Matchroom is set to unveil a busy climax to 2025 before their 2026 schedule gets underway.
Critics had looked at the calendar for the back end of the year and said it looked thin, but Matchroom will announce more dates shortly – and one will be headlined by new signing and 2020 Olympian and light heavyweight contender Ben Whittaker.
“We’re in Sheffield Saturday night [Dave Allen-Arslanbek Makhmudov], the weekend after, we've got [Keiron] Conway- [George] Liddard at York Hall, sold out,” said Matchroom Boxing CEO Frank Smith. “November 1st, we’ve got a smaller next gen show in the US. November 15th, we’re at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium again with the [Chris] Eubank-[Conor]Benn rematch. November 22nd, Saudi, we’ve got Bam Rodriguez on the card [against ‘Puma Martinez]. We’ll announce shows very soon for November 29th, December 6th, December 13th, December 17th, and December 20th. So we’ve got a busy end of the year.”
November 6 will be in Monte Carlo, with Johnny Fisher on the bill, and at least one date will be in the US with Diego Pacheco and possibly Welshman Joe Cordina on the card.
“I’ve always said we’re our own biggest critics, as much as the fans out there have their views, and look, you’re never going to keep everyone happy, but we know what we need to do, we know what we need to deliver, and that’s what we’re working towards, is delivering the best possible content, and we will do that,” added Smith. “And next year, as Eddie said, is very exciting.”
Hearn has said the 2026 slate will be impressive, and he has spoken of his desire to dominate the marketplace with the arrival of Dana White and Zuffa Boxing.
Smith, meanwhile, has received a lot of the credit for bringing in the aforementioned Whittaker – who was previously with Boxxer.
“I think Ben always wanted to sign with Matchroom,” added Smith. “Which makes it a bit easier, in truth, if the desire is there. And I think with Ben, even when you look back to three and a bit years ago, when he turned professional, we were very close to signing him. We had a deal essentially agreed, just not signed. We filmed a promo for it. We've got all of that promotional content. And I think we always knew that when the time came, when he was a free agent, that we would make a big play for him, but as everyone would. So, yeah, I push quite hard. I work with Will Harvey, who manages him and his lawyer as well. It was a big, big bit of work. But it was a team effort.”
Whittaker is not just gifted, still only 28, and with an Olympic pedigree, but he fights and has a personality unlike anyone else in the Matchroom stable – or anywhere else – and instantly stands out.
“We’ve got over 100 fighters and I think every fighter is different in their own way,” Smith explained. “I think with Ben Whittaker, you’ve got someone who has so much character and is open to showing it and actually putting the effort in. You can be a great fighter, but if you don’t put the effort in outside of the ring, you’re going to be limited as to where you can get to. How many great fighters have we seen over the years that haven’t really hit their potential from a commercial perspective, not necessarily always from a boxing perspective. And I think with Ben as well. He’s only 28, which is young in terms of a lot of the amateurs that turned over in recent times. A lot of the amateurs turned over later and are in their 30s now. But Ben’s still got time. I think with us, we need to build on giving momentum – four fights in 14 months is going to be the aim. And yeah, he’s a real character. He came up with the promo, the ‘show me the money’ promo. He wants to do things. He was there for 12 hours filming the other day, and for us, that’s exciting because sometimes you work with people who don’t get it or aren’t interested in that side of things. And sometimes that’s just the reality and you have to deal with it. But with Ben, it’s exciting.”
Whittaker is a divisive type. His air of confidence and in-ring antics are not for everyone, though he’s personable and easy to talk to. But he’s a character, and that matters.
“They’re getting to know Ben. I’ve got to know Ben even where we didn’t promote him over the years,” Smith went on. “He’s a lovely guy, a nice guy, always good to be around, very respectful. But the truth is, when you are that showman, you’re going to have people who don’t like you. And we live in a world now of social media where everyone has an opinion on everybody, judging them off the back of things they see and without knowing the individual. “So I think that is always going to be the way I think there’s going to be people who are going to, I think, grow to love him over time as well. But he’s always going to have people who don’t see eye to eye with the way he is. But that’s what makes him what he is. Ultimately, that’s what makes people want to watch him. I think we need more characters in the sport like Ben Whittaker and the way he portrays himself… puts himself out there. And not enough people do that. But a lot of people want to be liked, right? Everyone wants to be liked.
“Everyone wants the people to think, ‘oh, he’s a nice guy.’ But the truth is, you want people talking about you as well, if you’re going to be as big as you can possibly be. So, yeah, I think over time you’ll see more people grow to love him because he’s got a very nice personality. “But, to get people talking, you need to do things that some people aren’t going to do, which is part and parcel of it.”
The likes of Chris Eubank Snr, Naseem Hamed and Floyd Mayweather all drew money not just on their ability but because fans queued up to watch them get beaten.
“A hundred per cent,” Smith agreed. “Look, that’s part and parcel. Look at another one, Eubank Jnr. Perfect example over the years, who was a bit of a villain. Now he says he’s not the villain anymore… he’s the public hero, but that’s part of it. And I think more people, more fighters need to understand the show element of it. And I think that’s been missing for a lot of fighters in truth over the years. So that’s why I'm very excited about Ben, because you’ve got someone who understands the game.?
Smith said an announcement on Whittaker’s Matchroom debut would come in the next week or so and that he will main event the card.
“He’s done everything asked of him,” Smith continued. “But I don’t think the opponents he’s necessarily had to date have been the right moves for him to develop as a fighter. And I think under Andy Lee, he’s going to need time to develop. I think you have to give him some time in the right fights to build him through because this is a guy who can go all the way, who can become a superstar and reign in the sport for a long time, I believe.”
Smith also thinks that by the time Whittaker will be in a position to challenge for world honors, certainly Artur Beterbiev and possibly even Dmitry Bivol would have moved on.
“Bivol has probably got a bit more time in the sport, I would say, than Beterbiev, but I think realistically they’re not going to be around at that point,” said Smith.
Bivol is due to return from injury in early 2026, while Beterbiev fights Deon Nicholson on November 22 in Saudi.
Smith is uncertain whether the third bout between Bivol and Beterbiev – currently tied 1-1 in their series – will happen.
“The trilogy is a brilliant fight. And I think for Dmitry, it’s about the biggest fight,” said Smith. “He’s shown time and time again, he’s not afraid of taking risks, taking the biggest tests, but he wants the biggest opportunity right now because he’s probably only got a year left in the sport, I would say. So that's definitely a fight of interest.”
On the same card that Beterbiev boxes on, Anthony Yarde challenges David Benavidez in what has the ingredients of a wild shootout. Could the winner of that be in line for Bivol?
“That’s a great fight,” Smith said. “I have a lot of respect for Anthony Yarde, what he’s done in his career over the years. He’s been involved in big, big fights, and has built a great profile for himself. So that would be an interesting fight there as well.”
