Hopkins Gives Taylor 24 Hours To Accept GBP's Original Offer!

By G. Leon

16/03/2005

Hopkins Gives Taylor 24 Hours To Accept GBP's Original Offer!

Team Taylor says forget it!

While it looked like Richard Schaefer and Lou DiBella had negotiated the terms for Bernard Hopkins to face Jermain Taylor on HBO on July 17, it turns out Hopkins wasn't too thrilled with the deal when it was presented to him. Moments ago, Arnold Joseph, Hopkins attorney, informed Boxingtalk.com Hopkins has given Team Jermain Taylor twenty four hours to accept Golden Boy Promotions ORIGINAL offer, which was a $1.5M package to Team Taylor without any PPV upside. Hopkins position to Team Taylor is, take it or leave it.  Taylor's promoter Lou DiBella  told Boxingtalk, "Richard Schaefer and I were negotiating in good faith and we thought we had come to terms on a deal that Bernard would accept. Obviously, that's not the case. Bernard is saying we have 24 hours to take it or leave it, well I can save him 23 hours and 59 minutes because if he thinks we should accept that offer, there's no fight." DiBella later added, "I can't say that I blame Bernard because I wouldn't want to get my ass kicked by a younger, stronger, hungrier lion either so he's probably just looking out for his own well being by choosing Felix Sturm or Sam Soliman over Jermain." More to come, until then, Remember where you heard it first! (5:40 PM ET)