Eddie Hearn says Matchroom Boxing is playing a growing role in Saudi Arabia as its relationship with Riyadh Season continues to expand. Once viewed from the outside as Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions’ territory, Saudi boxing events are now increasingly seeing Matchroom take on lead responsibilities, including this Saturday’s show in Riyadh.
Hearn will promote his first Saudi event as lead promoter with The Night of The Samurai, featuring Japanese stars Naoya Inoue and Junto Nakatani. Notably, the event includes no Matchroom-signed fighters, highlighting Matchroom’s role as a service provider rather than a talent-driven promoter for the show. Hearn confirmed this marks the first Saudi event Matchroom has led outright, following previous lead roles on events such as Conor Benn vs. Chris Eubank Jnr II and The Ring card in Times Square.
Speaking about Saudi boxing financier Turki Alalshikh, Hearn emphasized that Riyadh Season continues to support multiple promotional companies rather than favoring a single partner. He pointed out that Riyadh Season branding appears across shows promoted by Matchroom, Queensberry, Boxxer, Top Rank, and Golden Boy, which is beneficial for the wider boxing ecosystem.
Hearn dismissed the idea of becoming Alalshikh’s exclusive promotional partner, explaining that Saudi Arabia’s model is built around collaboration rather than exclusivity. He likened Matchroom’s role on The Night of The Samurai to that of a service provider, responsible for logistics and event delivery, and said earning that responsibility is both an honor and a privilege.
Matchroom Boxing CEO Frank Smith echoed Hearn’s sentiments, describing the relationship with Riyadh Season as strong and productive. Smith noted that Matchroom has delivered several shows alongside the Saudi partners, including events in the United States, and said the company is focused on continuing its role in staging some of the sport’s biggest nights as the partnership develops further.
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