PROMOTER Barry Hearn has opened up on Matchroom’s dramatic split from Sky Sports.
The company signed with DAZN in June 2021, ending a three-decade boxing partnership with the broadcasting giants.
Hearn’s son Eddie was instrumental in negotiating the five-year, £100 million deal.
The lucrative contract cemented the relationship between Matchroom and DAZN, which already held exclusive rights to show the promoter’s fights in the rest of the world.
Two-time heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua was exempt from the deal as he already had a contract signed with Sky.
On his podcast The Barry Hearn Show, the 76-year-old dived into the financial thinking behind the move.
READ MORE ON BOXING
Hearn said: “We’re all influenced by money.
“The only danger as promoters, especially like us, is we tell the truth.
“If someone wants something, and they are prepared to pay…
“We left Sky after 30 years of boxing. Why? We had a great relationship with them.
Most read in Boxing
BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS
“But a new player [DAZN] came in and gave us the chance to take the sport to the levels we believe it is capable of.”
Hearn added that DAZN “paid several times more than their incumbent broadcaster.”
He continued: “It was Sky who made the decision not to compete.
“And I don’t say it was the wrong decision, it was their decision.
“But in my world, my job is to expand my sports and the commercialisation of those sports.
“So that I do well, the company does well, and my sportsmen and women earn rewards that used to be off the scale.”
How AJ punched his way to the top
ANTHONY JOSHUA punched his way to the top of the world before being knocked off his perch.
Earlier this year, Hearn revealed business was booming following the move.
He told an episode of Piers Morgan Uncensored: “The business is worth over a billion.”
Hearn Snr. launched Matchroom back in 1982, with snooker at its heart.
He recently sent a warning to Sheffield City Council over the future of the iconic Crucible Theatre.
The Crucible has hosted the Snooker World Championship since 1977.
But Hearn is keen for a “new venue” to be built, allowing him to sell 3,000 tickets a session.
Speaking on his podcast, he said: “I have to live in the real world.
“It’s why I don’t do pay-per-view shows or Anthony Joshua fights at York Hall, Bethnal Green.
“I think York Hall is the greatest fight atmosphere venue in the world, it’s just not fit for purpose.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
“And the Crucible is not fit for purpose.
“I want to stay in Sheffield, and I’ve told the Sheffield City Council numerous occasions over the last few years. They have three more years. I will move.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
