Matchroom Sport
Sporting event promotions company
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Matchroom Sport is a British-based sporting event promotions company founded by Barry Hearn and run by him and his son Eddie Hearn. It first came to attention in the sports of snooker and boxing and is also involved in pool, bowling, golf, fishing, darts, table tennis, poker and gymnastics. The company is based in Brentwood, Essex.[1]
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports promotion |
| Founded | 1982 in Brentwood, Essex, England |
| Headquarters | Brentwood, Essex |
Key people | Barry Hearn (Founder and father) Eddie Hearn (Son) |
| Divisions | Matchroom Talent Agency |
| Website | www |
Matchroom has had broadcasting agreements in the United Kingdom with DAZN, Sky Sports, ITV, and the BBC.
History
Matchroom formed in 1982 concentrating on snooker management with the likes of Steve Davis, Dennis Taylor, and Jimmy White under contract. It sponsored two non-ranking tournaments, the Matchroom Professional Championship (1986–1988, restricted to its contracted players) and Matchroom League (1987–1994). A novelty song called "Snooker Loopy" by "Chas & Dave and The Matchroom Mob" reached number 6 in the UK Singles Chart in 1986, with five Matchroom players featured on backup vocals and in the video.
Hearn's first foray into boxing promotion was the Frank Bruno vs. Joe Bugner heavyweight clash in 1987 in front of 35,000 people at White Hart Lane.[2][3]
The range of sports increased in 1994 with the Mosconi Cup, an event which sees teams from Europe and the United States compete in a 9-ball pool tournament.[4][5] It has become a major event on the professional pool calendar.[6]
Over the years, Matchroom's portfolio under Hearn grew, taking a majority stake in the Professional Darts Corporation in 2001, helping oversee a growth in the sport.[3] Matchroom Sport also promote the World Cup of Pool, a national team scotch doubles event, and the World Pool Masters, an annual nine-ball event.[7]
In 2002, the company formed PGA EuroPro Tour, the UK's leading developmental golf tour, in association with the PGA.[8] Later, in the 2000s, came ten pin bowling's Weber Cup.[9] In 2009, Barry Hearn became the majority shareholder in World Snooker Tour Ltd. Since then the sport has grown, with prize money increased and new events introduced worldwide.[10]
More recently, Matchroom has launched the World Championship of Ping Pong,[11] Superstars of Gymnastics, British Basketball All-Stars,[12] and British Fast5 Netball All-Stars Championship.[13]
In May 2018, Matchroom Boxing agreed five-year deal with DAZN reportedly worth £740 million to promote 16 fights in the US on the channel.[14] In June 2021, both firms extended its agreement.[15]
In April 2021, Barry Hearn stepped down as chairman with his son Eddie taking over the role. Barry will continue as president in an advisory role, while Eddie takes over as head of the PGA EuroPro tour, alongside overseeing Matchroom's wider operations and continuing to head the boxing division.[16]
In February 2026, Matchroom Boxing signed a new five-year deal with DAZN in the United States and the United Kingdom, extending their partnership through 2031, and also partnered with Foxtel in Australia to stream its events on Kayo Sports.[17] As part of the deal. DAZN will broadcast 30 matchroom events a year.
