Eddie Hearn Names Zuffa as Matchroom’s Only Real Threat

Five-year broadcast deal becomes central to promotional battle

Eddie Hearn has made it clear which new player he believes can actually disrupt his business, and it is not the familiar names inside British boxing.

Zuffa’s expansion into boxing, Hearn said, is a genuine competitive threat to Matchroom’s position, while other domestic rivals do not apply the same pressure.

“Zuffa are a threat. They’re extremely powerful, extremely smart, and they’ve got a lot of money,” Hearn said to Boxing UK. “With all due respect to Boxer, who I think are doing really well, they’re not a threat. They’ve never been a threat to me.”

Hearn was not trading insults for headlines. He was describing scale. In his view, the only rivals capable of applying pressure are those with serious capital, proven leadership, and secured broadcast backing.

“The only people that are going to be a threat to us are serious players,” he said. “Zuffa, despite all this banter, they’re serious players.”

Hearn explained the issue around long-term television security. Matchroom recently secured a five-year broadcast agreement that guarantees a minimum of 30 shows annually, with the potential to exceed that number. For Hearn, that kind of schedule creates stability for fighters and removes uncertainty when negotiating future bouts.

“Without a long-term TV deal, any promoter is finished,” he said. “We’ve got it.”

He expects friction as Zuffa establishes itself. Fighters will be presented with lucrative offers. Contracts will be tested. Promoters will compete more aggressively for talent. Hearn did not dismiss that reality. He accepted it as part of the business cycle.

“They’ll take some of our fighters. We’ll take some of their fighters,” he said.

What separates Zuffa from smaller competitors, in Hearn’s view, is the combination of financial backing and proven experience running a global fight brand. That makes them credible in a way others are not.

Hearn’s message was blunt. If you want to challenge Matchroom, you need money, television backing, and the ability to stage events consistently across major markets. He believes Zuffa has those tools. He does not believe everyone else does.