Eddie Hearn: ‘Boxing Has So Much More Potential Than The UFC’

Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn believes that boxing’s potential is greater than the UFC’s.

UFC President Dana White has tried to get into the world of boxing. He first teased Zuffa Boxing in 2017 during the Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor tour. White has hit many roadblocks on his journey and now it appears his hope of starting up a boxing promotion has been all but dashed.

White has lashed out at the boxing industry, saying it’s “screwed up and broken.” White has expressed his belief that the entire sport of boxing needs to be “rebuilt and restructured.”

Hearn, who is one of the top boxing promoters today, appeared on iFL TV and said that the sport is far from dead.

“People always talk about, ‘boxing’s dying.’ Boxing’s not dying. There’s more broadcasters than ever trying to get involved in the sport of boxing. There’s more UFC stars trying to crossover into boxing than ever. There’s more celebrities trying to get into boxing to make money than ever.

“Boxing has so much more potential than the UFC because it’s a sport with tremendous heritage and history. And it’s a sport that transcends into so many different markets globally. But it only works if we get it right with the right fights, the right schedule, the right interaction with the fans and the viewers.”

Matchroom Boxing is coming off a big end to 2020 with Canelo Alvarez vs. Callum Smith. Luke Campbell, who fights under Matchroom, got 2021 started in a losing effort against Ryan Garcia. Matchroom is hoping to continue to make big fights in 2021 and one way of doing that is by attempting to finalize a two-fight deal with Canelo.