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<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="3620134" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="matchroom-boxing">Matchroom Boxing</keyword> restarted its live events business with a four-week residency called "Fight Camp" on the grounds of its HQ in Essex, a grassy county east of London.</li><li>The COO of Matchroom USA, <keyword id="9763329" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="shaun-palmer">Shaun Palmer</keyword>, told Insider that Matchroom UK raised a bar that he wants to meet with the US team's first pandemic-era show in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Saturday.</li><li>What makes the Tulsa event as unique as "Fight Camp" is that it is an open-air venue sandwiched between skyscrapers in the downtown region of the city.</li><li>The event features a super prospect called Israil Madrimov and a historic headlining bout between <keyword id="9747305" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="cecilia-braekhus">Cecilia Braekhus</keyword> and Jessica McCaskill.</li><li>Palmer told Insider how the Matchroom USA team organized the extraordinary show, and said similar concepts could become a regular part of the US combat <keyword id="6356028" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="sports">sports</keyword> calendar.</li></ul>Following a five-month, coronavirus-enforced hiatus, Matchroom <keyword id="6362171" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Boxing">Boxing</keyword> restarted live event operations in July with fireworks and fist-fights broadcast from the 15-acre mansion which the promoter Eddie Hearn grew up in as a child.Known for stadium fights in Britain's capital cities, Hearn's reach extended beyond the borders of his country and into New York, into Saudi Arabia, and now, through Matchroom USA's COO Shaun Palmer, the streets of Tulsa, Oklahoma.On Saturday, August 15, Palmer restarts Matchroom's State-side combat calendar with a plan every bit as audacious, in-your-face, and brilliantly bonkers as the "Fight Camp" Hearn set-up in the backyard of Matchroom HQ in Essex, a grassy county east of London.Like "Fight Camp," Matchroom's Tulsa event takes place in an unconventional setting. Palmer's team had to co-operate with local government to close roads downtown just to make it happen, and lease sections of nearby hotels to provide a safe bubble in which fighters and staff would be kept as safe as possible from COVID-19.They then constructed the fight card by adding an extraordinary prospect who is seemingly on the road to stardom, and a main event featuring Cecilia Braekhus and Jessica McCaskill in a women's world title match with a lot at stake.If Braekhus wins, <a href="https://www.insider.com/cecilia-braekhus-one-win-to-break-joe-louis-boxing-record-2020-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">she breaks the heavyweight great Joe Louis' record for most consecutive title defenses</a> in the same weight class — a record which has stood for 72 years.If she loses, she falls at the final hurdle and a new champion is crowned.<h2>From backyard brawls to fights on the streets</h2>On the gardens of Matchroom HQ in the UK, there'd been <a href="https://www.insider.com/harper-and-jonas-went-to-war-james-calls-out-pacquiao-2020-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fight of the year contenders</a> and knockouts so brutal they delighted those watching at home.Knockouts like this:Palmer praised the Matchroom's matchmaking to Insider this week, and told us that he always wanted to replicate what Hearn had in store with "Fight Camp" with something similar when live events were green-lit in the US."It put the pressure on the US team to come up with something equally iconic and that could still look good and make the fighters feel like they were part of a big event, even without the fans," he said.Matchroom USA looked at closed, TV-studio venues at first. Palmer said this is the "simplest way of doing [live boxing events] safely."One of Matchroom's rival companies Top Rank demonstrated the safety of such a venue during a summer series of boxing inside a quarantined area of the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas."But Eddie set me the task of finding something a bit different," Palmer said. "I got chatting to a local promoter called Tony Holden, who promoted [the late, former heavyweight champion] Tommy Morrison. And he was going back-and-forth with me about various casino venues."I sort of joked with him, and said: 'Shame we can't do something outside, as Eddie likes outside fights. It would be great if you get us downtown Tusla.'"Palmer was half-joking, but said Holden stopped laughing. "'If I can do that, would you come to Tulsa?'"I said, 'If