British Boxing: Hobson’s Choice
Frank Warren has once again called the bluff of Clinton Woods’ promoter Dennis “zipper neck†Hobson – and offered him the chance of winning almost a million pounds on the outcome of a fight with Joe Calzaghe. Fright Academy and Hobson first expressed an interest in having money on a fight between WBO/IBF super-middleweight champion Calzaghe and IBF light-heavyweight champion Woods a fortnight ago, offering a £100,000 side bet that his man would emerge victorious.
But he soon found he had bitten off more than he could chew when Warren immediately upped the ante to £500,000. Last week Hobson tried wriggling out of the bet by claiming that Warren could lay-off the wager because Woods would start the fight as the outsider.
And he demanded that Warren offer him odds as good as a leading bookmakers – or he wouldn’t play ball.
” Frank can pick any big name bookies he wants and as long as he agrees to match their odds – whatever they may be – for Clinton to win then I’ll gladly have a half a million bet with him,” said Hobson in a press release.
” He can name the stakes.”
Well the bad news for Hobson is that Warren has done exactly that – he contacted Mike Dillon of Ladbrokes and is prepared to match the 7-4 odds being offered by them.
He’ll also throw in a £400,000 pay day for Woods – more than he’s ever earned in his career – to get the fight on at the Millennium Stadium on July 8.
” I’m offering Hobson the chance to win £875,000, which coupled with Woods’ purse, means that £1,275,000will be on the table if Woods wins,”said Warren.
” I’ve consistently asked Zipper Neck to put his money where his mouth is, and now we’ll see whether he has the confidence he claims to have in Woods.
” In his last press release, Hobson asked if I thought his head zipped up at the back, as I’d asked him for a 50-50 bet on the outcome of Calzaghe-Woods.
” It’s a shame his head doesn’t zip up at the front, because then he might engage his brain before opening his mouth and making offers that make him look foolish and will land him in serious financial trouble.
” Hobson has a letter confirming the offer, yet again I have done as he has asked so the only answer he can have now is that the fight is on.
“ We will both lodge our respective stakes with the British Boxing Board of Control under their rules.
Warren also attacked Hobson over claims Calzaghe turned down a £1million offer to fight Woods on Sky Box Office.
” It will be interesting to know what Hobson is paying his own fighter. If I was Woods hearing about all these million pound offers being made by Hobson I would look at my pay cheque on the 13th May and ask where’s mine.
” Clinton Woods needs Calzaghe, not the other way round.
“ ITV supported Joe Calzaghe in helping to get the Jeff Lacy fight on and that is where his next fight will be.
“ Everything that Hobson has asked for he has got, so let’s forget all this nonsense and get the fight on.