Does boxing need improving? On one hand, heavy hitters like HBO and Showtime exiting the sport raise concern. On the other, boxing peaked in popularity after the introduction of influencer boxing and the events in Saudi Arabia. Considering all that, boxing still has some room for improvement. At least, Eddie Hearn thinks so, as he revealed the details about a meeting held to improve the sport.

The British promoter is currently busy promoting a fight for his patron, John Ryder, against Oscar De La Hoya’s Jaime Munguia. However, before the fight, he made time for the meeting and shared the same on his social media account today! 

Mauricio Sulaiman invited Eddie Hearn and the others to the meeting

Turning to Instagram, the head of Matchroom Boxing shared an image from the meeting, which featured all the attendees. It included Mauricio Sulaiman, Hearn, Bob Arum, Carl Moretti, Tom Loeffler, and others. Moreover, Hearn claimed through the caption of the post that Sulaiman had requested everyone to get together in Las Vegas. 

“Mauricio Sulaiman requested that we all come together in Las Vegas to discuss the sport and how we can work together to improve it. A fascinating day and hopefully lots of progress” wrote Hearn. Despite all the names present, the meeting lacked a few others. Oscar De La Hoya, Frank Warren, and Floyd Mayweather weren’t part of the meeting. While Hearn and the others work on improving the sport, a prior comment from an MMA fighter sheds light on the state of boxing.

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This Mixed martial artist would choose MMA over boxing anyday

On November 2, 2023, the current UFC world heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, who has trained with Tyson Fury in training camps, expressed his thoughts on the state of boxing in an interview with BBTV BOXING. Aspinall was about to take on Sergei Pavlovich for a title fight. So, he referenced his MMA fight, comparing and detailing the sad state of the sport. “I hate the business model of boxing,” said Aspinall.

“Take me and Pavlovich, No.2 against No.4 on two weeks’ notice, that would never in [a] million years [happen in boxing]…I don’t like the way people are going 20 fights without actually having a fight… Fighting these journeymen, I think it’s dangerous… The drug testing, the uneven matching [of fighters],” said Aspinall. It’s also worth mentioning that Aspinall has a 1-0 boxing record, so he had considered becoming a boxer.

Also Read: Oscar De La Hoya Gives Harsh Reality Check to Current Fighters While Sharing His Dream of “One Legend”

Even though Hearn, Sulaiman, and others have started speaking about the state of boxing, only time will tell if their efforts have any positive impact on the sport. What do you think their meeting was all about? 

Watch This Story: The Oscar De La Hoya Eddie Hearn Beef So Far