By Terence Dooley
Matchroom's Eddie Hearn picked up his school and college qualifications, took in some work and life experience and then came home to help run the family business. A typical story, perhaps, but Hearn's is made remarkable by the fact that he looked at his father, Barry Hearn's, sports empire – comprising darts, snooker, football, fishing, pool golf and boxing – and decided to focus on the constantly ailing art of pugilism. Sure, Eddie worked in the other arms of the family business but has recently made waves and headlines by ploughing a lot of attention into the sweet science.
The signing of Darren Barker could have been viewed as a pragmatic move. The decision to ink a deal with Sheffield's Kell Brook sparked discussion over Matchroom's renewed interest in the sport outside of the crossover appeal of Prizefighter. Last week's deal to bring WBC super-middleweight champion Carl Froch onto their books for five fights signalled long-term intent on the part of the Hearns. Eddie clarified the Froch situation when speaking to me over the phone.
“Well he's still in the Super Six for his next two fights. Obviously we'll be representing him for those fights to maximise his exposure and earning potential. In terms of who and where he fights, that is already set out by his contractual obligations but we're working with him on television, sponsorship rights, travel administration and press,” enthused Hearn when asked if the Super Six scenario had made this an unusual deal, adding, “We'll be working with him on them two fights and setting the ground for his homecoming. Carl wants a huge fight in England.”
Froch admitted that part of the reason for his split with former promoter Mick Hennessy was a perceived lack of TV exposure. Spots on Primetime, a PPV platform, and subscription channel Premier Sports had followed a run of fights on ITV yet 'The Cobra' felt stung by a lack of Sky TV coverage. I asked Hearn if Matchroom's strong relationship with the TV network was a big selling point during their discussions.
“No, that wasn't necessary to bring him to us”, he answered, “but we've got a great relationship with Sky and know how much Adam Smith wanted him on Sky. With our experience with contracts, relationship with Showtime and [Glen Johnson's promoter] Lou DiBella we knew how to do a TV deal for it [Froch-Johnson] quickly – I think it took about forty eight hours to get the Sky deal done so that shows you the power we've got and the power Carl's got as a household name.”
Froch, though, is a name in the UK only if you hail from a boxing mad brood. Many casual fans do not know about our most established champion yet are aware of the likes of Haye, Khan and even fledgling pro James DeGale. Hearn believes that Froch's in-ring endeavours will guarantee crossover appeal for Nottingham's finest.
“Carl has been starved of exposure in this country but is hugely respected in the fight and sports community. Ideally he'd like to fight at Nottingham Forest's ground, he's a huge Nottingham Forest fan so we will look into how and when that works in terms of timing. But there are huge fights out there with rematches against [Jean Paul] Pascal, [Mikkel] Kessler, Andre Ward could be next and people are talking about Joe Calzaghe coming out of retirement, stranger things have happened,” mused Hearn
“Carl is a such a warrior that he deserves a big fight back home. Anyone can look at his collection of fights on Youtube, his Super Six fights have already formed a great trilogy. Signing Carl shows that Matchroom are heading back to the glory days of the 1980s and 1990s. We never really had a strategy to get back into boxing. People ask us the long-term plan but there isn't one because we're just boxing fans with a passion for the sport.”
Barry Hearn put together fights such as Benn-Eubank and Eubank-Watson, he first burst onto the scene by organising Frank Bruno's high profile fight with Joe Bugner in 1987. His son believes that the sport is worth salvaging, that it can once again become a part of the UK's popular consciousness.
“Boxing has been dying here in the UK and we're just trying to put that right for the fans,” pledged Eddie as he recalled his boxing past and look ahead to the future. “There's some great fights being made at the moment: Haye against Klitschko, DeGale-Groves and the Super Six. We're starting to turn a corner now in boxing and there's a chance to grow the game again, which is something we want to be part of.
“You've got to remember that I've been involved with boxing all my life, since going to big shows at nine and ten, so it was something with which I always wanted to be involved. I've seen it all with my father over the years so nothing really shocks me. We come from an era when British boxing was golden, really, so I'm ready for the challenges and excited by the great response we've had. There are numerous fighters phoning us every week wanting to get involved but it is important that the fighters we have are given opportunities. That means not saturating the stable with too many guys because you can't keep them all busy and have to renege on promises, which is something we don't aim to do.”
Hearns's decision to focus more energy on the sport was prompted by a London fight figure. Eddie saw Darren Barker struggling to get exposure, regular dates, and battling through bereavement (the death of his brother Gary) and injury in order to achieve his world title dream. Barker's qualities reminded Hearn about the positive aspects of the sport leading him to consciously put together a strong stable.
