SAM EGGINGTON can start banking on a win over Ashley Theophane tonight landing him a crazy fight with Adrien ‘About Billions” Broner.
The Birmingham Egg’s crack at the London-born Floyd Mayweather protege will be shown live on Channel 5, whose parent company Viacom also owns ShowTime, who broadcast Broner’s battles.
If 27-year-old Eggington retires respected veteran Theophane, 40, promoter Mick Hennessey will push him to fight the controversial four-weight champ who has also had Money Man guide his career.
Broner’s recent personal life has appeared a car crash, with a failing rap career apparently leaving him with just 13 dollars in the bank and begging fans to transfer him funds.
But down-to-earth Eggington jokes that he’ll still be more skint than his mega-money rival, after buying another Christmas for his three children.
He laughed: “I have seen a lot of Broner’s social media posts and if he’s only got 13 dollars left in the bank, then that’s probably still about four more than me!
“I don’t know too much about how the deal could get done but of course I would be up for it.
“Just the press conferences alone I think it would be fun, he’s famous for saying and doing some crazy things.
“So I’ve got no problem heading over to America and taking his best shots from his mouth and fists.”
The bout might sound far fetched, but Eggington is respected in America after beating Paulie Malignaggi and his fan-friendly style guarantees action.
In Eddie Hearn’s very first behind-closed-doors show back in August, Eggington lost a narrow points decision to Ted Cheeseman.
The bout is still rated as one of the best of the Covid-19 lockdown era.
But that means nothing to the tattooed KO artist who is tired of Midlands fighters getting raw deals against their trendier rivals.
“I couldn’t care less about how much people enjoyed that fight or remember it well,” he said. “I still just feel sick that I didn’t get the win
“I know I won that fight, the messages on social media, from total strangers, tell me I won that fight and at this stage of my career I cannot afford to have those decisions go against me.
“I do think fighters outside of London, where the biggest promoters and gyms are based, get a rough deal sometimes, not just from judges but by the whole business.
“Even in the likes Manchester and Liverpool you see fighters getting more respect and it would be nice to feel that us Birmingham fighters are getting some of that too.”
Theophane has not boxed in the UK for eight years, after struggling to get the fights his career deserved and this will be his signing off showdown.
And he insists Eggington is the perfect opponent, with Channel 5 his ideal platform.
“For whatever reason I felt like a bit of an outsider around British boxing,” he said. “All my biggest fights happened abroad because the big promoters and broadcasters over here were not interested.
“I went to America and started with Floyd and things took off for me. But this is always home.”
Theophane is always busy giving back to his community and is in the process of opening two gyms in deprived London areas, to rubber stamp his profile as one of boxing’s rare good guys.
And it will surprise people to learn who has inspired him with charitable deeds.
“I have a site in Southall and a site in Wandsworth that I am working to get opened but the virus has made things very hard.
“People see Floyd on Instagram showing off his money, diamonds and cars but he is a very good man who does a lot for his community.
“Sometimes, when sparring or training partners cannot afford their rent, he quietly pays for everything and insist nobody talks about it.
“Hopefully I will be remembered as a good fighter, who did things the hard way, without a lot of support. And someone who gave back to the areas and communities that helped make me.”
