Eddie Hearn, working to a blueprint laid down nearly four decades ago by Don King, is taking control of heavyweight boxing with business acumen that continues to outflank his rivals.
When two of his favourite London eccentrics, Dillian Whyte and Dereck Chisora, survived contrasting trials in front of a sell-out, 20,000 crowd at the O2 Arena on Saturday night, two more pieces of a fascinating transatlantic chess match fell into place.
Whyte and Chisora remain in the mix to challenge either or both of the recognised world champions of their division, Anthony Joshua and the American, Deontay Wilder, while in the background are Hearn’s American signing, Jarrell Miller, Frank Warren’s main players, Tyson Fury and the rising Daniel Dubois, as well as David Haye’s Olympic star, Joe Joyce. These are heady times for the big men, most of them owners of British passports.
Whyte, meanwhile, is guaranteed a rematch with Joshua, probably next April, after getting off the canvas in the last round to outlast the late-charging Joseph Parker. The New Zealander, who took Joshua the distance for the first time in 21 fights four months ago, will also be part of Hearn’s heavyweight plans.
Chisora, 34 and defeated in eight of his 37 fights over 11 years, was behind in every round until he resurrected his fading career with a spectacular eighth-round knockout of the rumbling Frenchman Carlos Takam. Nobody saw that coming – least of all Takam, who gave Joshua his toughest night last October.
Hearn says Wilder’s team are still “impossible” to do business with but, because Matchroom and Sky have so many options, the Alabama man can be parked on the sidelines while the other contenders, many of them under Hearn’s banner, continue to make big money in front of huge crowds.
It is 35 years since CBS’s boxing adviser, Mort Sharnik, said: “There is no competition except among Don King fighters.” King had a piece of eight of the world’s top 10 heavyweights. On one Las Vegas night in 1983 he had Tim Witherspoon challenging his former client Larry Holmes for the WBC title, with Michael Dokes fighting Mike Weaver on the undercard for the WBA belt. Lurking were his back-ups, Renaldo Snipes and Greg Page. Hearn has not reached that shut-out level. But King and his life‑time rival, Bob Arum, will be gone eventually and the field is there for the taking.
Since announcing a $1bn 10-year deal in the US with the DAZN network Hearn’s American invasion is moving out of its nascent stages. He has set up New York headquarters and will soon roll out his British and American signings across the weights.
Whyte was not perfect but he got the job done. Headlining a pay‑per‑view show for the first time, he failed to follow up on a ninth‑round knockdown and said: “Under the lights there’s a lot of pressure, my first big show. The mental pressure drained me out a bit. I was fit and healthy but I was thinking, ‘Why am I tired?’ There are so many things that go on in there. The whole fight he was half an inch away.
“I’ve been in boxing 10 years now. Throw me in deep enough and I sink or swim. I don’t care who I fight. I need an immediate fight, because I’m still learning, need to get a bit sharper, get my weight back down a little bit. If Joshua wants it in April, he can have it.”
Hearn said: “Joshua against Whyte is always going to happen. AJ wants it, he wants it. That wouldn’t be hard to make. Now it’s about the interim fight. Is it Wilder? Is it Chisora? Is it Miller? Is it to go over to the States and get some experience there, a 12-rounder in November in New York or LA?
“He can do whatever he wants. He’s No 1 with the WBC, No 1 with the WBO. If the heavyweight championships are tied up, you’ve got to stay active, stay relevant, and you’ve got to be earning money. He’s doing all of those.”
On the 12th-round knockdown that came perilously close to derailing his ambitions, Whyte said, “It was a good punch. I didn’t see it coming. I was a bit buzzed but in control.”
Parker could have complained – but did not – that it was a headbutt that put him down for a count in the second and the referee, Ian John-Lewis, missed several illegal shots to the back of his head. He praised Whyte for taking away his own game plan of sharp jabbing and movement. He is a nice guy but he needs some of Whyte’s aggression and Chisora’s resilience to reach the next level.