Bob Arum and Eddie Hearn reflect on career paths in boxing

Bob Arum never intended to spend his life promoting boxing matches, but decades after Muhammad Ali first pulled him into the sport, the 94-year-old Top Rank founder remains in the game. In a joint interview with Matchroom's Eddie Hearn published by Bad Left Hook, the two promoters traced their intertwined paths through the business and what keeps them coming back.

Arum told reporters he originally viewed himself as a lawyer who happened to represent Ali after Jim Brown arranged the introduction. "I really never thought that I would stay in boxing after Muhammad Ali," he said, per the Bad Left Hook feature. "But one thing happens after another, you meet guys like Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler and Hearns and Duran, and that leads to George Foreman coming out of retirement to fight, Oscar De La Hoya. So, again, it's like the mafia, you try to get out but they drag you back in."

Hearn recalls humbling moment with Arum in Wales

Hearn shared his most memorable Arum story from the night before Anthony Joshua fought Joseph Parker in Wales. At a joint appearance, moderators asked both promoters about their greatest career moment. Hearn spoke about Joshua's victory over Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley Stadium in front of 90,000 fans. Arum followed by saying his top moment was either the Rumble in the Jungle or the Thrilla in Manila. "I just evaporated into my seat," Hearn said, according to Bad Left Hook. "I was like 'I've got a long way to go.'"

The Top Rank boss praised Hearn's rise in the sport, noting his friendship with Eddie's father Barry Hearn stretches back years. Arum recalled Barry approaching him at the Joshua-Parker fight to say "look what my son has done," adding that the elder Hearn clearly felt proud of Eddie's accomplishments.

On what separates good fighters from great ones, both promoters pointed to discipline over raw talent. Hearn cited Joshua's relentless work ethic despite perhaps lacking the natural gifts of a Canelo Alvarez. Arum highlighted Marvin Hagler's blue-collar dedication in the gym, saying the middleweight champion "was a machine" in training even if his technique lagged behind contemporaries like Leonard. Arum closes the Top Rank schedule this summer with several cards on ESPN before fall camp opens in September.

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• Bad Left Hook — ‘One thing happens after another’: Bob Arum and Eddie Hearn reflect on career paths in boxing