Boxing News: Hobson issues £100,000 side bet to lure Calzaghe

ByBoxing Press
Fight Academy’s Dennis Hobson has offered rival Frank Warren a £100,000 side bet in an attempt to lure Warren’s super-middleweight king Joe Calzaghe to light heavyweight to face IBF champion Clinton Woods in a mouthwatering all British showdown this summer.

Hobson said: “I know Calzaghe looked tremendous against Jeff Lacy but I’m prepared to put my money where my mouth is and have a £100,000 bet with Frank on the winner. I know it would be a great fight but my fighter would win.”

He added: “We are prepared to make Joe and Frank an offer for Fight Academy to put the fight on or we could do a joint promotion – but we could all make money and deliver a real England v Wales super-fight. British boxing is really on the upswing at the moment but the one thing we haven’t seen in a long time is two British fighters battling it out for a proper world championship. But that fight can happen, right now, if Frank Warren and Joe Calzaghe want it to.”

Fight Academy’s Robert Waterman said they would be happy to work with Warren to make the fight happen.

“This is a huge fight and it would be a crime if we let any promotional rivalry ruin it.” Waterman said. “We’d prefer it to be on a pay-per-view basis but there are no insurmountable obstacles here. Myself, Dennis and especially Clinton want this event to happen and if Frank Warren and Joe Calzaghe do as well there’s no reason the fight can’t be made quickly.”

Woods and Calzaghe have history. Hobson and Woods signed to face Calzaghe in October 2004 in an IBF eliminator on a Frank Warren promoted card. However, Calzaghe reportedly baulked when it emerged the fight would not be an IBF “final’ eliminator.

Hobson said: “I could claim that Joe got scared but obviously this business is about risks v rewards. Maybe the time wasn’t right to make the fight back then but, with both men now IBF champions and coming off great wins, the time is definitely right for Woods v Calzaghe. The rewards are worth the risk now.”

Woods himself added: “I know I’ll beat Calzaghe, even though it will be a great fight. Dennis’s money is safe with me!”