Peter Quillin defends his decision to vacate title

Insight
Fighters Network by Lem Satterfield |  Peter Quillin (L) throws an uppercut at Lukas Konecny on the April 19 undercard of Bernard Hopkins vs. Beibut Shumenov in Washington, D.C. Photos by Rob Carr/Getty Images.

Peter Quillin (L) throws an uppercut at Lukas Konecny on the April 19 undercard of Bernard Hopkins vs. Beibut Shumenov in Washington, D.C. Photos by Rob Carr/Getty Images.

Peter Quillin defended his decision to vacate the WBO’s middleweight belt, effectively pulling himself out of a scheduled Nov. 1 defense against mandatory challenger Matt Korobov.

Quillin (31-0, 22 knockouts) would have made a career-high $1.4 million payday against Korobov (24-0, 14 KOs) due to the $1.9 million purse bid won by Roc Nation Sports last month.

“Don’t think I’m an idiot. That probably would have been the most that I’ve gotten for a fight but no amount of money can make me sell myself and what’s inside of me. I know that $1.4 million is a lot of money and it’s not like I’m just walking out with $1.4 million,” said Quillin, during an interview with RingTV.com over the weekend.


“But my fans will just have to just wait and see why I did what I did and I know that’s not going to happen in just one moment. It will progress over time and by then, hopefully they will see. Once they see it happen the way that it’s supposed to happen, then I’ll say, ‘I told you so.'”

Quillin also defended his manager, Al Haymon, in the wake of a decision that prevents the boxer from fighting under the banner of Roc Nation, which is owned by Shawn Carter AKA Jay-Z.

Jay-Z is married to music diva Beyonce, who was once promoted by Haymon and has been in involved in legal battles with the man who may be the most powerful figure in boxing.

“Al Haymon is one of the smartest men in boxing. I know that when a person builds up a fan base like I have, you have a certain responsibility to get out a message to your fans. But I also have to be a businessman. I was really excited about the Korobov fight and in my opinion, I can beat that man. But the guy that’s behind the scenes is going to advise what’s best for me,” said Quillin.

“That scenario is based on a fight-by-fight basis. I’m trying to make sure that I stay focused, stick to the game plan and make sure that my eye is on the prize at all times. This is a business. I have to conduct myself that way. That championship belt might be everything to some people and I was blessed to have it. But there are more other champions out there and there is a bigger picture. A lot of people might never understand that.”

Haymon also advises middleweight contender Daniel Jacobs, the holder of the WBA’s “regular” title who has expressed desire to face Quillin perhaps at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the city in which they both have ties. [Editor’s note: THE RING and RingTV.com only recognize Gennady Golovkin as the WBA middleweight titleholder.]

Quillin vacated the belt “in order to pursue bigger opportunities at 160 pounds,” according to a release from Golden Boy Promotions, which handles both Quillin and Jacobs. Junior middleweight Saul Alvarez, also a Golden Boy fighter, might also be a potential opponent for Quillin.

In the meantime, Quillin said he is financially stable.

“People with college degrees don’t make the money I make. I have a Corvette, a Range Rover, a Mustang that I’m trying to sell right now. I own those cars. But really, that’s just part of the story,” said Quillin, whose wife, Allison Beth Quillin gave birth to their son, Joaquin Enriquez Quillin last month.

“My family is taken care of. I have to put money away for my little kid, so I have to figure out what the best formula is for me to do that for him. I don’t want to end up like the majority of boxers and make a lot of money and then be broke after their careers are over.”

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