBA or IBF champion Errol Spencer Jr. for the undisputed WBC welterweight championship. A few days later, BLK Prime announced a separate multi-fight deal with Broner.
Few boxers, at least in boxing know who BLK Prime is. Questions have abound about how the outfit will cover Crawford and Broner’s expenses, not to mention the production and marketing cost of streaming their events. Crawford is receiving $10 million to fight Avanesyan. Crawford said that he had received half of his purse from BLK Prime in advance of the fight and that the balance would be sent to a third of him during the fight. (The company’s head appears to be a man named Desmond Gumbs, but he was not quoted in BLK Prime’s press release announcing Crawford-Avanesyan nor has he appeared to have given any formal interviews with boxing news outlets).
Broner, who has elsewhere said his deal was in the “eight-figure” range, brushed aside any qualms concerning BLK Prime’s finances in an interview held after a press conference on Saturday to announce his fight with Ivan Redkach on Feb. 18 in Atlanta, Georgia.
“The money is real, fellas,” Broner told FightHub TV. “The money is real. We ain’t living off promises.”
Broner’s announcement with BLK Prime was also surprising since Broner had a years-long relationship with Premier Boxing Champions’ founder Al Haymon and Showtime Sports’ head Stephen Espinoza. Broner has headlined many Showtime events over the years. Broner was actually supposed fight Omar Figueroa in August on another Showtime main-event, but Broner pulled out a week later, citing his mental health.
Broner said that he maintains good health relations to Haymon and Espinoza.
“It’s still good,” Broner said. “Sh!t, at the end of the day, once you take away Showtime, once you take away PBC, once you take away TV, these are regular motherf—–s, man. They get up in the morning and only put one leg on their pants at a time. Of course, our relationship hasn’t changed. I can still pick up the phone and call.”
“I’m 100% BLK Prime, and Al and Stephen Espinoza, they my n—-s,” Broner added. “They cool. We’re good.”