you did, I'm sure Eddie would be on board.'"Within a day, Holden returned to Palmer with an outline which they developed together so it contained a coronavirus safety plan, a location, permit options, and security.Palmer then sent his plan to Hearn to get it signed off before booking the venue."I know what Eddie's like, and know he likes to visualize stuff," Palmer told us. "So I sent him a first draft of what we ultimately released on social, a 3D rendering of the ring."Eddie very rarely says 'Yeah, that's great,' because he quite rightly comes back with feedback and suggestions, but this time he texted me saying, 'Looks great — it's like we're having a proper street-fight.'"After having Eddie on board, I had about two days to get all the details together, as is the way, but we got there."Here's a rendering of what fight night will look like:<div type="image" title="Matchroom DAZN" height="570" width="831" msid="77562047" hostid="261"></div>Palmer spoke to Insider a day before one of the fighters, Marc Castro, and his father/trainer Tony, both tested positive for the coronavirus.But it is here where Matchroom's protocols kicked in, and the pair were quarantined and isolated from all the other athletes and event staff.As everyone else involved, from fighters, trainers, to staff tested negative for the coronavirus, the event goes ahead as planned — just without the involvement of Marc and Tony Castro.There are still five fights scheduled for Saturday, including: <ul><li>Israil Madrimov (5-0-0, 5KOs) vs. Eric Walker (20-2-0, 9KOs) — super welterweight</li><li>Cecilia Braekhus (36-0-0, 9KOs) vs. Jessica McCaskill (8-2-0, 3KOs) — super lightweight championship fight</li></ul>Excited by Madrimov, Palmer called the unbeaten young star "a very special talent" who "always pushes for the toughest opponent possible."This is a final eliminator for the world title," Palmer said. "That's all his doing — he never says no to an opponent."I think it's hard to find [quality] opponents who would box Madrimov [at this stage in his career]."<div type="image" title="Braekhus vs. McCaskill" height="800" width="1200" msid="77562050" hostid="261"></div>Then there's the undisputed title fight between Braekhus, who Palmer called "a future hall of famer," against McCaskill."The tide is turning and women's boxing is getting the attention it deserves," Palmer said. "To be spearheading that at Matchroom is great."<h2>Street fights could become a regular part of Matchroom's calendar</h2>Hearn has said he's interested in making the "Fight Camp" series of fights on the lawns of the Matchroom mansion an annual event, and so Insider asked Palmer whether fans might also see the street fights concept again and again. "It could quite possibly [be an annual thing]," Palmer told us, stressing that Matchroom wants to welcome fans back at live events as soon as it is safe to do so."But while we don't have fans, we can look at doing things you can't do normally — like closing off streets."I'd like to explore a few different options in iconic locations. Golden Boy Promotions mentioned holding events on Alcatraz, which is very ambitious."But I don't know why we can't do something equally ambitious [as Saturday's show] whether it's a street in another city, something else in Tulsa, or completely different."Tulsa has unbelievable architecture and when you're seeing unique buildings, it makes up for the lack of excitement which would have been brought by a live crowd." Matchroom USA's show will be broadcast on <keyword id="6970799" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="DAZN">DAZN</keyword> in the US, and via DAZN's beta-test of its global product for worldwide audiences.Read more:<a href="https://www.insider.com/floyd-mayweather-leonard-ellerbe-says-hes-received-comeback-offers-2020-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Floyd Mayweather's business partner says he's received 'a few sick offers' as the retired boxer talks-up a $100 million exhibition tour</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/conor-mcgregor-is-teasing-a-boxing-comeback-manny-pacquiao-linked-2020-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Conor McGregor has been teasing a comeback, and one option could involve a $250 million mega-bout against Manny Pacquiao</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/watch-joe-george-land-an-uppercut-his-opponents-body-stiffens-2020-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">An unbeaten American boxer landed an uppercut so hard his opponent's body stiffened, losing by instant knockout</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/daniel-kinahan-ran-boxing-using-fear-and-bullying-sources-say-2020-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daniel Kinahan, a suspected $1.1 billion gang lord, ran boxing using fear and bullying, sources say</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/conor-mcgregor-nurmagomedov-will-s-his-pants-in-gaethje-fight-2020-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Conor McGregor said Khabib Nurmagomedov will be 's----ing his pants' when he fights Justin Gaethje in October</a>

