Middleweight Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin announced Thursday that he is vacating his WBO middleweight title in order to pursue “bigger opportunities” at 160 pounds.
Today was the deadline for Quillin to sign a deal with Russian Matt Korobov who was the mandatory challenger for his WBO strap, which was slated to take place Nov. 1. Quillin reportedly blew off a $1.4 million payday in the proposed bout that was the first purse bid one for the newly formed, Jay Z backed, Roc Nation Sports.
That over million dollar payday would have been Quillin’s highest of his career, against an opponent that not many are familiar with outside of the hard core boxing fan.
“I’d like to thank WBO president Paco Valcarcel and his organization for their support throughout the years,”Quillin Korobov. “Winning the WBO world championship was a highlight in my career and something I’ll never forget, this is a difficult decision, but in order to make the fights the fans and I want against my fellow middleweights at the top of the division, I needed to relinquish the title. This is an exciting new chapter in my life, and I’m looking forward to cementing my spot as the best middleweight in the world.”
Quillin (31-0, 22 KOs) won the WBO middleweight title in October 2012 with a 12-round decision victory over Hassan N’Dam. The 31-year-old went on to successfully defend his title three times with wins over Fernando Guerrero, Gabriel Rosado, and Lukas Konecny.
Michael Yormark, president and chief of branding and strategy for parent company Roc Nation, told ESPN.com that he was frustrated with Quillin’s decision, especially with the large payday sitting on the table.
“I’ve got $1.4 million sitting next to me,” Yormark told ESPN.com. “Do you want it? It’s puzzling that he turned down $1.4 million and gave up his belt. In order to turn down that money and give up his belt he has to be looking at a bigger opportunity. Who turns $1.4 million and gives up his belt for nothing?
“We wish him the best of luck. We like Peter a lot. We hope he’s made the right decision here, but it’s puzzling. I’m sure (Al Haymon) sat down and discussed this with him in detail. Peter has a team around him he listens to and we can only assume the direction he received was to pass. We wish him the best of luck and we hope he has an incredible payday in front of him because that’s the only justification for turning down $1.4 million and giving up his belt.”
It will be interesting to see who Quillin faces next as fights with top middleweight stars such as Miguel Cotto and Gennady Golovkin are not feasible at this time.
