The promoter says even he ‘might have a chance’ against boxing YouTubers such as Jake Paul but he is impressed by their ability to draw an enormous audience
Barry Hearn is meant to have retired but here we are in his swanky old office talking about his certainty that his son, Eddie, would beat Jake Paul in a pay-per-view extravaganza that would generate millions of pounds. We are in the midst of a long and reflective interview about sport and life, work and fame, mortality and marriage, which includes Hearn’s memories of starting out in promotion 40 years ago in a grimy little office beneath a snooker hall in Romford as well as his new ambition to play cricket for England’s over-70 team.
“As Jake Paul has shown, you don’t have to be good now. You just have to be famous,” Hearn says amiably as he considers our changed world. “So that brings in a different expertise. How do I make you famous even though you’re not very good?”