NEARLY seven years ago, Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing made a decision that would change the futures of prospects for years to come.
For years, the promotion had performed a juggling act balancing showcasing their prospects’ respective rises up the ranks on big shows and filling cards with pay-per-view worthy fights.
Aware of the importance of doing justice to their up-and-comers and preparing them for bigger showcases to come, Matchroom created their wildly-popular NXTGEN series.
The series has been a rip-roaring success, helping make the likes of Felix Cash, Jordan Gill and Galal Yafai – to name just a few – go from previous unknowns to household names.
And to say NXTGEN is one of Hearn’s proudest achievements during his time at the Matchroom helm would be a major understatement.
Hearn told SunSport: “It’s been great because a lot of the younger generation don’t get the opportunity to fight deep on the card.
“You’ve got guys that are headlining and co-main eventing.
“The pressure of being in the press conference this week as the main event or a TV fight, a lot of guys that you bring through fight at five o’clock, six o’clock and you want to try to get them on the main card.
“This is the opportunity to showcase them and build their profiles because you can’t be hiding that talent.
“You have to show everybody how exciting and how good that next generation of talent is and eventually bring them on to the main shows at the big arenas.”
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
NXTGEN’s maiden event was headlined by then-featherweight Reece Bellotti, who fittingly tops the bill of this weekend’s card at The Indigo at the O2 Arena just a few weeks shy of the seventh anniversary of his clash with Dai Davies.
The British and Commonwealth Super Featherweight titles will be spoils for Bellotti this time around, provided he can get past undefeated Chingford clubber Liam Dillon.
The match-up is, in the eyes of many, a throwback to domestic dust-ups of yesteryear
“It’s old school, an old school classic this Saturday,” Hearn said of the clash of 130lbs tussle.
“You’ve got a young guy in Liam Dillon against one of our favourites in Reece Bellotti – who has been up, been down, a very popular kid from Watford as well.
“He’s won commonwealth titles. And it’s just one of those really good British old-school classics.
“They won’t take a step back, both guys throw hundreds and hundreds of punches.
“Both guys have got good chins, both guys can crack a bit.”
This weekend’s main event isn’t the only fight veteran promoter Hearn is looking forward to.
The 44-year-old said: “The undercard has also got some of our best young talent on it.
“Cameron Vuong in a step up, Shannon Ryan – who looks like a future world champion.
“Craig Richards back in action as well – and John Hedges as well.”
Matchroom have an extremely exciting stable of prospects on their books, including the likes of Jordan Flynn, Hopey Price and the previously aforementioned Vuong.
And with the continued benefits the NXTGEN platform provides, Hearn believes it’s only a matter of time before we see them competing in big and more meaningful fights.
He said: “These NXTGEN cards are about showcasing the future of the sport.
“Some of these guys are going to fight for world championships in big arenas and this is a platform to bring them through.”