Inside Matchroom Boxing's return to the US, where a 'proper street-fight' in between skyscrapers in downtown Tulsa takes place

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="9747305" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="cecilia-braekhus">Cecilia Braekhus</keyword> is just days away from participating in her 26th consecutive title fight.</li><li>"The First Lady" of women's <keyword id="6362171" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Boxing">boxing</keyword> shares the record of consecutive world title defenses in the same division at 25, alongside the all-time heavyweight great Joe Louis, who lost his 26th title fight in 1950.</li><li>70 years later, Braekhus can write history should she defeat Jessica McCaskill on the Oklahoma streets in an open-air ring positioned between Tulsa skyscrapers in the downtown region of the city.</li><li>Victory tees up a fight against the unbeaten Irishwoman and former Olympic gold medalist Katie Taylor, which Braekhus told Insider would "unquestionably be the biggest female fight ever."</li></ul>Cecilia Braekhus, "The First Lady" of women's boxing, is just four days and one win away from breaking one of the sport's most "unbreakable records" — which has stood for 70 years.A wildly-decorated fighter, Braekhus first won world titles in her 11th fight, a decision win over Vinni Skovgaard in 2009, and has since defended those titles and added more championship belts in 25 defenses.She shares the record for most consecutive title defenses in the same division, a boxing record first set when the male fighter Joe Louis — the second greatest heavyweight ever after Muhammad Ali, <a href="https://www.ringtv.com/488242-ring-greatest-heavyweight-time/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to The Ring magazine</a> — kept ahold of the heavyweight championship for a 13-year stretch from 1937.Louis lost the heavyweight title to Ezzard Charles in 1950 after good wins over Max Schmeling, Billy Conn, and Jersey Joe Walcott.His run at the top has retrospectively been called one of the sport's "unbreakable records" by <a href="https://www.boxingscene.com/boxings-unbreakable-records-detailed-look-inside--28080" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Boxing Scene</a>.But now, 70 years later, Braekhus has the chance to surpass Louis' record and standalone with 26 consecutive title defenses in the same weight class when she fights Jessica McCaskill on the streets of Tulsa, Oklahoma.Braekus will compete at an open-air venue in the city's downtown area, promoted by <keyword id="3620134" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="matchroom-boxing">Matchroom Boxing</keyword> USA and broadcast on DAZN.At first, Braekhus didn't want to think too much about the record. But now it's here, she has zoned into it."I heard about it two or three fights ago but I haven't been thinking too much on that, not to jinx it or anything," she told Insider while in quarantine, as she waited on the results from her coronavirus tests."But this is the last one so there's a little bit more thinking about that in this fight. It would definitely be a big deal, so I think for me, the whole team, this would be something very, very special."At 36 years old and with a pro record of 36 wins (nine knockouts), undefeated, Braekhus has big wins of her own against France's big-puncher Anne Sophie Mathis, the multi-sport fighter Mia St. John, and the former two-weight boxing champion Erica Anabella Farias.But despite all that experience, Braekhus has never fought in a venue like the one on Saturday, and is yet to compete during the pandemic."It's a little bit … everything is upside down," she told us of the upheaval. "Coming to the hotel at Tulsa, Oklahoma, the first thing I saw was people, staff, head-to-toe in protective gear, [face] shields, everything."Going to the room, quarantine, I can't see my team and I can't train with any of my team [between] testing [and the results]."It's a little bit like a sci-fi movie to walk around here. It's very special, surreal, but preparation is key. I brought all the food I needed with me, just in case. I'm mentally prepared and right now I feel pretty good, relaxing, watching Criminal Minds … it's crime, gruesome, bloody."<h2>Braekhus and McCaskill headline Saturday's street-fight special</h2>As Braekhus had not left quarantine when she spoke to Insider, she was yet to walk down the streets below and see the ring in which she'd attempt a history-breaking 26th successful world title defense.