Barry Hearn has come clean about his financial situation (Image: Getty)
Matchroom president Barry Hearn has made a candid admission about his personal earnings, insisting his business ventures are fuelled by passion rather than personal enrichment.
Speaking on his podcast, the founder of the sports promotions giant has had an enormous impact on professional snooker, boxing, and darts – among others. After retiring several years ago and allowing son Eddie to largely take the helm, Hearn now serves in an advisory role within Matchroom as president and takes home very little despite putting so much into the venture.
The 76-year-old Hearn confessed his financial relationship goes beyond monetary gain, as he admitted he hasn’t seen a salary from the business in 17 years, and his liftestyle is accustomed to that.
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“I retired seventeen years ago. I stopped taking the salary seventeen years ago because I don’t need the money and I don’t live that type of life,” Hearn acknowledged.
“But at the same time, I can’t retire from something that’s been my life. And outside of my family, nothing’s more important to me than kids getting their chance, especially, and I’m biased, kids perhaps with the background I had. house. My dad was a bus driver. My mum was a charlady.
“We didn’t have any money, but we were still happy. But then, when you get into the business element, you get this competitive streak where you want to be number one and be the best. And I can’t walk away from that.”
Son Eddie, who is now the chairman of Matchroom Sport, has been referred to as his father’s ‘project’, prompting Hearn to emphasise the significance of their close and personal relationship.
Hearn has handed most responsibilities over to son Eddie (Image: None)
“We have a fabulous father-son relationship,” Hearn added. “We take the mick out of everyone. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea. I remember Chris Eubank saying to me: ‘Bazza, I don’t like the way Edward speaks to you’. And I go: ‘Look. We’re friends. And he speaks to me like a friend would speak to me. And it’s not disrespectful’.
“It’s just the type of relationship we have and I wouldn’t change it for the world. I love him to death, but I also disagree with him quite a lot, and we don’t hold back. We’re a very competitive family.
“I will drive Eddie mad because I’ll pester him and say: ‘Why are we doing this? Why don’t we do that?’ And a lot of the times, he’ll turn around and say: ‘Dad, different age now. You’re yesterday. I’m tomorrow. Listen to me.’
“I do listen to him and I still sometimes disagree with him – and I’m invariably wrong. But I know the business, I’ve led the life, and I can still make a contribution. And I hope I’m big enough that when I get to a stage where I can’t make a contribution, I hope I recognise it myself. By the way, I don’t see that bit coming in the near future.”