The Eddie Hearn/Frank Warren entente cordiale continues, and the rival promoters have now been revealing details of what it’s been like to work together on major fights.
For many years there was a Cold War between the pair (who had apparently never met) as they exchanged barbs back and forth via boxing’s plethora of YouTube outlets.
Now though they’ve been brought together by His Excellency Turki Alalshikh to make Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Season a smash hit. And the results so far have been stunning.
In October we got Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou, and last month we had that massive ‘Day of Reckoning’ card featuring Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder among others. Then on February 17 it is Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk for all of the heavyweight titles, followed by Joshua vs Ngannou on March 8.
Hearn and Warren on WhatsApp
Hearn and Warren sat down for a face-off on TNT Sports to discuss their new working relationship, and the man behind it – namely Turki Alalshikh. They revealed some of the secrets of their WhatsApp group with the General Entertainment Authority Chairman.
Hearn said: “I experienced it for the first time for last show, the ‘Day of Reckoning’. Frank was added for the show before as well.
“It was just the most remarkable thing I’ve ever seen. This was not a guy who was saying ‘guys, tell me what to do and how to bring boxing to Saudi Arabia’. He’s saying to us ‘I like this guy, I like that guy, what about him vs him’.
“We’re looking at the undercards, because traditionally we all look at the undercards as a business, and say ‘okay guys, that’s enough’. He wants more, more. That’s amazing for fight fans.”
Warren meanwhile confirmed: “He’s a boxing nut, he watches everything”.
Hearn and Warren, on each other
Hearn and Warren were asked during their face-off by interviewer Steve Bunce what surprised each of them most after working with the other for the first time.
Warren’s answer was quite simply: “I actually think he knows a bit more about boxing than I thought he did. I don’t mean the business of boxing, I mean boxing.”
Hearn meanwhile provided more detail, but it was a similar theme as he explained: “My Dad [Barry Hearn] has always said ‘you’ll love Frank’s company’. And when we had dinner it was very pleasant. It’s just rivalry, it’s because we’re competitors, we like to win.
“I love sitting next to my old man, Arum, Frank, when I’m watching boxing. Because I’ve been watching boxing since I was 8, but they’ve been watching boxing longer.
“There was a brilliant moment in the last show where Daniel Dubois’ Dad, who I think might have won him the fight [vs Jarrell Miller] by the way, he came in between a round and Daniel was almost looking for him, and he screamed and shouted at him and he had a good round. And I thought before that round, he might be on his way out here.
“Frank had the experience to say ‘go and get him and sit him here’. And every round he did the same thing, and I think it might have won him the fight, and I found him cheering for Daniel Dubois.”
