Eddie Hearn explains why Turki Alalshikh didn’t like him ahead of Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou

Eddie Hearn is arguably the leading promoter in boxing right now. The Matchroom Boxing chairman has been involved in some of the sport's largest events over the past two years and works with the likes of Anthony Joshua.

Hearn has also collaborated with Turki Alalshikh, a financial force to be reckoned with, who entered the fray of boxing's chaotic matchmaking in 2023. Alalshikh is officially the Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia and has helped schedule some of boxing's biggest fights recently.

Namely, Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk, arguably the biggest heavyweight fight since the turn of the century, was able to agree largely due to Alalshikh.

He, too, was instrumental in the Fury vs. Francis Ngannou fight, a clash that Hearn was not an advocate for, much to the frustration of the Saudi Arabian advisor. During a recent interview with Cigar Talk, The Matchroom Boxing chairman reflected on the tense beginning to his relationship with Alalshikh, saying this:

"I did one of the most stupid things I've ever done, but unfortunately if you ask me questions, I'm pretty honest. I really didn't speak favorably about Fury-Ngannou. [Alalshikh] is putting on this event, and there's this big promoter who used to work with these other guys, now he's slagging off Fury-Ngannou. Slowly, I'm coming down the order of 'Flavor of the Month' with [Alalshikh]."

Watch Eddie Hearn's interview below (8:15):

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Eddie Hearn dismisses notion that he has beef with Terence Crawford

Eddie Hearn and Terence Crawford have been in the spotlight of the boxing world over recent weeks. Crawford faced off against Hearn's client, Israil Madrimov, for the WBA super welterweight title on 3 Aug. in his divisional debut. 'Bud' secured the world title via decision after a competitive fight.

But the Matchroom Boxing chairman expressed his frustration with the result, believing Madrimov had done enough to retain his title. Hearn's irritation caught Crawford's attention, who then began taunting the boxing promoter, causing a back-and-forth online.

During a recent interview, Hearn denied any beef with the world champion, saying this:

"I've never once been disrespectful. I don't promote Terence Crawford, I can't speak more highly of the man... There was a lot of tongue-in-cheek stuff, but I thought Madrimov edged a very close fight."

Watch Eddie Hearn's interview below (29:55):