“Darren is a close friend of mine and so is his trainer, Tony Sims. I felt that Darren wasn't getting the opportunities he deserved and wanted to help him,” he revealed.
“You know, the Darren Barker story is remarkable with everything he's been through in his life. If people would get to know him they'd know exactly what I mean, he is an outstanding person who wants to win a world title and grafts in the gym. To still be trying to realise that dream after all he's been through makes him a credit to himself, his family and the sport and that's why we're back in the game, really. He showed me all the things that are right in boxing rather than all the things that are wrong and he deserves a shot – I'm campaigning for that.”
Brook completes the recent transfer activity. The Sheffield starlet was out-of-contract with previous promoter Frank Warren. 'Ezekiel' decided to seek promotional pastures new and is now due out in his home city of Sheffield on June 25th. Hearn is confident that the WBO's decision to strip the welterweight of his Inter-Continental title due to the '120 day defence' rule will not impact on his standing.
“I met Kell at Prizefighter, we got on really well. You only have to speak to people in the game about how good he is to know that it was something that I wasn't going to allow to slip and lose out on. The same when it came to signing Carl.”
As for the WBO situation, “It certainly won't impact on his ranking”, insisted Hearn, “he's number two at the moment with Mike Jones at one. We've spoken to the WBO so the relationship is fine with them. He will be fighting for a title next time, which we'll be announcing at the end of this week – we're making strides with other governing bodies as well.
“Getting rated and ranked is all part of the game. If you do the business in the fights then the rankings will speak for themselves. (Next opponent) Lovemore N'Dou is a great test for Kell. He's fought over sixty fights against the best in the division and has never been stopped. He will test Kell every step of the way, which is what we need.
“Every time I see Kell he impresses me more and more. Some sportsmen just have that special quality and I see that in Kell. You can't put your finger on it but he's got it, he has that aura about him. I've seen him spar, he's a beast and just needs to unleashed on the world scene. Coming back to his Sheffield fans will inspire him. He can't wait to get in there and will unleash pain on N'Dou – I think he will stop him.”
Brook confirmed that he had made the move with one-eye on fighting more regularly, telling me that five fights in two years was not good enough for his progression or sharpness. Hearn concurs with Kell. Saying, “Kell definitely needs a challenge.”
“He needs something to test him so that every time he goes to the gym he's got that hunger and drive. Lovemore is not coming over for a payday, he's got a record and reputation to protect, he is an experienced and wily character and will be coming here to win,” he concluded ahead of the June 25th showdown at Hillsborough's leisure centre.
Ironically, John Murray cited activity as a crucial factor when leaving Hennessy to join Warren earlier this year. Fighters operate within packs but everyone wants to be top dog because the top dogs are at the head of the feeding queue. Hearn believes that steady activity is the key to honing a world championship level fighter.
“Look at Darren, he fought once in twelve months and is now fighting twice in three months, which is exactly what he needs, it is what Kell needs. Kell will have been out for six months when he gets into the ring, that is not on for someone his age. We want him out three or four times a year.”
“I thought he was outstanding,” he recalled as talk turned to Barker's EBU middleweight title win over Domenico Spada earlier this month. “Darren's a bit of a perfectionist but he did what he wanted to do. The first half he was brilliant, the second half he didn't allow the guy to get into the fight – he made the WBC number six look ordinary. Darren is ranked 14 by the WBO, 6 by the WBA, 5 in the WBC with the IBF putting him in at 7, he and Scott Quigg are the only fighters in the country to be ranked by all four organisations.
“[Matthew] Macklin is fighting Sturm next. We hope Macklin wins that fight because we'd love to fight him for the title. But Darren will be active, he's defending his European title on July 23rd and then we're going to look for a world title shot in October or November. We've got the final of the Super Six coming up in either of those months so we'll look to put on a megashow for the UK leg where the likes of Kell, Darren, [Paul] McCloskey and maybe [Gavin] Rees are part of a super show in the lead up to the final.”
“Not yet”, he answered to my question of whether Barker has an opponent lined up, “we'll speak to the EBU, look at the rankings and allow Darren to go in there and blow those last cobwebs away with a classy, devastating performance to make sure he's fully confident and ready for a [Dmitry] Pirog, [Felix] Sturm, Macklin or [Daniel] Geale, who are all names we think he can beat.”
The Hearns aim to put on deep bills, shows that are headlined by international title fights and packed with solid undercard fights. PPV has become the norm over here in the UK. DeGale versus Groves required the paid platform in order to become a reality yet Hearns believes that the future of PPV relies on strong bills, he is also aware of how tough the sport is.
