A domestic showdown between super-bantamweight world champions Carl Frampton and Scott Quigg looks no closer to being made after Frampton turned down an offer of £1.5m to face Quigg in the summer.
On Tuesday, Quigg's promoter Eddie Hearn offered Frampton the lucrative sum in an attempt to secure the unification clash for July 18 in Manchester, but despite acknowledging the size of the offer, IBF champion Frampton believes that any deal would benefit WBA title holder Quigg rather than himself.
The 28-year-old told The News Letter: "£1.5m is undoubtedly a lot of money, but does that mean I should snap it up with both hands? Absolutely not, and there are a number of reasons why.
"It's a flat rate offer, which means that no matter how well this fight does at the box office, this is the most I'll receive. If PPV targets are reached, this fight can bring in £10m and potentially as much as £12m.
"Once the broadcaster's cut is deducted and other costs are dealt with, on the basis of this offer, the real winner of this fight in monetary terms will be Scott Quigg and Matchroom Sport.
"It doesn't seem fair that the legitimate world champion should travel to the challenger's backyard, under his team's terms and fight for considerably less money than him, does it?
"I would be very happy to continue my career in front of millions on ITV, with big paydays and perhaps a debut in the USA. However, I really would love to silence Quigg, his team and the hundreds of fans that follow him once and for all. So please, the next time you make an offer, make it a realistic one."
Both fighters have previously indicated that any deal needs to be completed before the end of the week or they will look to secure different opponents for their next outing in the summer.
Darren Plant
