Seems like a lot of fighters now what to fight in the UK (P4P GGG did in sept, Jennings just came out today saying he'd love to) Hearn just signed his first overseas signing (Luis Ortiz). This guy isn't Al Haymon - he's not in the darkness where nobody knows where they stand with no interviews, he knows how to manipulate and use social media to build pretty average boxers into people the public know, support and love. In the UK, he has cleaned up. It seems like PBC has failed not due to not having the money but having a lack of exposure and no one really caring about the fighters fighting. He does seems to struggle doing big deals - he doesn't seem to have to money people want/refuses to pay stupid money (couldn't make khan/brook happen nor a Froch - Vegas fight). He's either a great liar telling people the big fights can't happen due to people not wanting it or people are asking for to much money in the current climate. Give it two years, mouths might start getting hungry when Al's pursestrings are tightening and better deals can be done. The day of the likes of Pulev wanting £5m to fight Anthony Joshua or Jessie Vargas wanting £4m to fight Brook will be over if Haymon stops paying those sums and inflating the market value. The other thing going his way, is fighters genuinely seem to like him - no fighter ever has a bad word to say about him. Give it 5 years - do you think someone like him could control the whole world of boxing and do what haymon was trying to do but do it more organically and create a UFC type situation?
If Eddie Hearn had been given the power and influence Al Haymon had when PBC started up, they would be in a much better place now and the networks would be demanding boxing all the time. Matchroom do an excellent job of proving for their broadcaster, the promoters and the fans (fans- not haters, nobody provides for haters but real boxing fans can't complain with the job Eddie has done)- and unlike nearly every other boxing promotion in the world are a profitable organization. As for your question- I don't think Hearn would actually want that. He realises the value of competition.
PBC simply do not build fighters So many fighters fighting too infrequently, however because the fighters are being paid very well, most will not care about being built or fighting often if they earn more in 2 fights what they used to earn in 4 The only losers would be the fans
My thoughts exactly. The other side is PBC are terrible match makers. Should have matched more exciting fights but most of it was utter snooze fest
They'll have to care when it collapses. It seems to be unsustainable when nobody is interested in them. The Garcia's, Dirells, Degales, Thurman's, Bute's etc why wouldn't you fill your boots with cash, when you know you're getting paid way more than the people previously with your status. I think they way they profited in a little 3 year bubble future fighters won't be able to as easily
Eddie Hearn's take on it is quite different though. The big fights (and even some domestic ones) are behind PPV, in a country that still seems to want to pay extra for fights that should be on free tv. Haymon's method was doomed at the moment he started to pay his top fighters insane amounts for fighting gatekeepers and high level journeymen. While the whole system already needed to get 4 to 5 times the number of views the other channels had with their free to air tv fights when paying them half of what they got. Needless to say that didn't work out. Hearn has an entirely different market, and an entirely different businessplan. Like said by BNB...
He's essentially a part of it already. His fighters have been fighting on PBC cards for quite a while, and some are outsright signed to Haymon. Hearn is to the UK what DiBella is to NY or Mayweather is to Vegas.
I like Eddie Hearn! He overpaid Golovkin with a Flat Fee, but at least he set the trend on how to pay nobody hyped fighters. 2017 is the year that King AL Haymon delegates to his UK minister to bring the American PBC to the quality starved poor *******s in England. Hearn is a great side flunky for Haymon and in his interview stated that he is looking forward to working under Haymon for the benefit of British boxing fans.
