Eddie Hearn was the loudest voice in the room when he first came to America to announce an anticipated takeover of the sport in the U.S., armed with an alleged $ 1 billion war chest.

I’ve been around Hearn and Matchroom for more than a decade, covering their domestic and international shows — from London to Monaco and even to Phoenix, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. But I’ll always remember one of the first things Hearn said to me about the art of promotion in boxing. It’s all about “perception and hype,” he said.

Well, back when he first tried to muscle his way into American boxing, he was arguably all hype but with a poor perception, as his approach rankled other high-profile executives.

Hearn notably called Deontay Wilder’s manager, Shelly Finkel, “Shirley Winkel;” he embroiled himself in a war of words with Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe; and he struggled to reach PBC's Al Haymon. He instead had to deal with Luis DeCubas Jr. when it came to business with athletes at PBC. The biggest fight Hearn could make at the time, one involving his superstar client, Anthony Joshua, against Wilder, never got off the ground.

Things have changed so much since then that Matchroom in 2025 is not just hype. The perception of Hearn in America is now more positive.

Shakur Stevenson said on X last year Hearn is “one of the best promoters in the game” because of the way in which he stands on the stage and hypes up the athletes on Matchroom’s roster while seemingly reading from the heart, rather than a script.

Stevenson is one of several fighters who are integral to Matchroom’s evolving strategy in America, as its elite roster includes Jaron "Boots" Ennis, Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez, Diego Pacheco and Richardson Hitchins. Combined, these champions have the potential to dominate the pound-for-pound lists in years to come, while Matchroom also has younger prospects like Zaquin Moses, Jalil Hackett and Omari Jones to develop.

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Hitchins, who defends his IBF junior welterweight title against George Kambosos Jr. (22-3, 10 KOs) atop a Matchroom on DAZN card on Saturday, is benefiting firsthand from Matchroom’s improved approach to the sport stateside.

For one, it is showcasing him in his hometown of New York, much like the promotion has done with Ennis in Philadelphia, and, previously, its UK-based athletes in their home regions within Britain.

The growth of Hitchins (19-0, 7 KOs) at Matchroom cannot be denied.

“Hearn gave me opportunity and structure, and that’s all I ever wanted in my career,” Hitchins told Uncrowned just days before fighting Kambosos. “All I wanted was to know when I’m done f****** someone up in a fight, I want to know when I’m fighting again.”

It was Mayweather Promotions that first spotted Hitchins, and when he was much younger. The New Yorker talked about the special treatment he received from Floyd Mayweather Jr., who hooked him up with a condo whenever Hitchins was in Las Vegas, so that he’d always have a place to stay when he visited the city to train at the Mayweather Boxing Club. Mayweather ran with him late at night. They even watched old fights together.

There’s been an exodus from Mayweather Promotions recently, though, with Hitchins, Hackett, J’Hon Ingram, Robert Meriwether, and, most famously, Gervonta "Tank" Davis all leaving the company.

When talking to Uncrowned about the transition from Mayweather Promotions to Matchroom, Hitchins said previously he’d take a fight and then be in the gym waiting for a call for the next one, not knowing for whom he should be preparing.

Hearn, by contrast, has provided Hitchins with a specific schedule.

“After this, I’ll know when I’ll be back in the ring,” Hitchins said. “I know how much my money is going to be. I know how much time I’ll have to chill, travel, and live a regular life. And then [I’ll know] when to get back into the gym to train.

“At Mayweather Promotions, I’d be training in the gym, but I’d not know if I was even fighting. I’d be waiting on a phone call.

“From the first fight with Matchroom against Jose Zepeda [in 2023], to winning the world title [in his third fight with the promotion], to now fighting at MSG, every opportunity gets bigger,” Hitchins, 27, said. “And I think that’s how a young fighter’s career should be.

“You know, when you’ve got something special, you should be pushing them to the moon. They [Mayweather] got me to a certain point, no shade, but they didn’t do right by my career when it was time to. Eddie Hearn took upon the task, did what he is supposed to do.”

Matchroom’s strategy with Hitchins in the U.S. is similar in how it's grown its position in other markets, like Mexico and Australia. “Our strategy is very global,” a Matchroom source told Uncrowned.

“American boxing is in a strong place,” the source said. “And that’s reflected in us going where the very good fighters are. Shakur, Boots, Hitchins … they’re all top-20 fighters. ‘Bam’ Rodriguez. Pacheco. We probably do less shows than Top Rank and others do in the U.S., but I feel our quality is very high.

“Hitchins has been with Eddie for two years and, together, they’ve gone from prospect to world champion. I like Hitchins a lot. He has a lot of potential. The ceiling for Hitchins is very high because he’s so talented. And activity matters."

Activity, obviously, has mattered to Hitchins.

And Matchroom’s acquisition of the fighter means Hearn may no longer even be the loudest person in the room. You could argue Hitchins now is. He’s a natural on the mic and talks a big game.

“I’m going for Floyd [Mayweather] status in boxing,” he told Uncrowned. “I’m talking big, big numbers. This is nothing. We’re going five Rolls Royces outside the gym, security guards, jewelry bags and big-booty girls — this is child’s play.

“I want Devin Haney. Teofimo Lopez. I want to keep proving myself.”

Hitchins must first prove on Saturday he can put on a show against Kambosos in their IBF championship fight, which airs on DAZN with ring walks expected around 10 p.m. ET.

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