Didn’t see that one coming…or maybe you kind of did, if you had been watching how LA mogul Ryan Kavanaugh and Triller have been getting deeper into the fight game after getting a sweet taste from their Nov. 28, 2020 PPV foray, with the Mike Tyson-Roy Jones Jr. card.
On Thursday, the IBF held a purse bid for a Teofimo Lopez IBF lightweight title defense, against George Kambosos, and Lopez’ promoter, Top Rank, didn’t place the high bid.
Triller, the entertainment platform which is a rival to TikTok, bid $6.018M. That beat the bid put in by Eddie Hearn and Matchroom, which was $3.56.M.
Bob Arum and Top Rank bid $2.315M. After the bidding ended, Arum was asked for thoughts on the Triller win. “Insane price,” he told me.
David McWater, manager to Lopez, has been back and forth hammer and tong with Top Rank. Both sides worked to establish market values during this ultra-weird time period, when the pandemic erased a revenue source that promoters enjoyed for meaningful fights involving fighters that draw, the live gate. “With all apologies to Patrick Swayze, nobody puts Teofimo in a corner,” said McWater, the manager of the year in 2020 according to the BWAA.
Ryan Kavanaugh who transitioned from Hollywood honcho into the world of social media with Triller, and is still firming up a Jake Paul v Ben Askren YouTuber versus MMA topped card, spoke to RING.
“Our goal is to pair the most anticipated fights with epic immersive events with something for everyone,” Kavanaugh said.
“Having an iconic fight like this as the lynchpin of a Triller Fight Club event is a major step in our growth.”
Kambosos’ promoter, Lou DiBella of New York, told RING that he was jazzed for his fighter. “First off, I’m thrilled for George Kambosos, he’s spent four years doing this the hard way, fighting on undercards, for low purses, and he’s earned the mandatory position the hard way,” DiBella said. “And I have to congratulate Ryan Kavanaugh and Triller, I watched what they did on Tyson-Jones and I though the entertainment value was great, they really got it.”
Top Rank would still be involved in the fight, from the perspective of receiving a spiff from Lopez from his purse. Lopez would enjoy a 65-35% split from the Triller pot.
Triller, an AI-driven music and social media platform, has been growing market share attracting creators, artists, and brands, sent out a release hyping their victory:
Triller Fight Club secures boxing’s most anticipated fight of 2021, Undisputed champion Teófimo López against number one rated undefeated mandatory Challenger George Kambosos Jr.