Eddie Hearn recently named his top four favorite fights in boxing, with two unexpected picks thrown in.
Eddie Hearn has been involved in boxing since he was a child, with his father, Barry Hearn, having built the Matchroom empire years before handing it over to his son.
In an appearance on Derek Chisora and Jermaine Jenas’ podcast, Hearn was forced to pick just four fights out of the hundreds he’s attended, and two of them are ones nobody would have expected.
Hearn, of course, named Anthony Joshua vs Wladimir Klitschko as one of his top fights, as the monumental bout saw Hearn’s charge and British icon, AJ, retire a boxing legend in front of 90,000 fans.
Another big fight Hearn kept on his list was Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano, the first female event to headline Madison Square Garden, and one of the highest-profile fights in women’s boxing.
Hearn’s next pick was a bit more rogue, and featured fan-favorite Brit, Dillian ‘The Bodysnatcher’ Whyte.
Eddie Hearn names Dillian Whyte vs Derek Chisora 1 as one of his favorite fights ever
The first fight Hearn mentioned wasn’t AJ vs Klitschko, or Taylor vs Serrano, or even Whyte vs Chisora.
The first fight he mentioned was Michael Brodie versus In Jin Chi at the Manchester Arena in 2003.
Hearn recounted the event, “It was unbelievable. They gave In Jin Chi the decision and then when they counted up the scorecards they actually got it wrong, it was a draw.”
He then went on to tell Chisora that his first fight with Whyte has got to be up there,
“Not just saying it but I think you and Dillian Whyte 1. I mean, 2 was good, but I didn’t want to mention it because you got chinned. One was actually a better fight I think, do you know what I mean? With everything that had happened in the buildup to that fight.”
Chisora famously flipped and threw a table at Whyte during their pre-fight press conference, before losing a split decision to ‘The Bodysnatcher’ in a closely contested all-British dust-up.
Chisora was ahead on two scorecards in the 11th round of their rematch two years later, but was caught with a shot that flattened him in the penultimate round.
Dillian Whyte issued scathing critique of Derek Chisora years on from their rivalry
Seven years on from their bitter rivalry’s conclusion, Whyte is set to face Moses Itauma, a 20-year-old phenom who has captivated fans with a series of knockout victories.
For many, Whyte is a huge underdog, despite his experience at the highest level of the sport. Lawrence Okolie sees Itauma KOing Whyte, while even ‘The Bodysnatcher’s former coach, Mark Tibbs, believes Itauma will beat Whyte.
One man who feels the same way is Chisora, who called Whyte when the fight was announced to ask why he would take such a risky fight.
Whyte scolded Chisora in a recent interview, stating, ““[He’s] a very deluded, strange, awkward guy, and he smells as well.”
He went on to describe Chisora as a “scumbag” and concluded, “Someone like that is poison.”