Prizefighter middleweights in Japan - 31/03/2024

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Cancelled.

I wish Eddie would just focus on the occasional interesting card in the UK

 

He's all over the place is Hearn. World wide promoter. Let's have a look. Matchroom Italy gone. Matchroom Spain gone. Matchroom Germany never started. Matchroom Japan never started. Matchroom Australia, one show planned, very ordinary fightcard. Matchroom USA going backwards rapidly from the original Sky TV broadcast days. Matchroom UK going backwards rapidly from the original Sky TV broadcast days. That leaves Saudi, which is a cash grab , working with anyone, broadcast by anyone. There might be huge middle East money about but for someone who isn't slow to put forward what an amazing, forward thinking, well planned business Matchroom is, the boxing side is a complete shambles.

 

In the past 5-10 years the boxing side of things has been held up by Joshua. Some of the figures passing through Matchroom Boxing's accounts have been crazy. The year to 2023 (which would have come before the Saudi times) had turnover of £100m, up £40m on the year before, although with much higher costs.

Queensberry's figures were jumping from £14m to £53m in the same period, you have to assume that's mostly down to Fury's stadium fights but shows with big marquee draws, the two companies aren't all that far apart despite Matchroom's global ambitions... take AJ and Canelo out of Matchroom's recent accounts and I'd like to see what's left.

See what they're both like with Saudi money washed through. Take Fury and AJ out of the mix and they're both relatively small beer in the grand scheme of things; even the lowest Premiership team turns over £150m just for turning up.

 

Setting the Saudi cards inc Joshua aside, the UK side of the Matchroom business looks no better than what we view on Sky Sports, TNT Sports and Channel 5.

I never thought when Hearn spread his wings a few years ago attempting to conquer the world that the journey would end with him in bed with Frank.

Not sure who the top or bottom is in that relationship.

 

Frank Warren is at the top

It´s him who has the last word in relation to upcoming Saudi events.

 

Many big words and big plans from Eddie Hearn that have come to nothing. What a surprise !

 

It is of course a difficult situation for Eddie Hearn / Matchroom because they have to create events that appeal to large parts of the world due to their agreement with DAZN, but I really wish Matchroom would focus more on UK Events in the future.

I´m looking forward to Frank Warren's event on Saturday, where there are several interesting fights.

 

Frank flirted with Poland and India too as I recall, when the UK market was hot and he wasn't quite as solid with BT as he became; I think BT was good for him as a way to focus on the UK. No doubt the sons pretty much taking over operations helped; Frank is probably more like a chief boxing offer in the company these days.

 

Thought Eddie would be the taker

 

Looking forward to the card on Saturday and this standard of card is what we should reasonably expect every week of the month with three different UK promoters in the sport.

 

I'm also looking forward to Frank Warren's event on Saturday.

By the way : I don't think we can expect a UK Boxing Event of that quality that often. It's not realistic.

 

I agree with this about having stacked cards on a regular basis.

This has always been for me a fundamental issue with DAZN.

The card in Birmingham this weekend is a bonus to why I subscribe, I pay for it for MotoGP etc.

Where as there is nothing on DAZN, so you need a level of boxing that isn't viable to justify £19.99 a date.

 

At least 3 per month?

All three main promoters should be capable of one very good card per month.

The problem is Hearn programmed people to accept garbage cards.

 

If this became 3 cards with a good main event and chief support, and development fights on the undercard, you'd think it should be OK.