Anthony Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn eyeing future move into MMA, would rival Dana White and UFC
Eddie Hearn has declared that he expects to promote MMA events in future.
The Matchroom Boxing promoter, who represents fighters such as Anthony Joshua, Gennady Golovkin and Mikey Garcia, made the revelation when asked about the sport in a US interview
Hearn told : “I do like MMA, I’m not an MMA fan, but I’m an admirer of what they’ve done and how tough it is.
“When I went to a couple of MMA shows ten years ago there was a lot of grappling. A lot of wrestling. I like the way they stay on their feet more now and fight on their feet.
“I’m a casual fan of MMA, don’t know a lot about it, I could probably name you half a dozen fighters.
“I will watch the bigger fights. I’m that casual fan who tunes in for the big ones.
“But I love what they’ve done as a brand, I love their expansion into territories. I’m jealous because they control the sport and fighters in a way where the fighters are basically told who they’re gonna fight.
“In boxing that’s exactly the opposite, they tell us. Dana White’s always talked about going into boxing, but it’s gonna be really frustrating for him.
“Because you don’t just phone up Canelo and say, ‘You’re fighting GGG in September, I’ll see you there.’
“You have to negotiate with managers, advisors, networks, it’s frustrating. I’m an MMA fan – the sport and also the business.”
When asked if he will promote MMA in the future, Hearn concluded: “Yeah, I think so, I think so.
“A lot of people are asking me to do it, whether it’s broadcasters or other organisations who would like to grow or try and rival the UFC.
“It’s very difficult to rival the UFC and if I’m gonna do it, I’m gonna do it with all guns blazing. I don’t wanna go in and be number two.
“Being number one in that space is very, very difficult. So let me crack boxing first and then we’ll see about MMA.”