Eddie Hearn has opened up on his decision to work with Frank Warren ahead of a mega Saudi card on December 23rd, 2023.

The two rival promoters put aside their differences to help deliver one of boxing’s biggest cards. Anthony Joshua will face off against Otto Wallin, while Deontay Wilder takes on Joseph Parker. And on top of that, other names include Dmitry Bivol and Filip Hrgovic. The news did come as a shock to some people. After all, Hearn and Warren don’t usually collaborate. Nevertheless, Hearn took the chance as it would improve boxing and his fighters moving forward.

Hearn On Warren

“It’s taken his Excellency to bring that together. And it was pretty much strict instructions: ‘I don’t care if you two get on. This is what I want, Dec. 23, go and make it happen.’ Like I said, it was such a huge opportunity for AJ, for Dmitry Bivol, for Jai Opetaia, we’d be Muppets if we let that history get in the way of opportunities for our fighters,” Hearn said

Nevertheless, there will be question marks over whether this is going to be a one-off event. The biggest fight that the two promoters could arguably put on is the Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua fight. There were two attempts to make the fight. A 60-40 offer was made by Fury’s camp to Joshua before the WBC heavyweight champion’s fight with Derek Chisora. However, that failed to result in a fight as the deadline no longer made it feasible. The same offer was made in the summer, however, Joshua went on to face Robert Helenius. With that being said, Hearn was open to having more chances to do mega fights moving forward. 

Hearn On The Barriers

“No [it was not awkward] not at all. I think that deep down we’re rivals. That’s been good for the sport because we’re so competitive, we all want to deliver the best shows…When you get an opportunity like this to do something different and to really break down the barriers of the sports, you guys, the fans, you want promoters to work together. When this happens, you see all the different fighters on the card. And it’s not just me and Frank. It’s [Wilder manager] Shelly Finke, it’s [Miller promoter] Dmitry Salita, it’s [Hrgovic promoter] Wasserman, it’s all these other promoters that have been part of bringing these fights together in quick time and I think that’s the most impressive part.”

Ultimately, moving forward, Joshua will have to deliver a solid performance to justify his presence in Saudi Arabia. And given his lacklustre performances of late, the pressure will be on him to deliver. A potential fight with Deontay Wilder is being teased, which will no doubt whet the appetite of boxing fans. But first of all, both fighters must get past their respective opponents. And if that does happen, then a fight will naturally be put together.

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