How Brash Boxing Promoter Eddie Hearn Turned Matchroom Sport Into A Multimillion Dollar Company

Inside the Hilton Syon Park hotel, on another cloudy London day in July, Eddie Hearn has gathered the media for what he bills as boxing’s next big U.K. fight, an August rematch between two-time former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua and ex–British boxing champ Dillian Whyte. (Days after this story was published in the August/September issue of Forbes magazine, Whyte was replaced by Robert Helenius due to a failed a drug test.) Yet Hearn can’t help thinking ahead. Noticing former heavyweight contender Derek Chisora a few feet away, he crashes a YouTube interview with another fighter, Fabio Wardley. “What about you two?” Hearn jokes, until both unexpectedly express interest and the wheels start turning. It’s no blockbuster match, but there isn’t a limelight too small, or big, for boxing’s perpetual hype machine.

The 44-year-old Hearn loves to put on a show. He’s pushed the boundaries of his family’s event promotion company, Matchroom Sport, to previously unimaginable heights, which Forbes estimates posted fiscal 2023 (ended June 30) revenue of $365 million and a net profit of $60 million. Much of that is thanks to the rejuvenation of its boxing division, which he has steered since 2012 from small-time enterprise to global brand. Boxing now accounts for over half ($235 million) of Matchroom Sport’s estimated annual sales and nearly $20 million of its cash flow. It is the biggest name in U.K. boxing, a nascent yet profitable player in America and an emerging presence in newer markets such as the Middle East.

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