“We Will Be Parting Ways”: Eddie Hearn Details His Learnings From $2.2 Billion Giant’s Failure

The cessation of Showtime Boxing has left the boxing arena buzzing. It is yesterday’s news that Showtime Sports, known for combat sports and documentaries, is leaving the sports industry. Additionally, CBS Sports will handle its future sports content. The company also plans to sell its MMA league, Bellator. The shutdown won’t affect this year’s remaining events.

Fans and boxers like Terence Crawford, Ryan Garcia, Jamel Herring, and Claressa Shields are busy speculating on boxing’s future. Eddie Hearn also gave his opinion on the same. According to Hearn, boxing’s future will look grim without Showtime. In an ES News interview, Eddie Hearn says boxing will struggle without Showtime, just like it did without HBO. He commends Stephen Espinoza for keeping boxing alive on Showtime. Building on the same issue, in a recent interview, the Matchroom Boxing Promoter has revealed why there is a need to part with some boxers.

Why does Eddie Hearn think there is a need to part with some boxers?

In an interview with iFL TV, Eddie Hearn talked about several issues in the boxing industry. He discussed how Showtime’s ratings were perpetually falling. Despite this, the money paid to fighters kept going up. Furthermore, he elucidated how advisors and managers often want easy fights for their clients. In his regard, these fights don’t attract viewers.

Hearn admits they sometimes give in to these demands, which is a mistake. Hearn said, “If you look at the Showtime ratings historically, they’ve continued to crumble. To a point, they’re outperforming Showtime’s numbers on a regular basis. But the purses continue to increase, and the advisers and the managers continue to want easy fights that don’t deliver. We’re the weak ones because sometimes we let them do it.”

He also revealed that considering the present scenario, the promotions will cut ties with some fighters. The reasons are twofold: either the fighters don’t bring in enough money or they’re not willing to take challenging fights.

Hearn emphasized that they need to make exciting, competitive fights to attract viewers. This is his focus for planning in 2024. Thus, Hearn credits these changes to maintaining the sanctity and levels of fights. As he said, “We’ve got to be, you know, parting ways with fighters. Some of them don’t deliver commercially on the numbers they want, and some of them aren’t prepared to take the fights that we believe they should be taking. Some of them might just want to leave, but mainly the first two. So, that’s really a focus of me as we plan 2024.”

Read More: “You Have to Become an Obnoxious Clown to Sell the Show”: While $2.2 Billion Worth Showtime Shut Their Sports Division, Fans Join Boxing Legend to Make Sense of Misfits’ 1.2 Million PPV Buys for Logan Paul vs. Dillon Danis and KSI vs. Tommy Fury Event

Showtime’s exit and CBS Sports’ takeover signal big changes. Eddie Hearn warns that the sport needs to evolve or face decline. The key to survival? More competitive, viewer-friendly fights and smarter business decisions. The time for easy fights and inflated purses is over. The industry must adapt to keep fans engaged and the sport alive.

So, what do you make of Eddie’s views? Tell us in the comment section below!

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