Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn will face off on June 1 in an novel 5-on-5 boxing card that will pit fighters managed by each promoter against each other in Riyad, Saudi Arabia. Warren and Hearn are fierce rivals, with Eddie most recently emerging victorious when his fighter Jack Catterall defeated Frank’s prodigy Josh Taylor, but the feud goes back generations.
The 5v5 Queensberry vs Matchroom undercard will see Warren’s Zhilei Zhang take on Hearn’s Deontay Wilder in the heavyweight main event, shortly after another thrilling clash between Daniel Dubois and Filip Hrgovic.
The world of boxing promotion is not very genial, with Warren and Hearn at the top constantly fighting for fighter signatures, money, titles and success. Due to the wealth both promoters received from the Saudis, they behaved politely during the Riyadh meeting, but Warren’s hatred of the Hearn family stems from Eddie’s father, Barry.
Warren was always seen as Britain’s best boxing promoter until Hearn senior seized the opportunity to take over many of the fighters who had previously associated with Frank. In 1989, Warren was shot in London by a masked gunman and nearly died in the attack. It wasn’t long before Hearn senior turned his attention away from snooker and into the world of boxing.
As Warren recovered from the shooting, many of his sponsors withdrew and the eminent London Arena he founded went into receivership. Many of his players began to look elsewhere and Hearn senior signed them up and then made a name for himself by managing Chris Eubank.
Matchroom had then been founded by Hearn and Warren had a sedate problem on his hands. “When I got shot, I told all the fighters to cross the street,” Warren said. However, because Hearn Sr. was inexperienced and Warren had used his charm after returning to full fitness, they soon returned to their previous promoter. “Within two years, they all came back to me,” Warren added.
The turning point was the negotiations for the Nigel Benn vs. Chris Eubank fight, which Hearn senior had difficulty organizing, but Warren took ownership of, signing a contract with ITV to present the fight. Warren then found his up-to-date home on Sky and after beating Hearn Sr he stepped away from the game, returned to snooker and also focused on darts and continues to do so.
Warren won the battle and remained undisputed for 15 years until Eddie Hearn tried to resurrect his father’s efforts and become a contender again. While playing poker in 2010, Hearn met Audley Harrison, who convinced the boxer to facilitate him rebuild his career, and soon after founding Matchroom Boxing and launching Eddie’s career.
“Barry Hearn’s boy came in with a spoon in his mouth,” Warren said, slamming Eddie after he said his father had financed his career. “But I come from the same situation as Barry Hearn and I dismissed him in style.”
Ironically, Warren left Sky to promote the fights on his own service called BoxNation, and Hearn then stepped in to sign an exclusive deal with the broadcaster. “Every time we talk to a fighter he says, ‘I want to fight on Sky Sports,’” Hearn said after securing the contract.
“Why are Frank’s players leaving? Because they want to box as often as possible in front of as many people as possible. You need to be in a fit and sheltered place. Maybe as a player you see the losses that Frank Warren suffered and you worry about your future.”
Hearn currently manages some of the best in the business such as Anthony Joshua, Canelo Alvarez, Katie Taylor, Devin Haney and Wilder to name a few, although Warren still has some highly regarded fighters in his collection such as Tyson Fury, Joseph Parker, Zhang and Dubois.
While Hearn may have gained a boost in his career, he clearly foresaw the business, as he said in 2013: “We’ve gained momentum, we’ve secured our position as the number one promoter in the UK, but look where we are in five years.” More than a decade later, Hearn is now seen as the most successful promoter and has achieved what his father could not achieve in the sport.
Queensberry vs Matchroom 5v5 Fight Card
Zhilei Zhang vs. Deontay Wilder; Heavyweight
Daniel Dubois vs. Filip Hrgovic; Heavyweight
Hamzah Sheeraz vs. Austin Williams; Medium weight
Dmitry Bivol vs. Malik Zinad; For Bivol’s WBA lithe heavyweight title
Raymond Ford vs. Nick Ball; For Ford’s WBA featherweight title
Willy Hutchinson vs. Craig Richards; Airy weight
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