Matchroom, the sports promotional company founded by Barry Hearn and now run alongside his son Eddie, has announced the sale of a minority stake to US investment firm Bruin Capital. The deal, confirmed on Monday morning, sees Bruin acquire a 15 per cent share in the Essex-based business, which is best known for organising boxing, darts, and snooker events.
Valuation and Financial Details
While financial terms were not disclosed, a report by the Financial Times suggests that Matchroom is currently valued at more than £1bn. This valuation aligns with comments made in last year's Netflix documentary Matchroom: The Greatest Showmen. Based on this figure, Bruin's stake would be worth approximately £150m. The Hearn family will retain majority ownership and continue to oversee the business, with Eddie Hearn serving as Group Chairman and Barry Hearn as Founder and President. Bruin will join Matchroom's board of directors.
Strategic Expansion Plans
Barry Hearn, 77, told the Financial Times: "Cash is nice – the kids can have that, the grandchildren can have that. I just want to go to work and live longer. We want to make a massive push into America. We're going to take darts around the world, especially in America." He added: "Darts is something new that we've seen numbers around the world we could only dream of, and we've created this monster from nothing. If you want to create a monster, where do you want the biggest monster to live? Probably the USA."
Eddie Hearn, 46, echoed this sentiment in the press release: "The opportunity for Matchroom in the United States and globally continues to grow. This partnership with Bruin gives us the ability to accelerate that expansion and build on the platform we have created."
Bruin Capital's Perspective
George Pyne, founder of Bruin Capital, who previously worked at Nascar and sports agency IMG, commented: "Barry, Eddie, and the Matchroom team have built one of the most important independent sports businesses in the world. Matchroom sits at the intersection of live events, global media rights, and premium sports intellectual property, and we see significant opportunities ahead, particularly in the United States." Notably, one of Bruin's investments is Box to Box Films, which produced Matchroom: The Greatest Showmen and Netflix's Formula 1 docu-series Drive to Survive.
Key Talent and Future Prospects
Matchroom counts former heavyweight champion boxer Anthony Joshua and darts world champion Luke Littler among its biggest names. Joshua, 36, is signed to the promotional company, while 19-year-old Littler competes on the PDC tour, which is owned and promoted by Matchroom. The documentary series had previously focused on a potential sale to Saudi buyers, and Barry Hearn had hinted at the possibility of selling a minority stake. When asked whether his family could ever fully let go of Matchroom, he said coyly: "It has to depend on the price."
