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Eddie Hearn: We've offered Jessie Vargas over $2 Million to fight Kell Brook

Promoter Eddie Hearn leaks some details about the proposed Brook-Vargas welterweight unification fight which is close, but still not a done deal.

Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

Welterweight titlist Jessie Vargas is getting a little antsy about the hold up on his proposed title unification fight against fellow welterweight champion Kell Brook. In fact, Vargas even took to Twitter over the weekend to levy some choice words in Brook's direction.

Word has it that although Vargas has already signed a fight agreement to face Brook with his promoter Top Rank, Brook has sort of stalled on finalizing the fight as he seeks a bigger slice of the pie. Brook's promoter Eddie Hearn says that Brook will have to take smaller cut than Vargas to get him to come across the pond -- something that isn't exactly to Brook's liking.

"Vargas wants an absolute fortune to come to the UK to fight Kell Brook. I don't blame him, I would too. He's coming to the UK to fight the number one welterweight in the world who no one wants to fight," Hearn told IFL TV.

"In order to put that money up for Vargas, Kell Brook has to take a smaller end - in fact probably less than he should be making for this fight. But it's half a gamble, it's about putting yourself in position where not only I say that he's the number one welterweight in the world but he's the unified champ."

Hearn continues by saying that he's been negotiating with Top Rank over the weekend and that they've now come up with a deal that they hope is amenable to both sides so that they can finally put the official stamp on the fight. And before anyone accuses Hearn of trying to low-ball Vargas here, he wants to make it clear that their side is being quite generous.

"And I might start hearing people saying 'oh I bet it's a shit offer.' Let me tell you that it's over 2 million dollars. Vargas, his last purse against Tim Bradley was 600,000 dollars. He's going to earn three times as much to fight Kell Brook. So don't let me hear people say that we've offered him shit money, because that's how much we offered and it's much more than what Kell Brook will make in the fight," added Hearn.

Hopefully by the end of the week the we'll get the official announcement of the fight as the two sides work towards a compromise.

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