“It is very easy to become associated and passionate about the fighters you are dealing with. Frank Maloney is a classic example of that. Frank really does want to give his fighters as many opportunities as he can, sometimes having ten to thirteen fights on a show. But boxing is basically a fundamentally flawed business. Unless you have PPV it is hard to put on a big show because the numbers don't add up.
“We're making a big investment and are lucky enough to be in a position at Matchroom where boxing isn't the only source of revenue so we can go into boxing and, if you like, run a break even business where we are able to pay the fighters good money and still not do our brains on our show.
“No one wants to lose money on a show but of course you need to make an investment and we've made an investment with Darren and with Kell. When we get to where we need to be then there is a chance that we'll get our money back but it is not about that. We want to reinvent the sport, put on quality shows and maybe in a year or two we'll be responsible for the majority of boxing in this county.”
David Haye's WBA heavyweight title defence against Audley Harrison was viewed as a low-point in Britain's PPV history. Audley was not a force on the night, the undercard did not deliver and Sky TV's crew spent more time playing around with interactive media backstage than broadcasting quality output. Hearn guided Harrison to that title tilt, he also defended the decision by all involved to host the fight on pay-per-view.
“I think the Audley Harrison show is a little bit different in that was an event for the British public rather than just for boxing fans. Of course, his performance was not what I believed it would be, it was a big disappointment on the night but it did massive PPV numbers,” argued Hearn.
“Don't forget, that was two Brits fighting for the heavyweight title and there was demand for it. I'm a big believer that we should only do two, three maximum PPV fighters per year and those fights should be the likes of Haye-Klitschko or Pacquiao versus Mayweather. I just don't see the point of limiting young prospects exposure by limiting them to PPV shows. They should have the opportunity to be give a platform on Saturday night fight night and the PPV can come later. It is important that we give the wider community and sports fans the opportunity to watch these great fights.”
However, and as mentioned earlier, truly big shows require the interjection of PPV. Hearn, though, feels that PPV events should be just that, big British bills topped by American shows; a model that became popular during the mid-to-late 1990s golden age of British PPV.
“If you can put on a show where you can put on three or four title fights in one night then that is a good show. If we've got Carl Froch fighting Andre Ward in America this October or November for the Super Six final and I've got Darren Barker fighting Macklin over here for the world title, Kell Brook fighting one of the belt-holders in his division and Paul McCloskey fighting Prescott then that is a pay-per-view,” he insisted before pointing out that Matchroom have historically been able to produce such shows.
“That is what we do. We do that in every sport by putting on megashows. Don't forget, our first boxing show was Bruno against Bugner at White Hart Lane, we did Eubank-Benn II at Old Trafford, we promote big shows, we do that with darts, getting eight or nine thousand every week for a game of darts. That is what we do best so putting on a show of that magnitude will almost be a stroll in the park for us because we're professionals, we've got the contacts and we know what we're doing. That is what we plan to do later this year.
“It can be very difficult but we've got some great fighters here in the UK and a great broadcaster in Sky to give it a good shot if we all pull together – managers, promoters, matchmakers and fighters – and realise that if we don't put on quality shows and fights then we've got no future in the game. Fighters can fight each other if they're realistic, promoters will do what they have to do and with the backing of Sky we can give it a great go.”
Hearn watched his father guide Eubank and Watson to wider public acclaim, he worked with Naz towards the end of Hamed's career and was bitten by the boxing bug during nights of quality action. He hopes to reproduce those experiences in order to crossover to the next generation of fans.
“I saw Eubank coming out to Simply The Best and then standing on the ring apron taking it all in, Naz flipping into the ring, Herbie Hide at Millwall defending the WBO belt, Jim McDonnell against Azumah Nelson at the Royal Albert Hall and [Michael] Watson and [Mike] McCallum at the same venue,” recalled Hearn.
“Once you've been around those type of fights and seen the beauty of boxing you never really lose the passion for the game. Even my old man, he lost his passion for boxing big time but now he's got it back, which is a danger for all other promoters out there because he's hungry to bring his fighters world titles again, great news for the sport.”
Eddie and Barry's renewed amour for boxing may well be the sport's gain but it could come at a cost. Boxing, like politics, is an ageing game. Eddie has been dubbed the most 'handsome man in British boxing'. Surely there must be a concern that too heavy an involvement could add a few frown lines?
“Probably,” he laughed. “I read those remarks about my appearance. I read the forums a dozen times a day because it is nice to know what the fight fans are thinking, you know? The support I've had on there and on Twitter has been encouraging and makes me want to give more for the fans. It is all good fun but we'll have more fun along the way.”
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