A tale of the tape of rival British boxing promoters (2024)

On Saturday night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, we will witness an event that 12 months ago would have been unthinkable.

That's right, after despising one another for years, British boxing's leading two promoters Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren will pit five fighters from each of their stables against each other on a monster card in the Middle East.

It promises to be a fascinating night of boxing, with Deontay Wilder, Daniel Dubois and Zhilei Zhang all in action, and bragging rights will be on the line.

After all, Hearn and Warren may have made peace, but they are still fiercely competitive and will be desperate for their fighters to emerge victorious.

But what do we really know about Hearn and Warren? From where it all started to how they go about their day-to-day lives away from the ring, here's how they have risen to the top...

Business empires

Hearn's story begins with his father, Barry, who first went into promoting sporting events in 1974. His original focus was on snooker, and he formed Matchroom with players Steve Davis and Tony Meo in the 1980s.

Barry's first boxing promotion came in 1987 - marking the start of his rivalry with Warren - and he didn't dip his toe into the pond by any means as he jumped straight in for Frank Bruno's heavyweight showdown with Joe Bugner.

Hearn Sr would go on to promote Chris Eubank Sr, Nigel Benn and Lennox Lewis, but stepped away to hand over the reins to his son around 15 years ago.

Since then, Hearn Jr, who started off as a sports agent with Ian Botham as one of his clients, has become the face of Matchroom Boxing, promoting Anthony Joshua throughout his entire career as well as the rematch between Carl Froch and George Groves at Wembley in 2014.

Matchroom signed a groundbreaking $1bn (£905m) deal with streaming platform DAZN in 2018, and now promote events all over the world.

The company also has interests in darts, basketball, bowling, fishing, gymnastics, netball, poker, pool and table tennis, and Barry told SportBusiness last year that Matchroom is now a billion-pound company.

Warren's journey has been very different as he made his own way into the sport, starting off as an unlicensed promoter for his second cousin Lenny McLean, before promoting his first licensed show at the Bloomsbury Crest Hotel in London in 1980.

His first event was blocked from being broadcast due to British Boxing Board of Control rules on first-timers, but he gradually worked his way up the pecking order and went on guide the careers of Naseem Hamed, Ricky Hatton and Joe Calzaghe after setting up Queensberry Promotions.

During his career spanning over four decades, Warren has predominantly focused on events in the UK, but has also taken some of his best talent overseas, including Tyson Fury in recent years.

Like Hearn, his business has become a family affair, with Warren getting his sons, Francis and George, involved in promoting his shows.

Warren's children can be seen at most Queensberry events, with George often acting as a middle-man between Warren and Hearn when relations were much frostier than they are now.

Net worth

Hearn has the edge in terms of wealth, with his net worth estimated at around the £50m mark thanks to Matchroom's involvement in a range of sports.

Warren's net worth is in the region of £16m. His bank balance looks set to rise this year, though, with Tyson Fury due to face Oleksandr Usyk on December 21 in a huge rematch.

Should Fury come through that, a domestic dust-up with Anthony Joshua could await, and would likely provide all involved with a mega-payday.

There is also an added incentive for this weekend's winning team, as the victorious company headed by Hearn or Warren will take home a $3m (£2.4m) bonus.

Business HQ and homes

Hearn has a house in Bel-Air, Los Angeles and a mansion in Brentwood, Essex, where he grew up.

The 44-year-old spends most of his time at his home in Brentwood, but is doing more and more events in the US each year as he tries to crack the American market.

Matchroom headquarters are based in Brentwood - a short drive from Hearn's home - at a mansion named Mascalls, with 81 staff working for the company. Hearn previously lived there, but he transformed the place into a boxing ring during the Covid-19 pandemic as he was forced to think outside the box to keep his business going.

He delivered several events known as 'Fight Camp' after spending £1m in the summer of 2020, with Dillian Whyte and Katie Taylor both tasting action in the back garden of the mansion property.

It proved such a hit that Fight Camp returned the following year.

Meanwhile, Warren lives in a £2.7m Grade-II listed mansion at an eight-acre country estate in Hertfordshire with his wife, Susan.

The former Vogue model was forced to pay builders £215,000in 2022 after work on a million-pound extension at their home was hit by the discovery of bats in the attic.

The headquarters for Queensberry are also in Turnford, Hertfordshire, and there are 28 employees working for the company.

Family life

Hearn is married to beauty expert Chloe, and the couple have two daughters, Isabella and Sophia, born in 2010 and 2012, respectively.

Chloe opened her own salon named Chloe's Beauty Bar with friend and reality TV star Chloe Sims in Essex in 2014, but it closed down five years later.

Warren and his wife Susan also have two children, sons Francis and George.

Both savvy businessmen themselves, Francis and George attend boxing shows with their dad and look set to take over the family business when he eventually opts to walk away from the sport.

Travel

Hearn seems to never be off the road so he needs a way to get around the country. And when it comes to choosing his cars, there is no expense spared.

During his rise to the top, Hearn has been seen in a £320,000 Rolls-Royce Wraith and an £80,000 Range Rover.

But he also needs to travel all over the world to attend events from the US to Saudi Arabia to Australia.

And this is where his private jet comes into play. He regular flies in from one country to another on a private jet as he aims to stay one step ahead of the competition.

Warren started off with a Mini 1275 GT at 17, 55 years ago, but has upgraded somewhat to his currentJaguar XK150.

His dream car is the Bentley GT Continental.

Warren does not currently have a private jet to his name, but with more and more events heading to the Middle East, he could well invest in one further down the line.

Away from the ring

Hearn has turned to the gym to switch off from boxing, and signed up to write a column for Men's Health UK last year.

Having previously been critical of his fitness levels and body shape, Hearn lost two stone in a matter of months in 2023 and put it down to learning more about his diet, drinking less alcohol and exercising more.

He made the surprise confession that he had not lost weight simply by eating less, as he revealed he regularly eats steak and eggs for breakfast to fuel himself for the rest of the day.

Hearn also tried a 72-hour diet which saw him not eat anything while only drinking water for three straight days at the start of this year after being inspired by UFC president Dana White.

He lost 10 pounds thanks to the diet, but then revealed he put it straight back on due to missing food so much!

Warren's favourite pastime is listening to music, and he regularly goes to Ronnie Scott's - a world-famous jazz club in west London.

The 72-year-old aims to go to a concert once a month as well, while he is also an Arsenal super-fan, and has tried on multiple occasions to convince Cristiano Ronaldo to join the Gunners.

Hearn took Anthony Joshua's first fight with Oleksandr Usyk to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2021 and revealed he previously had a season ticket at White Hart Lane for four years.

Hearn and Warren can't even agree on football, and they won't be holding back this weekend when they go head to head in Riyadh.