World-renowned Hearn visits town
BOXING: He’s widely considered as the biggest promoter in world boxing, and Eddie Hearn’s maiden visit on his first trip to Australia was right here in the Garden City.
The Matchroom Sports chairman is in the country for the Justis Huni vs Joe Goodall bout in Brisbane on Wednesday night, and popped in to Smithy’s TGW Gym.
It’s there he met with Steve Spark after Smith’s devastating knockout victory at the weekend, and trainer/promoter Brendon Smith said the timing of recent events had worked out well.
“It was great to see Eddie drop in and have a chat. I’ve dealt with him before and we’ve kept in touch,” Smith said.
“He’s the world’s biggest promoter, so it’s nice for him to come and have a look at the gym in his first ever visit to Australia.
“Eddie has been watching Stevie and knows all about him.
“He’s impressed and overall it was a great catch up and good chance for them to meet.”
It opens the door for a further collaboration between the pair in the future as Spark looks to mix it with the biggest names in the super lightweight division.
Spark’s quest for a world title was enhanced with victory over Apinun Khongsong, and his international profile has been further amplified after Hearn shared an Instagram post of the pair meeting to his 1.2m followers.
Hearn has worked deals with Toowoomba fighters Michael Katsidis and Kris George in the past.
A number of Australians like Skye Nicolson and Liam Paro have featured on streaming service DAZN in recent times, and Smith said it was a great chance for further worldwide exposure.
“Eddie has taken boxing to another level around the world. What he does is amazing and it’s mind-blowing what he’s been able to achieve,” he said.
“It’s great that he sees (interest in) another young man from Toowoomba who’s making waves. This has been 10 years in the making with Stevie.”