Eddie Hearn Interview: Revelling in “epic” Taylor-Cameron fight as Gill meets Conlan

Matchroom Boxing is back in force this weekend. After hosting Katie Taylor’s instant classic victory over Chantelle Cameron in Dublin last weekend, Eddie Hearn’s promotional outfit moves up to Belfast this Saturday night. Local hero Michael Conlan meets Jordan Gill in a must-win main event for both fighters.

Betfred Insights spoke with Eddie via Matchroom to get the lowdown on Taylor’s win, the Belfast card, the heavyweight mega-show featuring Anthony Joshua and how Matchroom’s 2024 is looking.

EH on Katie Taylor’s victory over Chantelle Cameron last weekend...

[It was] an epic event, epic fight, epic occasion. The atmosphere, the moment; it's going to be looked back on for a long time to come. I think this is the biggest moment of her career so far. Chantelle was excellent. It was an excellent fight. Katie performed out of her skin really, as the underdog, to get a deserved victory.

It was a massive night for Irish boxing. When you look at the 50-50 fights, if you'd like, Gary Cully, Paddy Donovan, and of course Katie Taylor, the Irish came through, which was very different to earlier this year. So a big, big night for Irish boxing.

EH on Taylor fighting at Croke Park in Dublin...

Talks are ongoing. I believe there's some even today. There's different arenas and stadiums that we can look at but, obviously, Croke Park has always been the dream for Katie. We'll have to see how feasible that is. We’ve just got to plan out a schedule for 2024.

Will there be a fight before Croke Park? Will we wait for spring or summer, particularly in Croke Park? Do we go to the Aviva? There's loads of different things to look at. And obviously, who will the opponent be? But we're only a few days after the fight. Let the excitement settle and let the head settle, then start planning for the future.

EH on Matchroom in 2024...

We've been pretty good at mapping out that schedule, sort of three, four months in advance for fight fans. That's really what we want to try and do. So as we move into December, we want to get that schedule up and running as soon as possible, certainly for Day of Reckoning fight week at the latest really.

But all of the work now is obviously to finish a tremendous run to the end of the year, but also start planning for some big nights in the new year.

EH on Anthony Joshua in camp with Ben Davison ahead of the Otto Wallin fight...

I'm catching up with him tomorrow. He’s been quite quiet, just working away, happy there. He knows what he needs to do against Otto Wallin and it's a very tough fight. It’s short notice, but I’m confident and excited to see him perform in December.

EH on choosing Otto Wallin as AJ’s opponent...

It was the fight that was offered to us from His Excellency in Saudi Arabia. Anthony, he's never been someone to turn down fights and opportunities if it's the right one. Six weeks out, tricky southpaw, never ideal. But he's been on a list of fighters, Otto Wallin, probably for the last two fights. So he's not someone that we've shied away from.

It's someone that we've actually considered fighting before. AJ knows him. They boxed in the amateurs, they shared rounds together sparring. But he's a guy who's going to come in there with confidence after the (Murat) Gassiev win in Russia, so he has got to be switched on.

EH on Deontay Wilder potentially fighting AJ next...

It's never done until it’s signed. The whole thought process behind putting them on the same card is that they meet following that night. So we continue talks with His Excellency in Saudi Arabia. Everybody knows what everybody wants to do and I'm sure we'll get there, but it’s all irrelevant, barring two victories on December 23.

EH on the Jordan Gill fight being must-win for Michael Conlan...

I think they both have to win to be honest with you. They’ve both had great careers. Obviously, Jordan Gill coming up short particularly in the Kiko Martinez fight. But you saw what Kiko went on and did against Kid Galahad and in a great fight with Josh Warrington.

But for Mick Conlan coming off the KO defeat for the world title, if he loses on Saturday night his career's over. I think Jordan Gill can have a massive win that will put him in line for Joe Cordina or Josh Warrington himself up at super featherweight. There's massive fights out there for him. So there's a lot of pressure on that fight, and I think both guys put everything into camp to make sure that their career doesn't end on Saturday.

I think it's a tremendous fight card. I mean, Tyrone McKenna against (Lewis) Crocker, it's just heating up nicely. The battle of Belfast. The atmosphere is going to be incredible. Caoimhin Agyarko against Troy Williamson is a wonderful fight at 154 pounds. It’s going to show us exactly where Caoimhín is. Beneath that there are some great fights on a card as well. I’m just looking forward to a great night.

EH on the Belfast atmosphere...

This place is a special place for atmosphere. You saw in Dublin last week, I think it was probably eight, nine years since we were in Dublin prior to Katie Taylor's return. We've had some tremendous nights here with Carl Frampton and Ryan Burnett, and my dad before that.

Belfast is a special fighting city. There's going to be a huge crowd there on Saturday and the atmosphere will be really, really special. We've got a great card from top to bottom. That's why they’ll be there in their big numbers and that's why they'll create another special atmosphere.

You can find all our latest Boxing Betting Tips, including Gill v Conlan, on our Betfred Insights hub.