Hearn talks to Undisputed
MATCHROOM SPORT promoter Eddie Hearn has announced that big time boxing is back and will be live on Sky Sports starting with Darren Barker and Carl Froch who both fight for world titles in October.
Hearn, who has always been a keen boxing fan, told UNDISPUTED that his involvement in the Prizefighter events has reignited his passion for boxing.
The recent Prizefighter tournaments and the acquisition of top fighters like Carl Froch, Kell Brook and Darren Barker has seen Matchroom Sport become a more prominent feature in boxing, Hearn said, “We have never really had a clear strategy of moving back into boxing. Through with our involvement with Prizefighter I became closer again with the sport especially when the fans have welcomed us with open arms.
It spurs you on to do more and more. I love the sport more than any other. Of all the other sports that we are involved in here at Matchroom it is the one sport that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.”
Hearn who admits that being in boxing as a business is a risk but believes that the company has what it takes to be successful due to it their other sporting interests, “I have such a huge passion for it, we are lucky that we have a great business at Matchroom, we don’t have to rely on boxing. If we did we would be in trouble. Boxing is a fundamentally flawed business. “
The passionate Matchroom promoter knows what the fans want being one himself and is aiming to do all he can for his fighters and their supporters, “We can put on great fights to invest in the fans and invest in our fighters. When you see a fight like Froch against Ward that is what we are trying to do. You have Barker v Sergio Martinez, Carl Frampton v Kiko Martinez and Paul McCloskey v Breidis Prescott; they are all 50-50 fights. It is what fans want to see. Not 90-10 fights.”
Froch who is regarded by most to be the number one fighter in Britain at the moment has only helped the ambitions of Matchroom Sport, it works two ways Hearn explained, “We are battling for each other I am battling to get them shots and make them a huge amount of money and they battle it out in the ring. So there is a great mutual respect here, it is nice to hear what he (Froch) said before about how we have made it easier for him. We are not promoters that tell our fighters here is your fight date, see you then. We have a close relationship, we do a lot of work outside the ring for these guys.
I go down to the gym and train with them myself we have great banter. We all want to achieve the same, to be world champions. If I get one percent of the adrenaline they get when they walk into the ring I will be over the moon because there is nothing like it.”
Hearn is glad his fighters are getting the credit they deserve as he doesn’t just see them as boxers but mates, “You look at what Froch has done, he has always entertained he is the number one fighter in Britain he is the WBC champion. It could be fight of the year. We have the number one fighter in Britain on our books, it helps us especially with our return to the big time. I like Carl, it is important you like people you work with otherwise I wouldn’t work with them. I get on really well with Darren, Kell, Lee and Ryan I get on really well with them all.”
The Leyton Orient board member believes that world domination won’t stop with Froch as two more of his fighters aim to reach the big time, “Barker and Martinez is another great match-up and we are hoping he can become world champion but he has a tough fight.
Kell Brook has massive potential and ambition. He wants to fight the likes of Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao now, we are holding him back until he is ready. Khan is possible in the future but we want to bring a world title to the table. Not as a challenger we aren’t going to be his b***h and accept £100,000. We want a 50-50 deal.”
When questioned on rumours of latest addition to the Matchroom team speculated to be George Groves, he said, “We are close to adding someone to the Matchroom team. Actually we are talking with half a dozen fighters. We can’t have too many though. We will only take on someone who we believe is right and can go far. We don’t really need to add but if it’s the right fighter we will.”
Greg Grimes
@ggrimes10
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