Deontay Wilder and his manager Jay Deas missed out on a $2 million payday from Jay Z's Roc Nation Sports for his upcoming title fight against Bermane Stiverne for the WBC heavyweight title, according to reports.
Roc Nation extended the offer to Wilder and Deas, who reportedly let their advisor Al Haymon, one of the most powerful men in boxing, handle it. Haymon failed to respond to the offer, and it was then taken off the table by Roc Nation.
"I think they'll do great things, but Al is handling that whole thing. We're letting Al do what he does. We'll have to see how it plays out," Deas said of Brett Yormark and Roc Nation Sports boxing COO David Itskowitch. Haymon has a rocky relationship with Jay Z dating back to their days in the music industry, and Haymon has already blocked Roc Nation's first foray into the boxing world.
Roc Nation outbid its competitors by a wide margin for a Peter Quillin vs. Matt Korobov fight for the WBO middleweight title. Haymon advised Quillin to pull out of the fight, and vacate his belt in the process.
Golden Boy Promotions, which represents Wilder, and Don King, who is representing Stiverne, have had a hard time during negotiations. The WBC has ordered a purse bid, but it's been postponed a number of times. Some believe Haymon has been pulling strings to avoid the purse bid, knowing Roc Nation may swoop in as they did for Quillin's fight.
Stiverne's manager Camille Estephan told ESPN she's growing impatient with the constant delays. "I'm very happy to see Bermane is in great shape and ready to go," Estephan said.
"We want this fight to happen ASAP and we want a resolution. We're tired of waiting and we want a date and site and the opportunity for Bermane to make a statement with his performance."
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