British promoter Eddie Hearn offered a blunt assessment of the recent decisions by Edgar Berlangaand Richardson Hitchins to join Zuffa Boxing, making it clear that while both fighters landed in the same place, their paths were very different.
Speaking to Fight Hub TV, Hearn drew a firm distinction between the two situations. In his view, Berlanga made a calculated financial decision, while Hitchins arrived there after running out of viable options in the marketplace.
“I don’t think he’s necessarily going to win world championships, but financially this is a good opportunity for him,” Hearn said of Berlanga. At 28, the New York born Puerto Rican finds himself, according to Hearn, at a full career reset.
Hearn described Berlanga as a fighter who has transitioned into a high level gatekeeper or special attraction still capable of generating revenue, but no longer positioned among the elite contenders. He emphasized that the kind of high profile opportunities Berlanga previously received are unlikely to return following his recent defeats.
The promoter was even more direct when assessing his ceiling: “He’s not going to beat the top guys at 168. Come on.”
Hearn also addressed the broader impact of Berlanga’s recent setbacks: “When you lose back to back high profile fights and get stopped in the second one, that unbeaten power puncher narrative is dead and buried.”
He referenced losses to Canelo Álvarez and Hamzah Sheeraz, highlighting in particular the Sheeraz bout, where Berlanga was dropped three times before being stopped in the fifth round a result Hearn views as a definitive turning point.
In contrast, Hitchins’ situation was framed as the outcome of missteps in negotiations. Hearn revealed that Matchroom Boxing withdrew its offer, while other major promoters such as Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions showed little interest.
“We withdrew our offer. Top Rank wasn’t an option, and Golden Boy wasn’t really an option,” Hearn stated. “They tried to be smart, then we were done.”
He expanded further on the breakdown: “We felt the gap between what they wanted and what they were worth was too wide to bridge.”
For Hearn, the lack of bidding interest spoke volumes: “If the major players in the business aren’t bidding for you, the market is telling you something.”
Beyond the individual cases, Hearn also took aim at the broader implications of signing with Zuffa. From his perspective, such a move may come at the expense of a fighter’s long term legacy within the traditional boxing structure.
“If you care about your legacy and you want to be great, don’t take it,” Hearn said.
He closed with a pointed summary of the underlying trade off: “This is about choosing between legacy and money.”
