Eddie Hearn Floors Right-Hand Man Frank Smith With Brutal Body Shot As The Matchroom Duo Show Off Their Boxing Skills

Eddie Hearn has the gift of the gab when it comes to promoting fights and the Matchroom chairman has now proved he’s no slouch in the ring himself.

Hearn showed he can walk the walk as well as talk the talk after taking on his right-hand man Frank Smith in a competitive body spar on Wednesday.

The pair tested their skills in the ring at a hotel in San Diego ahead of Roman 'Chocolatito' Gonzalez’s fight with Julio Cesar Martinez on Saturday.

Smith, Matchroom Boxing’s CEO, has been touted as the man to replace Hearn when he steps away from the sport.

But Hearn proved who’s the boss for now – dropping Smith with a well-timed body shot, to the amusement of those watching ringside.

Smith manages to get back to his feet and is saved by the end of the round.

The pair continue to spar for several minutes before the end of the session is called, much to the relief of both men.

Smith then jokes to Hearn: “Do you want to do another five?”

Hearn, the son of Matchroom founder Barry Hearn, fought three times for Billericay Amateur Boxing Club as a teen, winning them all.

But Hearn has admitted he was not “tough” enough to be a professional fighter because of his privileged upbringing.

Hearn says his father arranged for him to be introduced with a fake name because of fears his opponents would “take liberties”.

In a 2017 interview with Boxing Social, Hearn said: “They introduced me as 'Eddie Hills' and I was devastated.

“I told my dad and I found out it was all his idea.

Hearn had three fights for Billericay Amateur Boxing Club as a teen (Image: PA)

"He thought if they knew who I was, they would really put it on me and take liberties.

“I had some skills, I fancied myself a bit, I thought I was Sugar Ray Leonard, but you can’t be a fighter if you grow up in a nice house and go to public school.

“The other lads were much tougher than me.

“I remember seeing one of my opponents in the changing room before we boxed and telling my dad: ‘Great, I’ve got the fat kid.’

“But he almost took my head off.”

Matchroom have a stellar month of boxing throughout March, starting with the tasty bout between Roman Gonzalez and Julio Cesar Martinez this Saturday in San Diego, California.

Leigh Wood vs Michael Conlan for the WBA featherweight title headlines the show in Nottingham's Motorpoint Arena on 12 March, while there's also Vergil Ortiz Jr vs Michael McKinson in Los Angeles and the Kiko Martinez vs Josh Warrington rematch on 19 March and 26 March respectively.

Topics: Eddie Hearn, Boxing

Rory O'Callaghan

Rory O'Callaghan is Editorial Lead at SPORTbible. He has previously worked for Sky Sports News, MailOnline and Reach covering football, cricket, boxing and MMA. Tested daily as a Liverpool fan in a Manchester office.

@rory_ocallaghan