This past month has been the most difficult one for the CEO of Matchroom Boxing Eddie Hearn, 43, after news broke out that Hearns’s fighter Conor Benn, tested positive for a banned substance.
This led him into needing to cancel the first PPV show since his new deal with DAZN in the UK.
Hearn received huge backlash from the boxing world as it was discovered he was aware of the situation weeks before, but still intended to carry on with the event. It was only two days before the fight would have taken place that the show was cancelled which left a sour taste in many fans and expert’s mouth.
Conor Benn – The ‘Box Office’ Star
Benn was pushed as the next box office star for Matchroom; it was coming at a crucial time as Hearns current PPV star Antohny Joshua, 33, is coming off back-to-back losses and has lost a lot of attraction due to those defeats.
Joshua who was also set to fight reigning WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, 34, is receiving criticism for failing to agree a deal for the mega fight against fellow Briton Fury.
Two of the biggest stars under Hearns Matchroom stable are under fire and it seems he must rely on other less known fighters such as Dimitry Bivol, who is a world class fighter but doesn’t have the market value to reach the audiences Joshua or Benn can.
This will clearly have a financial impact on Eddie Hearn but aside from the financial loss it seems the respectable reputation of his has been damaged.
The Most Recognised Promoter
Even with all the bad press over the past few weeks, Eddie Hearn is still the most recognized promoter in Boxing today. He was responsible for reviving British Boxing in the early 2010’s after years of big shows and fighters being mainly from North America.
He showcased some of the biggest events the nation has seen such as, Joshua vs Klitschco and Froch vs Groves 2.
The next few months will be a crucial time for Eddie Hearn as he must repair the damaged that was caused by him but none the less, he is still by far the biggest promoter in Boxing today.
Edited by Shirin Ghayad
