Frank Martin has finally made coherent public statements regarding the fallout of his canceled lightweight title fight with Shakur Stevenson, shedding light on the situation instead of staying silent. With Martin’s reputation having been sunk after being accused of avoiding Stevenson, the lightweight contender now gave his own version of events of what happened.
“Verbally I agreed to it. But I didn’t ever know what the money was.” Frank Martin (18-0, 12 KO’s) told Queens of the Ring when asked on the deal in place for him to face Shakur Stevenson (20-0, 10 KO’s).
“I figured out what that money was and I weren’t cool with it, I wanted more… $1 million ain’t no f***ing $1 million once you take out taxes, training fees… What I was asking for wasn’t outrageous.
“For what he was getting paid, what I asked for was reasonable. The fight could’ve happened, it’s all about the money. That [Shakur saying I asked for 50/50] is cap.”
Martin never fully clarified what his split was, how much he was set to earn, nor the total amount of money involved with the percentage split, but he did cite his action of withdrawing from the fight was justified after he did not receive the amount he wished following subsequent communications with Stevenson’s team.
From Martin’s perspective, $1 million was not sufficient after taxes, training fees, and other deductions, and it only seemed logical to reject the verbal deal he had with Stevenson’s team given there was more he could earn.
According to Stevenson’s claims, Martin was said to earn 25% out of the 75-25 percentage split that had been arranged. This would make Martin be able to earn upwards of $1 million for fighting Stevenson out of a total amount of $4 million, which would result in Frank Martin having his career-highest payday.
There are apparent discrepancies in the total amount of money available for the fight. While neither fighter confirmed the exact total, it is assumed to be either $4 million or $8 million.
So far, there have been conflicting reports as to what totals as the full amount, but what seems clear is that both Martin’s and Stevenson’s teams, and the fighters themselves, have contributed to this cancellation of the lightweight title fight.
Both Martin and Stevenson have chosen not to disclose the financial details of their verbal agreement, leaving observers unable to determine who may be in the right or wrong.
Presumably, as Martin would earn 25% which amounted to $1 million, this meant that Stevenson would be earning thrice as much with his 75% split, thus amounting to $3 million — which meant there would be a total of $4 million in the pot.
Martin’s statements seem to indicate there was more than $4 million, as he did make mention of noticing that there was more money than initially presented in the verbal deal he had accepted. This might mean the percentage split was lower than 25%, but no official numbers have yet to be released.
If Martin’s statements are accurate, the speculation that the total purse was $8 million might be accurate. This would mean that the $1 million he was set to earn constituted just 12.5% of the total purse, which could be seen as unreasonable.
With both parties refusing to be transparent about these negotiations and the numbers involved, as is their right, it is impossible to determine who is on the wrong or right side of their arguments. However, it is premature to pinpoint blame at a single party without having all the necessary information needed.
Shakur Stevenson is currently rumored to be in talks with Edwin De Los Santos (16-1, 14 KO’s) for the vacant WBC lightweight title. Hopefully, these negotiations will result in a favorable deal for both fighters, and allow the division to finally move forward.
