Eddie Hearn Names His Price to Sell Matchroom

Eddie Hearn has revealed exactly how much it will take to persuade himself and his father, Barry, to let the sports juggernaut leave the family. Barry, 77, founded the company all the way back in 1982, based largely around snooker and boxing.

Before Eddie increased their involvement in the sweet science, Barry made Matchroom the leading promoter in the world of snooker. He also took the game of darts from the days of the Circus Tavern to the powerhouse it is today. At present, the company holds a dominant presence in boxing, snooker and darts.

In Barry’s heyday, snooker was the sport of choice. During that time, the likes of Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor were on the books, who between them won seven world titles. Another popular star, Jimmy White, got to the final of the World Championship six times but could never take home the big one. One of those seven victories was Taylor’s famous 1985 victory over Davis.

Hearn Sr then sought to do the same with boxing, assembling a portfolio of fighters including: Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank Sr, with his first significant involvement coming when Joe Bugner fought Frank Bruno in 1987. He would do the same with darts, helping to take the sport into the mainstream.

Matchroom’s place on the global stage, though, was established when Eddie became the face of the company in 2009. Under the second generation, boxing became the company’s most high-profile venture. However, they are still heavily involved in darts, having taken the sport all over the world, where the prize money is bigger than it has ever been before.

Under the Matchroom Boxing banner, Anthony Joshua and Katie Taylor have had their careers launched. Eddie also persuaded Carl Froch and George Groves to sign promotional contracts with the company, resulting in a pair of legendary fights between the pair. Later, thanks to the multi-million pound deal between Matchroom and DAZN, they were also able to promote superstars such as Canelo Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin, creating further exposure for the company.

The Massive Sum Eddie Hearn Wants to Sell Matchroom Boxing

Despite the huge amount of success they have enjoyed across multiple sports, both Barry and Eddie agree that they would be willing to part with the business if the price was right. Speaking on the new Netflix documentary: Matchroom: The Greatest Showmen, the duo named the individual fees that would tempt them to sell.

“It [Matchroom] is worth now north of £1 billion,” claimed Barry. I’m not going to gamble away my fortune. But if the right deal comes along, selling Matchroom is not out of the question. I’m planning my exit, not just from a business, from life itself, and I want to make sure my legacy is protected and anyone who wants to invest in our company – and it is our company – has to follow the rules, no matter who they are.”

However, Eddie believes that the company is worth even more, citing a figure in excess of £1.5 billion offered by Saudi Arabian boxing supremo, Turki Alalshikh.

“I just spoke to Turki Alalshikh. He goes: ‘Just to let you know, please keep it confidential that we are trying to buy Matchroom. I’m just trying to engineer the figures to the bottom line I want, especially if you got these Saudis coming on, because… that throws a whole…I mean, I don’t even know…the way he was talking is, he’s buying the lot. It’s only natural when Saudi is expanding, that they want to be involved with the best of the best. Look no further. That’s us. And I thought, ‘I view it as a great compliment.”