Rick Reeno reports, to what I suspect is the surprise of absolutely no one, that negotiations for an April 14 fight between Jean Pascal and Zsolt Erdei are off, as there wasn't enough money to get the fight done.
The fight was going to be televised by Showtime, but they're working with the budget of a "special ShoBox" even though they're calling it a "Showtime Championship Boxing," and with a rumored Jermain Taylor vs Joachim Alcine bout also on the show, I don't think anyone is shocked that a "special ShoBox" can't afford Jean Pascal: Big Star Fighter.
So in the end, Pascal (26-2-1, 16 KO) will continue to not fight and creep around all the big events in the sport, wearing cool sunglasses until people forget the guy behind them and just wonder, "I wonder where that random stranger got those nice sunglasses?" Oh well. Pascal also recently broke off negotiations for a fight with Ismayl Sillakh, and has been out of the ring since convincingly losing to a 46-year-old Bernard Hopkins in Montreal last May.
As for Showtime, they're going to try and juggle everyone and put together a show in Arkansas, it appears, with Taylor (29-4-1, 18 KO) facing Alcine (33-2-1, 19 KO) in the main event. That's a useful fight for the 33-year-old Taylor, who started his comeback trail on December 30 with a win over Jesse Nicklow.
Showtime could package that bout into a triple-header, with the lousy Erislandy Lara vs Ronald Hearns fight on the undercard, as well as the return of Gary Russell Jr, both fights having already been discussed for April after being canceled along with the rest of the Ortiz vs Berto II show, which was to air on February 11.
If they stick with the April 14 date, they'll be on the losing end of a head-to-head with HBO. Their rival network will be airing Brandon Rios vs Yuriorkis Gamboa that night, with a Mike Alvarado vs Mauricio Herrera co-feature.