<div type="image" title="Matchroom boxing Tulsa streets DAZN" height="532" width="825" msid="77510332" hostid="261"></div>"I haven't seen the ring yet. We were shuffled into our room straight into quarantine. It's outside. There's concrete, and there's skyscrapers."It's … this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing," she said."I've watched McCaskill's fights. When she fought Katie Taylor, Erica Farias. But we try to focus on what my tasks are."We have been working on things I'm good at, the best at. Footwork, I'm in front of her. She's strong, physical, so we've been working on [nullifying] that.Her coach, Abel Sanchez, has been "working his magic," she added, saying she has "done a bit of adjustment that he thinks was needed.""I feel great, have been in camp for many months. I'm in my best shape and I know Jessica is in her best shape. There's going to be fireworks."<h2>Victory tees up 'the biggest female fight ever,' Braekhus said</h2>Braekhus wants to keep winning not only to break Louis' record, but to tee-up a lucrative champion vs. champion match against the 2012 Olympic gold medal-winning Irishwoman Katie Taylor.<div type="image" title="Katie Taylor and Jessica McCaskill" height="750" width="1000" msid="77510334" hostid="261"></div>Like Braekhus, Taylor is one of only seven boxers in men's and women's sport to win all four of the major championships from the big-name sanctioning bodies in boxing — the WBA, WBC, WBO, and the IBF.The match would pit the consensus best welterweight in the women's game against the best lightweight."A fight like that would unquestionably be the biggest female fight ever," Braekhus said, adding there is still things to do, wins to be had, before it can be put together."I have to get past Macaskill. And [Taylor] doesn't have an easy task either, she has to get past [Delfine] Persoon." That fight will take place during the fourth week of Eddie Hearn's Fight Camp]."Though Braekhus told Insider fans will have to "wait and see" before a big fight announcement is made, she did say she thinks Taylor will be better prepared in the rematch, after narrowly and somewhat controversially defeating Persoon the first time round, last year."A rematch was needed," Braekhus said. "I think Katie Taylor was a little bit surprised by Persoon's power and will be a bit better prepared this time."As for this weekend, Braekhus promised her 26th consecutive title fight on the streets of Oklahoma would be one thing — "spectacular."Read more:<a href="https://www.insider.com/floyd-mayweather-leonard-ellerbe-says-hes-received-comeback-offers-2020-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Floyd Mayweather's business partner says he's received 'a few sick offers' as the retired boxer talks-up a $100 million exhibition tour</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/conor-mcgregor-is-teasing-a-boxing-comeback-manny-pacquiao-linked-2020-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Conor McGregor has been teasing a comeback, and one option could involve a $250 million mega-bout against Manny Pacquiao</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/watch-joe-george-land-an-uppercut-his-opponents-body-stiffens-2020-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">An unbeaten American boxer landed an uppercut so hard his opponent's body stiffened, losing by instant knockout</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/daniel-kinahan-ran-boxing-using-fear-and-bullying-sources-say-2020-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daniel Kinahan, a suspected $1.1 billion gang lord, ran boxing using fear and bullying, sources say</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/conor-mcgregor-nurmagomedov-will-s-his-pants-in-gaethje-fight-2020-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Conor McGregor said Khabib Nurmagomedov will be 's----ing his pants' when he fights Justin Gaethje in October</a>

'The First Lady' of boxing is a win away from breaking one of the sport's 'unbreakable records' — which has stood for 70 years

