Hearn: Everton Event Will Be Great For Community

By Elliot Foster

Eddie Hearn believes that this weekend’s Bank Holiday boxing bonanza will inspire youngsters all over the country.

The Matchroom Sport boss will be in Liverpool on Sunday to oversee the first outdoor show in the city in nearly 50 years.

Hearn is set for a perch at ringside on May 29 when Tony Bellew and Ilunga Makabu square-off at Goodison Park with the vacant WBC cruiserweight title on the line.

And he believes that the event, which is being billed ‘Real Life Rocky Story’, will give the youths of Merseyside –– and the UK –– the impetus to realise a dream and one day get on to the big stage.

“The kids in the community, this event will do a hell of a lot for,” he told Boxing Scene.

“It’ll be like: ‘Wow, look where we can get to.’

“Fighting at an arena is good, but being at a stadium is just the pinnacle, where every fighter wants to be, and it’ll push these kids that are from the local boxing clubs to aspire to be at that top level, to graft, put the work in and eventually get there.

“When you see that, you see the lights, you see [Hall of Fame MC] Michael Buffer, it should inspire the kids of the community.”

Hearn and Matchroom set up the company’s Foundation last year and have made investments to various clubs around the country to keep them afloat and push them on to the upper echelons of their field.

One of those clubs involved with the Foundation is Liverpool’s own Golden Gloves ABC.

And Hearn told ‘Scene about where the scheme is at with regards to helping the club, which is run by Scouse boxing stalwart Wayne Smith, after them recently finding a new home.

“We made an initial investment to help them out and we continue to support them. All their boys [and girls] will be coming on Sunday on complimentary tickets through the Foundation.

“I’ve been to a couple of their amateur shows, I was at the last one and it’s good. I think they’re getting their feet back on the ground.

“Wayne [Smith] is a tremendous character. He works so hard and his story is inspirational in itself.

“Essentially, we’ll carry on supporting them and we look forward to seeing all the kids from the Gloves at Goodison Park on Sunday for what is an event that I don’t believe will be seen again in our lifetime.”