Barry and Eddie Hearn have exceeded the £1 billion milestone with their sports media enterprise. The dynamic father-son duo are the owners of Matchroom Sports, a company that operates in the realms of boxing, snooker, and darts.
Barry’s venture into snooker dates back to the 1970s, where he managed the legendary six-time world champion Steve Davis. Establishing Matchroom in 1982, the 77-year-old laid the foundation for the empire, with his 46-year-old son, Eddie, playing a pivotal role in its growth, particularly in the boxing domain.
Matchroom has been associated with renowned names like Frank Bruno, Chris Eubank Sr, and Lennox Lewis, but their collaboration with Anthony Joshua has brought them significant recognition. Barry, who also chairs the Professional Darts Corporation, has been instrumental in the resurgence of darts’ popularity and has made substantial contributions to the snooker scene after acquiring the World Snooker Tour in 2010.
Their endeavors have catapulted them to the upper echelons of wealth, as per The Sunday Times rich list, positioning them as the third wealthiest figures in UK sports with a collective fortune of £1.035 billion. They trail behind only F1 tycoon Bernie Ecclestone (£2bn) and the duo of David and Victoria Beckham (£1.185bn).
Surpassing notable figures like F1 ace Lewis Hamilton, who ranks fifth with £435m, and golfer Rory McIlroy at seventh with £325m, Matchroom’s key client, Anthony Joshua, sits at the eighth spot with an estimated wealth of £240m, ahead of Tyson Fury at ninth with £162m. England’s soccer captain Harry Kane and tennis icon Andy Murray are joint occupants of the tenth spot, each with £110m.
While Barry laid the groundwork for the Matchroom empire, Eddie’s contributions have been significant in its expansion. In a 2020 piece for the Big Issue, Eddie reflected on his journey, crediting his father’s influence as the driving force behind his relentless pursuit of success and the desire to outshine him, emphasizing their competitive spirit.
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