Boxing
As of 2023, boxing accounted for $235M of Matchroom's annual sales revenue.[18] A rising list of signed boxing stars and steady events aided its gaining popularity and viewership growth, with Hearn citing the streaming model with DAZN as a major success factor for the brand.[19]
In 2024, Hearn expressed an interest in exploring a 9pm main event start time for Matchroom fights.[20]
In February 2025, Hearn announced a partnership between Matchroom and event management vendor Victory Live to provide enhanced ticketing distribution and fan experiences.[21]
Current stable
| Boxer | Nationality | Weight | Record | World Titles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murodjon Akhmadaliev |  Uzbek |
Super-bantamweight | 14-2 (11 KOs) | |
| Dave Allen |  English |
Heavyweight | 24-8-2 (19 KOs) | |
| Leo Atang | English |
Heavyweight | 3-0 (3 KOs) | |
| Tiah-Mai Ayton | English |
Bantamweight | 4-0 (4 KOs) | |
| Zelfa Barrett | English |
Super-featherweight | 34-3 (18 KOs) | |
| Alexis Barriere |  Canadian |
Heavyweight | 12-1 (10 KOs) | |
| Reece Bellotti | English |
Super-featherweight | 20-7 (15 KOs) | |
| Taylor Bevan |  Welsh |
Super-middleweight | 7-0 (7 KOs) | |
| Dmitry Bivol |  Russian |
Light-heavyweight | 24-1 (12 KOs) | WBA, IBF, WBO, and The Ring Light-heavyweight World champion |
| Junaid Bostan | English |
Super-welterweight | 10-1-1 (8 KOs) | |
| Aaron Bowen | English |
Middleweight | 7-1 (5 KOs) | |
| Pat Brown | English |
Cruiserweight | 5-0 (5 KOs) | |
| Leli Buttigieg | English |
Middleweight | 11-0 (3 KO) | |
| Marc Castro |  American |
Lightweight | 13-1 (8 KOs) | |
| Jack Catterall | English |
Super-lightweight | 32-2 (14 KOs) | |
| Cheavon Clarke | English |
Cruiserweight | 11-2 (8 KOs) | |
| Khalil Coe | American |
Light-heavyweight | 10-1-1 (8 KOs) | |
| Kieron Conway | English |
Middleweight | 23-4-1 (7 KOs) | |
| Joe Cordina | Welsh |
Super-featherweight | 19-1 (9 KOs) | |
| Maisey Rose Courtney | English |
Flyweight | 9-1 (0 KOs) | |
| Lewis Crocker |  Northern Irish |
Welterweight | 22-0 (11 KOs) | IBF Welterweight World champion |
| William Crolla | English |
Super-welterweight | 9-1 (7 KOs) | |
| Andy Cruz |  Cuban |
Lightweight | 6-0 (3 KOs) | |
| Gary Cully |  Irish |
Lightweight | 18-2 (10 KOs) | |
| Ishmael Davis | English |
Super-welterweight | 15-3 (6 KOs) | |
| Nishant Dev |  Indian |
Super-welterweight | 5-0 (3 KOs) | |
| Mark Dickinson | English |
Super-middleweight | 8-2 (2 KOs) | |
| Rhiannon Dixon | English |
Lightweight | 10-1 (1 KO) | |
| Paddy Donovan | Irish |
Welterweight | 14-2 (11 KOs) | |
| Jaron Ennis | American |
Super-welterweight | 35-0 (31 KOs) | |
| Beatriz Ferreira |  Brazilian |
Lightweight | 8-1 (2 KOs) | |
| Aqib Fiaz | English |
Super-featherweight | 14-1 (2 KOs) | |
| Johnny Fisher | English |
Heavyweight | 14-1 (12 KOs) | |
| Raymond Ford | American |
Super-featherweight | 18-1-1 (8 KOs) | |
| Shakhram Giyasov | Uzbek |
Welterweight | 17-0 (10 KOs) | |
| Jalil Hackett | American |
Welterweight | 11-1 (9 KOs) | |
| John Hedges | English |
Cruiserweight | 12-0 (3 KOs) | |
| Eduardo Hernandez |  Mexican |
Super-featherweight | 37-2 (32 KOs) | |
| Richardson Hitchins | American |
Super-lightweight | 20-0 (8 KOs) | IBF Super-lightweight World champion |
| Justis Huni |  Australian |
Heavyweight | 12-1 (7 KOs) | |
| Omari Jones | American |
Super-welterweight | 4-0 (4 KOs) | |
| Anthony Joshua | English |
Heavyweight | 29-4 (26 KOs) | |
| George Kambosos Jr | Australian |
Super-lightweight | 22-4 (10 KOs) | |
| Josh Kelly | English |
