New Year’s Resolution: Eddie Hearn Edition
By Eddie Sanchez
Closing out 2020, The Bad Promoter will publish a few New Year’s Resolutions for some of our most prominent combat sports friends. The fifth in this series is Eddie Hearn, the Managing Director of Matchroom Boxing.
The art of promotion in the boxing industry, at its core, is salesmanship in its most basic form. Boxing is a sport where two opponents face off against each other for a predetermined amount of rounds, and try to hit and not be hit. With defense being the most pure form of boxing, promotional tactics are needed to sell the fighters ability to the paying public.
This is why Muhammad Ali and Floyd Mayweather Jr. were such prominant figures inside the ring. Both showcased their power for much of their careers, but it was their defense that separated themselves from their peers, and it was their salesmanship that separated them for historical contemporaries.
Now, not many boxers are blessed with the god given charisma necessary to reach the status of a Mayweather or Ali, but this is where management comes in. There are many famous promoters that fans know of, such as Bob Arum, Oscar De la Hoya and the legendary Don King.
The relationship fans have with promoters is often a love-hate affair. One, fans clearly love the rhetoric that draws them to their favorite fighters, but the political nuances behind the scene have more often than not left fans desperate to air their grievances.
When politics have gotten in the way of super fights in the past, we are often met with a promoter such as Bob Arum pointing blame at the other party, citing a lack of manliness, lack of confidence or simply complaining about the low amount of funds available.
However, in the current era we live in, there is a man named Eddie Hearn who almost never is at a loss for words, and rarely has a filter. While this is refreshing in a sense to have a promoter be so open about the business of boxing, it leaves him open to much criticism because his intentions and truths are more visible to see than they otherwise should be. Similar to a boxer who solely fights on the offensive, he becomes vulnerable to shots that a more disciplined boxer would easily evade.
I am a fan of Eddie Hearn for the most part, which hint, is why I chose to write about him today, and not Bob Arum or Oscar De la Hoya (because God knows you can have you pick of promoters to complain about the politics of boxing).
What I most want to see from Eddie Hearn, is to give the people what they want, and find a way to schedule the most anticipated potential unification bout out there: Anthony Joshua-vs-Tyson Fury.
Fortunately for the fans, the other party he would have to work with to make this fight is Top Rank’s Bob Arum. Of course, he has historically not been the easiest man to work with in regards to dealing with conflicting networks, but even at his advanced age, he is as active as ever.
While both of these bouts are prominent to the most loyal boxing fans, it is clear that Joshua-Fury has the ability to reach the most casual observers. Historically, these are the bouts that are the toughest to make.
Luckily for fans, it seems we are as close as ever to seeing this fight. At least, that is what the promoters and fighters will have you believe.
There are a few issues to deal with, one of them being WBO mandatory Oleksandr Usyk. Fortunately for fans, if this becomes an issue they can not settle with the sanctioning body, then Anthony Joshua would vacate the belt to erase the problem. While not the most ideal situation, he and Eddie Hearn have made it clear that the single WBO belt will not get in the way of everyone agreeing to this fight.
“Will people care if I have to lose a belt to Usyk? Will I have to give one up? I am not too sure yet,” Joshua explained to The Sun.
“I don’t want to, because it is ‘the road to undisputed’. But I know that, when I win, I will go back and fight for that belt anyway. That will be my goal.
“I want to fight Fury, beat him again in the rematch — two difficult hurdles, serious fights — then I will go straight back to try to fight for that title again.”
Unfortunately for fans however, this is not the largest issue they will have to navigate. The largest issue is dealing with the television networks, and not just within the US, but also within the UK.
Anthony Joshua is aligned with DAZN (US) and BT Sports (UK), while Tyson Fury is aligned with ESPN (US) and Sky Sports (UK).
What a mess to deal with. These are the types of issues for the big boys to handle. Not Joshua and Fury, not even Bob Arum and Eddie Hearn, but the team of lawyers that will settle the who, when and how much, involved with staging these fights. What is for Bob Arum and Eddie Hearn however, is to make sure everyone is in the room for the discussion.
If we are to ask Anthony Joshua, he will echo his confidence that this fight will happen soon enough.
“How close is the Fury fight? I promise you it’s happening,’ he wrote in a guest column ion Boxing News. ‘But until you hear it from me, don’t buy into anything. I’m serious about the fight so when I announce it you’ll know it’s real.
“I’m taking my time because there has been a lot of back-and-forth for years. I’ve been chasing this road to ‘undisputed’ and when the time is right I’ll announce it and I’ll have my mind fully focused on the job at hand.”
According to Eddie Hearn, we are indeed close – very close.
Mike Coppinger relayed that Eddie Hearn claims that only minor details are left to settle, but as boxing fans we always have to navigate with a I’ll believe it when I see it attitude. We have seen minor issues derail the Mayweather-Pacquiao superfight for years.
If 2020 has taught us anything, it is that nothing is given, effort is always necessary, and sometimes the bush disappears. Just because there is a present option, doesn’t mean it will always be there.
If the rumors for a summer-2021 bout are true, then will hear the truth within the next few months. Once we reach that time (yes, I am speaking it into existence), we can give the proper credit to all involved with the negotiations. For now though, we need the charismatic Eddie Hearn to work his magic and give the people the superfight we all need.
