By Edward Chaykovsky

Promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Sport, who handle IBF champion Kell Brook (36-0, 25KOs), explained the current situation with the ongoing negotiations unification with WBO welterweight champion Jessie Vargas (27-1, 10KOs) for the fall.

The two boxers were recently trading words with each other. Vargas claims he signed the bout agreement and Brook has refused to do so. Brook, while never confirming that he signed, says he's ready to face Vargas.

Brook's trainer, Dominic Ingle, said two weeks ago that his fighter was not happy with the money being presented because Vargas was getting a significantly higher number.

According to Hearn, the fight has been held up because while Vargas reached an agreement with Top Rank for his portion of the deal, there has been no agreement, as of yet, between Top Rank and Matchroom for Vargas' services.

"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, [a fighter that] no one wants to fight. 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 - he's the unified champ," Hearn told IFL TV.

"But everything has got to be right. You can't expect a fighter to just say 'oh just pay him some more, don't worry about me. I'll box for nothing because the fans wants the fight.' This is a guy who built himself up into a world champion, you have to get well paid - but he's taking small money for this fight because he wants the fight, he wants to be unified champ and we believe he will win."

Regarding Vargas, Hearn says the once-beaten fighter is by far getting the biggest payday of his career.

"He is not lying, he has signed a bout agreement with Top Rank - saying that he will fight Kell Brook. But that's irrelevant, because the provision of services central agreement - between Top Rank and Matchroom - is not signed or agreed - because it's too much money, quite simply," Hearn explained.

"We were negotiating with Top Rank and Bob Arum over the weekend. We are now in position where we have a number, a package that we are happy to progress with."

"And I might start hearing people saying 'oh I bet it's a sh*t 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 sh*t money, because that's how much we offered and it's much more than what Kell Brook will make in the fight."