Super-welterweight | 17-1-1 (9 KOs) | |
| George Liddard | English |
Middleweight | 13-0 (8 KOs) | |
| Adam Maca |  Albanian |
Super-bantamweight | 4-0 (4 KOs) | |
| Israil Madrimov | Uzbek |
Super-welterweight | 10-2-1 (7 KOs) | |
| Shabaz Masoud | English |
Super-bantamweight | 15-0 (4 KOs) | |
| Molly McCann | English |
Super-bantamweight | 2-0 (1 KO) | |
| Pat McCormack | English |
Welterweight | 8-1 (6 KOs) | |
| Joe McGrail | English |
Featherweight | 12-0 (5 KOs) | |
| Peter McGrail | English |
Featherweight | 12-2 (6 KOs) | |
| Harley Mederos | American |
Lightweight | 9-0 (8 KOs) | |
| Christian Medina | Mexican |
Bantamweight | 26-4 (19 KOs) | WBO Bantamweight World champion |
| Ernesto Mercado | American |
Super-lightweight | 18-0 (17 KOs) | |
| Connor Mitchell | English |
Featherweight | 1-0 (1 KO) | |
| Zaquin Moses | American |
Super-featherweight | 5-0 (3 KOs) | |
| Skye Nicolson | Australian |
Super-bantamweight | 15-1 (3 KOs) | |
| Eduardo Nunez | Mexican |
Super-featherweight | 29-1 (27 KOs) | IBF Super-featherweight World champion |
| Elif Nur Turhan |  Turkish |
Lightweight | 12-0 (8 KOs) | WBC female Lightweight World champion |
| Jai Opetaia | Australian |
Cruiserweight | 29-0 (23 KOs) | IBF, and The Ring Cruiserweight World champion |
| William Ortiz |  Puerto Rican |
Super-lightweight | 9-0 (5 KOs) | |
| Diego Pacheco | American |
Super-middleweight | 25-0 (18 KOs) | |
| Josh Padley | English |
Lightweight | 17-1 (5 KOs) | |
| Lenier Pero | Cuban |
Heavyweight | 13-0 (8 KOs) | |
| Stephanie Pineiro | Puerto Rican |
Welterweight | 10-0 (3 KOs) | |
| Hopey Price | English |
Featherweight | 12-0 (5 KOs) | |
| Craig Richards | English |
Light-heavyweight | 20-4-1 (13 KOs) | |
| Jesse Rodriguez | American |
Super-flyweight | 23-0 (16 KOs) | WBA, WBC, WBO and The Ring Super-flyweight World champion |
| Leonardo Rubalcava | American |
Super-lightweight | 9-1-1 (3 KOs) | |
| Sandy Ryan | English |
Welterweight | 8-3-1 (3 KOs) | |
| Shannon Ryan | English |
Super-flyweight | 10-1 (1 KO) | |
| Jimmy Sains | English |
Middleweight | 11-0 (10 KOs) | |
| Brandon Scott | English |
Featherweight | 8-0 (1 KO) | |
| Callum Smith | English |
Light-heavyweight | 31-2 (22 KOs) | |
| Dalton Smith | English |
Super-lightweight | 19-0 (14 KOs) | WBC Super-lightweight World champion |
| Liam Smith | English |
Middleweight | 33-5-1 (20 KOs) | |
| Shakur Stevenson | American |
Lightweight | 24-0 (11 KOs) | WBC Lightweight World champion |
| Ibraheem Sulaimaan | English |
Super-featherweight | 10-0 (5 KOs) | |
| Katie Taylor | Irish |
Super-lightweight | 25-1 (6 KOs) | WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring female Super-lightweight World champion |
| Teremoana Teremoana | Australian |
Heavyweight | 9-0 (9 KOs) | |
| Jordan Thompson | English |
Cruiserweight | 15-2 (12 KOs) | |
| Conner Tudsbury | English |
Light-heavyweight | 3-0 (2 KOs) | |
| Hamza Uddin | English |
Flyweight | 6-0 (3 KOs) | |
| Antonio Vargas | American |
Bantamweight | 19-1-1 (11 KOs) | WBA Bantamweight World champion in Recess |
| Giorgio Visioli | English |
Super-featherweight | 10-0 (6 KOs) | |
| Cameron Vuong | English |
Lightweight | 9-0-1 (4 KOs) | |
| Conah Walker | English |
Welterweight | 17-3-1 (8 KOs) | |
| Conor Wallace | Irish |
Light-heavyweight | 16-1 (11 KOs) | |
| Josh Warrington | English |
Super-featherweight | 32-4-1 (8 KOs) | |
| Ben Whittaker | English |
Light-heavyweight | 10-0-1 (7 KOs) | |
| Austin Williams | American |
Middleweight | 19-1 (13 KOs) | |
| Galal Yafai | English |
Flyweight | 9-1 (7 KOs) |