BARRY HEARN has revealed that he has not taken a salary in 17 years.
The Matchroom president founded his company in 1982, building empires in boxing, snooker and darts.
Hearn, 76, also served as chairman of Leyton Orient between 1995 and 2014.
These days he maintains an advisory role in the business, having handed most of the control to son Eddie.
Discussing his career on The Barry Hearn Show, he admitted: “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.
“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. 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.”
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His son Eddie, 45, is now chairman of Matchroom – but that doesn’t mean that the father-son combo always agree.
He revealed: “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.”
Barry and Eddie are currently being followed around by Netflix cameras for a documentary.
Speaking to SunSport about the project after completing his latest podcast episode, Barry said: “Everything is a completely open book. It’s going to be fun.
“But I’m frightened to have a bath, mate! Because I get up and go, ‘f***ing, who put this microphone on me?’
“The title is ‘Matchroom: The Greatest Showmen’. It’s going to go out to 500 million homes. They are spending millions and millions.
“The team that are doing it are the ones who did Drive to Survive, so they have a hard act to follow. But they are very excited about it.
“You try to distance yourself from it. It’s a good story. We had Succession, which was almost a take-off of the Murdoch empire.
“Well, we are not at that level but it is a similar theme of an old geezer that starts off something, brings up kids in a different world to what he came from.
“It’s not a power struggle but there are definitely different influences throughout.
“But the company has grown bigger and bigger, it’s a global one rather than a British one. There are a lot of good stories.”
