Eddie Hearn says Zuffa belt could gain legitimacy in 5–10 years

Eddie Hearn believes promoters do not have the authority to create world titles, even as Zuffa prepares to launch its own championship belt.

“Maybe in five or 10 years’ time, maybe the Zuffa World Championship is actually something that younger generations want to win,” Hearn said in a recent interview with IFL TV.

Can a New Belt Gain Acceptance?

His comments came as Zuffa prepares to introduce its own championship structure as part of its move into boxing, raising questions about how new titles gain acceptance in a sport historically governed by established sanctioning bodies.

Hearn made clear he does not believe promoters themselves have the authority to declare world championships.

“We don’t deserve to have a world championship,” Hearn said. “The history and legacy of the sport governs that.”

He illustrated his point by briefly joking about introducing a fictional Matchroom title before immediately dismissing the idea.

“We’re going to introduce a new Matchroom Boxing belt… the super featherweight Matchroom Boxing championship of the world,” Hearn said, before correcting himself. “No, I’m joking about that… I would never do that.”

Championship belts gain standing through the fighters who hold them. Names such as Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, and Floyd Mayweather helped establish the value attached to those titles, turning them into prizes fighters sought rather than labels created by promoters.

Titles Are Built by Fighters

Hearn acknowledged that recognition does not happen instantly. Titles gain importance when fighters pursue them, defend them, and build their careers around them.

“I don’t want to just create my own belt,” Hearn said. “The history and legacy of the sport governs that.”

New belts rarely matter until elite fighters decide they do.

For now, Hearn does not see promoter-created titles as part of boxing’s current structure. But his acknowledgment that newer championships could gain acceptance within a relatively short timeframe shows how legitimacy in the sport has always been shaped by fighter participation and long-term adoption.