Junior welterweight contender Alex Saucedo's world title shot will come in front of a hometown crowd in Oklahoma City and on an ESPN platform this fall thanks to his promoter, Top Rank, winning the purse bid Tuesday for his mandatory fight against titlist Maurice Hooker.
In a mild surprise, Top Rank bid $1.625 million to narrowly outbid Hooker co-promoter Matchroom Boxing, which submitted an offer of $1.55 million at the auction, which took place at the WBO offices in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Hooker is entitled to 75 percent of the winning offer, a career-high $1,218,750, and Saucedo will receive the remaining 25 percent, a career-high $406,250. The minimum bid was $150,000 and typically a promoter whose side gets 75 percent of the money wins the purse bid.
Nonetheless, Top Rank's aggressive bid means it will promote the fight. Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti, who represented the company at the auction, said the bout will take place on Nov. 16 or Nov. 17 on a Top Rank on ESPN card at the Chesapeake Energy Arena, home of the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder.
That is the same arena where Saucedo (28-0, 18 KOs), 24, stopped Australian brawler Lenny Zappavigna in the seventh round of an electrifying and bloody fight of the year contender on June 30 to assure himself of the 140-pound world title opportunity.
Despite having only 25 percent of the winning bid to play with, Moretti said he was not surprised that Top Rank outbid Eddie Hearn's company.
"I'm not surprised at all. We are Top Rank," Moretti told ESPN. "We expect a great fight in a super hot division. Hooker is a worthy champion having beaten [Terry] Flanagan in England, but if he thinks England was hostile wait until he walks out to this crowd, and then has to fight the latest version of Arturo Gatti. Saucedo is very excited to have the opportunity to fight for the title and to fight for it at home."
Top Rank has 10 days to submit signed contracts for the fight to the WBO.
"I'm very excited to defend my world title on a national platform and show the world what I bring to the ring," Hooker said. "I feel like this is my time. I'm hungry, I've been working hard and I'm ready to make Alex Saucedo my next victim."
Dino Duva of Roc Nation Sports, which co-promotes Hooker with Hearn, represented their side at the purse bid and gave Top Rank credit for its surprisingly high bid.
"They stepped up. They showed their belief in what a great fight this is," Duva, who was having lunch with Moretti and WBO officials following the purse bid, told ESPN. "Would I have preferred we won the purse bid? Sure. But either way it's a great match. The fans are going to be treated to a great fight. I'm confident Maurice will train his ass off and win."
Hooker (24-0-3, 16 KOs), 29, of Dallas, won a split decision over former lightweight world titlist Flanagan to claim the vacant 140-pound belt on June 9 in Flanagan's hometown of Manchester, England. Now Hooker will again travel to his opponent's hometown for his first title defense.
"They have that right," Duva said of Top Rank's decision to stage the fight in Oklahoma City. "They won the purse bid. They can put it where they want, but I'm confident the officials will be fair and I'm confident Mo is the better fighter and that he's going to win the fight. Would I prefer it not be in Saucedo's hometown? Sure. But that's the business. I'm confident Mo's going to win and I don't care if the fight is in Saucedo's living room."
The size of both bids is a product of the intense and competitive atmosphere in the boxing business these days with Top Rank having the backing of partner ESPN, whom it recently signed a new seven-year contract with, while Hearn is armed with an infusion of money from an eight-year, $1 billion deal he made in May with DAZN, an all-sports streaming service with a heavy focus on combat sports that is set to launch in the United States in September.