British boxing may have been changed forever for the better when two leading promoters shook hands in London on the evening of Wednesday November 15th.
Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn and Queensberry manager Frank Warren met for the first time in a tiny dressing room at Wembley Arena and exchanged greetings.
The meeting was surprisingly cordial, considering Hearn and Warren have been trading verbal abuse for years, primarily via interviews on boxing-related YouTube channels.
“After 12 or 13 years of not seeing or speaking to anyone, I never thought something like this would happen but honestly it’s one of the best things we’ve ever done,” Hearn told BBC Sport, sitting next to Warren.
They were brought together by super-rich Saudi Arabian organisers to put together a card headlined by heavyweight Anthony Joshua in December.
“It was like, ‘We have to put the past behind us and do this for the company, for the fighters and for the sport,'” Hearn said.
The pair ended a rivalry that dates back to the 1980s, when Hearn’s father, Barry, was at the helm of Matchroom, and have since worked together on some of Saudi Arabia’s more high-profile cards.
“It’s been very enlightening for me. I’ve been in the industry for a long time and this has given me a bit of a rejuvenation. I’m enjoying it,” Warren added.
But their budding friendship will be put to the test on Saturday when their promoters pit their fighters against each other in an unprecedented five-on-five event in Riyadh.
From fierce rivalry to a fun game of Jenga
Just six months ago, no one would have expected Hearn and Warren to be playing a friendly, oddly fascinating game of Jenga at a press conference in April.
Their relationship is now much less fragile than a game of building blocks.
“We think alike in a lot of ways and it’s very refreshing. I enjoy being around Eddie,” Warren says.
It’s a rivalry that’s been steeped in history ever since a young Hearn heard his father and Warren arguing on the phone.
Hearn, who had previously focused on snooker, benefited when Warren was shot by a masked assailant in November 1989 and wealthy backers withdrew funding for the promoter.
Boxers moved to Matchroom but Warren’s tenacity saw him fight back: he organised a rematch between Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank in 1993 and signed a lucrative contract with broadcaster Sky two years later.
A few years later, history seemed to repeat itself as a newcomer, Hearn Jr., burst onto the scene and disrupted the market.
Hearn, whose team included promising fighters such as future world champions Kell Brook and Tony Bellew, signed an exclusive nine-year contract with Sky Sports in 2012.
Fans and fighters suffered as Warren and Hearn operated separately.
2019 saw several crossover bouts, including Kid Galahad crossing the border to face Queensberry’s Josh Warrington in a featherweight world title fight.
But the super fight between Joshua and Tyson Fury and the hard-fought domestic light heavyweight clash between Joshua Buatsi and Anthony Yarde are just two examples of high-profile bouts failing to materialise due to rivalries between promoters.
That all changed when energy-rich Saudi Arabia entered the boxing world.
Turki Aralshik, chairman of the Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority, and Warren’s son and Queensberry CEO George Warren urged them to work together, ensuring there was enough space and funding for both Hahn and Warren to take top positions.
“It took a few decent people to get together and butt heads together and say, ‘Hey guys, we can do something really special,'” Hahn says.
He soon discovered that the Hearns and Warrens weren’t all that different.
“We have a lot in common in our families,” he added. “We both come from working-class backgrounds. Frank was successful in business and then his son George came from a similar background to me and we both were successful in sport.”
“It would be foolish to ruin this.”
Hearn has decided to line up Deontay Wilder for a heavyweight showdown against fellow big-name boxer Zhang Zhilei in the main event this weekend.
Queensberry’s Daniel Dubois will face heavyweight Filip Hrgovic in the world title final, while Liverpool’s featherweight Nick Ball will take on WBA world champion Raymond Ford.
A middleweight showdown between Hamza Sheeraz and Austin “Amo” Williams and a cruiserweight bout between Willie Hutchinson and Craig Richards are also part of the lineup.
“I’d be a fool to screw this up,” Warren said of the collaboration, while Hahn nodded.
“Each of our fighters is getting a big opportunity and making a lot of money.”
Despite plans for further co-promotion already in the works, Hearn and Warren insist their rivalry remains as fierce as ever.
Warren said he would never have considered losing Queensberry and likened the match to a football derby.
“The respect will be there but this is on par with an Old Firm game in Scotland or Tottenham v Arsenal. That’s the reality and we want to win,” he says.
Hahn always finds a competitive edge, “whether it’s Jenga, ping pong or football in the yard.”
And if he didn’t secure the bragging rights, Hearn said he would have to answer to his father, who told him, “You have to win, you have to win.”
