Matchroom Boxing USA promoter Eddie Hearn has big plans for current WBO junior welterweight champion Maurice Hooker in 2019.
Hearn spoke with Chris Mannix after the most recent Matchroom Boxing USA card on DAZN and said what his plans for Hooker are. Hearn said he was very happy seeing Hooker defeat Alex Saucedo on November 16, especially since Hooker fought in Saucedo's hometown of Oklahoma City to retain his title.
After the fight, Hooker said he wanted to face WBC champion Jose Ramirez next on DAZN. While Hearn said he is interested in that fight, he added that he would like to have Hooker fight someone else in Hooker's hometown of Dallas before getting the unification bout.
After @MightyMoHooker's title defense on Friday, what does @EddieHearn have in store for Hooker in 2019? For @DAZN_USA pic.twitter.com/1FoIgSRZbm
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) November 18, 2018
"It's rosy. It's very rosy. I tell you [November 16] was very sweet. You know when you're the away team and you're going on enemy soil, everything was against Maurice Hooker, just like when he went to England to box Terry Flanagan. Saucedo came out like he always does and Hooker, I thought, was brilliant. Right now, he's ranked No. 1, in my opinion, at 140 pounds. He'd love the Ramirez fight. I like to take him to Dallas. One thing we do know is that his next fight is going to be on DAZN," Hearn said.
The British promoter listed some names he had in mind for Hooker's next title defense, including a couple of former world champions.
"Personally, I like fights like Jorge Linares. You know, you have Chris Algieri. He's coming back at the end of November at 140 pounds. Tommy Coyle, a guy who we saw on the Boston show, I like to see him in those kinds of fights and then hopefully unify against Jose Ramirez later in the year or even possibly the winner of the [World Boxing] Super Series," Hearn said.
Linares is currently promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, who signed a broadcast deal with DAZN and would make negotiating a fight with Hooker relatively easy. Linares recently fought at junior welterweight in his first fight since losing his WBA lightweight title to Vasiliy Lomachenko back in March.
