Eddie Hearn has questioned whether next week’s planned boxing summit with Turki Alalshikh will actually change anything in the sport.
The Matchroom promoter spoke after Jaron “Boots” Ennis’ stoppage win over Xander Zayas and admitted he has little interest in a meeting where promoters publicly agree to peace before returning to the same rivalries afterward.
“I’m not really interested in standing in a room and everyone putting their hands in the middle and going, ‘Yeah, here we are. We’re at peace. We’re moving forward,’” Hearn said. “Because then when you leave the room everybody starts again anyway.”
Hearn compared the situation to a “real-life war negotiation,” suggesting that boxing’s promotional tensions are too deep to be solved by one meeting. He said he respects Alalshikh and will listen to what he has to say, but remains doubtful that the summit will create lasting change.
The discussion also connects to the proposed Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury fight. Hearn made clear that he does not want to revisit the current agreement, saying the contract already reflects what Joshua’s side negotiated.
“The contract is very clear on so many different levels,” Hearn said. “The only way things can change in the contract is with Anthony Joshua and myself agreeing to change that.”
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