The Best Boxing Promoters

In 2024, there will be a lot of boxing promoters trying to sell their fighters and cards. Who are the best of the best who excite the fans with the most exhilarating high-octane matches?

Bob Arum – Top Rank

How long has Bob Arum been in the boxing game? Well, the man is 92 years old and still going strong as the CEO of Top Rank after founding the company in 1979. However, Arum had been involved in boxing promotions long before then, as he became heavily involved with Muhammad Ali’s promotional affairs with Main Bout. This led to him promoting the 1966 fight between Ali and George Chuvalo. Since then, Arum has gone to work with many superstars of boxing like Evander Holyfield (notably his fight with George Foreman), Oscar De La Hoya, Manny Pacquiao, and the later years of Julio César Chávez’s career. Despite his advancing years, Arum is still very much involved, having worked extensively with the Saudi Arabian government and its new boxing remit and boasting stars like Shakur Stevenson on his Top Rank roster.

Eddie Hearn – Matchroom Boxing

Another top name in the administration of boxing duties is Eddie Hearn, the chairman of Matchroom Sport, the umbrella company of Matchroom Boxing. His company has generally worked with a smaller roster but one that oozes exceptional quality. He is best known for being a close friend to Anthony Joshua and has exclusively promoted the British fighters’ matches since he became a household name. Hearn has also promoted top stars like Canelo Álvarez and Katie Taylor and has close ties to current world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.

Hearn shocked the boxing industry when he allowed his broadcasting contract with Sky Sports to expire. He took his boxing portfolio to DAZN, a newcomer to the sports broadcasting industry.

Don King

‘Rumble in the Jungle’ isn’t just a catchy phrase…it was a legendary card promoted by Don King, as he pitted Muhammad Ali against George Foreman. The ‘Thrilla in Manila’ also featured Ali fighting Joe Frazier. In many ways, King was ahead of his time by cherrypicking the best heavyweight boxers and hosting them in unusual locations – not too dissimilar from the contemporary custom of hosting every card in Saudi Arabia. King has also worked with boxing legends like Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis, and Bernard Hopkins. While he hasn’t been as active in the boxing promotion circuit since the late 1980s, he remains very active in his business pursuits (even at the advanced age of 92!) as he famously bought a Cleveland, Ohio-based newspaper, works with Major League Wrestling and has been reportedly communicating with Ryan Rozicki’s management about promoting a title fight later in 2024.

Oscar de la Hoya – Golden Boy Promotions

Oscar de la Hoya, the Golden Boy, is a man entrenched in boxing activity. His boxing career spanned from 1992 to 2008, capturing multiple world titles. In the latter years of his run, he founded Golden Boy Promotions in 2002 – serving as the chairman and CEO. The first notable card from this venture was his fight with Floyd Mayweather in 2007, which de la Hoya lost. He also worked with Bob Arum of Top Rank for ‘The Dream Match: Oscar de la Hoya vs. Manny Pacquiao’ in 2008, another fight the Golden Boy lost.

Since that defeat, de la Hoya hasn’t fought a professional boxing fight; instead, he focuses on his promotional duties. He has worked with top boxers like Canelo Álvarez, Deontay Wilder, Shane Mosley, and even Amir Khan. Golden Boy has plenty of golden girls on its roster, with world champions like Marlen Esparza, Gabriela Fundora, and Yokasta Valle signed to it.

Frank Warren – Queensberry Promotions

Sworn nemesis to Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing is Frank Warren and his counterpart British boxing stable, Queensberry Promotions. The 71-year-old helped his father as a bookmaker and later trained as a solicitor. He would then combine his skills in sports and management to form his promotions company.

Warren is known to be a vocal promoter, often appearing alongside his high-profile fighters and serving as a mouthpiece for all forms of conjecture. Tyson Fury accredited Warren as the man who tempted him back to boxing after he initially retired in 2015, making trending boxing news when Fury came back to conquer the heavyweight division after three years out. Since then, Warren has often been seen just behind the Gypsy King, trying to sell fights. Frank prefers the heavyweight division as his top fighters all sit in that division: Zhilei Zhang, Daniel Dubois, and Joe Joyce – an avid fan of alliteration, too.

Jake Paul – Most Valuable Promotions

How did we end up here? One minute, Jake Paul was making a fool of himself on the internet, and now he is deeply ingrained in the fabric of boxing? Boxing news sites have lost their minds more than once over this. Whether or not he should be considered a proper boxer, he’s certainly making an impact and transcended the influencer boxing circuit with his Most Valuable Promotions company. He’s attracted broadcasters like DAZN and Showtime PPV to transmit his cards, so he must be doing something right.

Paul works with Amanda Serrano, co-promoting the Katie Taylor fight with Eddie Hearn. He’s also one of the most active promoters/fighters (as he usually fights on all his cards) as he pumps the cards out, unlike other promotions that leave fans waiting months and months between events. In 2023, he promoted five cards and worked with Nate Diaz, Tommy Fury, and Anderson Silva.

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By Dean McHugh.