Promoter Eddie Hearn has set the wheels in motion to bring boxing back in the summer – on his own front lawn. The Matchroom boss has explained to the Daily Mail how plans are afoot to turn the Matchroom HQ in Essex into an outdoor venue for live boxing, a canopy to be erected over the lawn, the ring to overlook London.
Changing rooms will be built, space for a ring walk, and a nearby hotel will hopefully accommodate the fighters and all necessary personnel for five days prior to the fight. The biggest thing to work on, however, is the health and safety of all involved. Hearn says a maximum of 90 people will be in attendance at each fight. Already, Hearn is looking at staging the Dillian Whyte-Alexander Povetkin fight and the female fight between Terri Harper and Natasha Jonas on Matchroom property.
Hearn has a lot of work ahead of him as he freely admits, chief of which is getting the go-ahead from the British Boxing Board of Control.
“It is a huge mission. We are going to turn our headquarters here into an outdoor venue for live boxing, with a full canopy in the middle of the garden and the ring overlooking London,” Hearn said. “We are building changing rooms for the fighters, setting up space for a ring walk, and figuring out how we can do everything you need for this kind of production with as few people as possible. We are in discussions with the board at the moment. Obviously we want to start with a world title contest. We would need the WBC, say, to be comfortable with Board of Control officials, some of whom are WBC officials anyway. The challenge with all of this is keeping the numbers down.”
The fights, tentatively scheduled for July and August, would go out on Sky Sports. Female superstar fighter Katie Taylor is also said to be interested in taking a fight at Matchroom HQ. It’s a novel idea, one forced upon Hearn by the ongoing coronavirus battle, and surely all fight fans will wish Hearn nothing but the best of luck with his venture.
No fans, no ring-card girls, masks worn, and strict testing to be in place will be the order of the day. But if this all goes well, imagine the massive TV audience Hearn’s fights will pull in. There is no word yet on whether or not some of the fights will go out on pay-per-view, and if so, for how much. But again, let’s hope Hearn can get this off the ground. Or, if you prefer, let’s hope Hearn can get this done on his grounds. All 15-acres of them.
