Within a fortnight boxing fans will know whether or not Sky Sports will continue to be the exclusive broadcast partner of Matchroom Boxing in the UK.
Their nine-year relationship may well be coming to a close with Hearn telling Boxing News that four offers are on the table including one from Sky Sports.
Hearn who also works with DAZN has taken the Matchroom brand global in recent years with shows in the likes of America, Italy, Mexico and this past weekend in Uzbekistan. This reflects the good work done by Hearn for DAZN that began in 2018 when he was given the equivalent of a transfer war chest to get the best fighters available and to stage 16 shows a year.
The Matchroom juggernaut has rolled on since and has caught the eye of other potential suitors.
“We’re now very close to making a decision,” Hearn told the weekly trade magazine.
“We’ve had four offers come in for a new UK TV deal and of course one of them is from our existing partner and we will have a meeting with them just to see where we are at.
“It’s an extremely difficult decision for us but it’s flattering but we’ve worked hard to get here.
“We are probably the only global force. We are set to become the UFC of boxing and it’s only a matter of time.”
With Sky Sports and BT Sport the leading players in broadcasting boxing in the UK all eyes will be on Wasserman Boxing and what television deal they will get after acquiring Team Sauerland.
ITV and more frequently Channel 5 also dip their toes into the sport, but the likelihood is that a couple of the offers out there for Hearn will come from someone looking to make a big play in the boxing market for the first time.
Main Image: (L) Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing (R) Alamy