<ul class="summary-list"><li>One of the world's leading fight promoters is hosting an exclusive event in ornate surroundings on Saturday.</li><li>Beer-soaked floors and raucous crowds are replaced with royalty and a black-tie dress code, as Matchroom Boxing boss Eddie Hearn brings international boxing to the Casino de Monte Carlo in Monaco.</li><li>A 'f------ beast' of a welterweight, China's 6-foot-6 heavyweight, and one of the most decorated women alive all fight in separate bouts in front of the Prince of Monaco and approximately 400 others who pay up to $5,500 for a seat, before gambling the night away.</li><li>Speaking to Business Insider outside the casino at the Cafe de Paris this week, Hearn said that the world's most powerful promoters all wanted the annual gig in Monaco - but it's his, and he told us all about it.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>MONTE CARLO - Under a painted ceiling, opulent chandeliers, and within a historic building 156 years old, 16 international boxers will fight in extraordinary circumstances, competing in front of an exclusive audience of high-rollers, European royalty, and the British boxing promoter Eddie Hearn.It all takes place at the Casino de Monte Carlo in Monaco on Saturday, November 30, and is the fourth year Hearn takes one of his events to the principality.The first year Hearn took his show to Monaco, he did so in a venue with a capacity approaching 2,000. But from 2017 he moved the event to the casino, in a room which fits approximately 400 people. Everyone there adheres to a strict, black-tie dress code and pays up to €5,000 ($5,500) for a seat.Renowned boxing fan Albert II, the Prince of Monaco, will be one of those in attendance this weekend.The venue, the guest list, and the surroundings are a far cry from what boxing can often look like in small halls with fans slipping on beer-soaked floors while singing "Sweet Caroline" at the top of their lungs.But the Monaco event, which happens every year in late November, is a key part of the Matchroom Boxing and Monte Carlo calendars."It's great for our brand," the Matchroom Boxing boss Hearn told Business Insider while we sat in the Cafe de Paris courtyard, eyeballing expensive cars parked at the casino."Four years ago, when we came, it was an opportunity to start promoting in a new territory at the time with a big budget."There's the association with SBM, which is Society Monte Carlo, and the prince. Also, it's a bloody nice place, completely different. It brings credibility to boxing, rather than just a smoky hall with underworld mentality, this is an event for the prince in Monte Carlo."Hearn said from the casino's point-of-view the event is essentially a way of creating a unique event for its customers - their gamblers - while also providing global exposure for the region in general.The three most interesting fights in Monaco this weekend are:<ol><li>Cecilia Braekhus vs. Victoria Noelia Bustos (women's welterweight)</li><li>Alexander Besputin vs. Radzhab Butaev (welterweight)</li><li>Zhilei Zhang vs. Andriy Rudenko (heavyweight)</li></ol>The first involves one of the most dominant women in boxing history (Braekhus). The second features an all-Russian world title fight, and the third includes a 6-foot-6 Chinese southpaw in Zhang who could open up massive events at the 80,000 capacity Beijing National Stadium or the gambling hotbed of Macau, in China, Hearn told us.Braekhus called Business Insider two weeks ago from the Big Bear mountains in California. She has since swapped what she said was her "winter wonderland" for the mild Mediterranean sun instead.Braekhus, one of the most decorated women's fighters in history, has shaken off the snow and is currently warming up for a world title defense of her WBC, WBA, WBO, IBF, and IBO belts against Bustos.She hopes to use the platform - boxing at a Matchroom show - to further her case for a super-fight against Matchroom golden girl Katie Taylor, the 2012 Olympic gold medalist who has since become a two-weight world champion.Of her opponent Bustos, Braekhus said: "She fought Taylor, [Erica Anabella] Farias, and has been in very good fights, championship fights, and is a former champion herself. This is an experienced woman, and I won't be taking it easy at all."I have more power than Katie Taylor … so this will be an explosive fight. I'm just there to make a statement to get a big fight next year."That big fight that Braekhus is chasing is against Taylor. She wants to fight with so much style and power on Saturday night, that supporters demand that fight to be next. "I want people to demand to see Braekhus vs. Taylor next year, and that's why I'm fighting in Monte Carlo."Hearn, Taylor's promoter, welcomes the challenge should the 38-year-old win on Saturday."She calls herself the first lady," Hearn said. "What that means is, she was a pioneer in women's boxing. In the last few years, the sport has gotten bigger. She's 35-0 and in the final phase of her career and wants to capitalize on those fights. That sort of fight is Katie Taylor."The issue is that Katie Taylor is a lightweight, 135-pound. Braekhus is 147. We'd need to make a catchweight fight between them, so it's what weight you can agree on."But it would be the undisputed lightweight champion against the undisputed welterweight champion. In terms of major events for women's boxing, it doesn't get any bigger."<h2>The Monte Carlo main event is 'a f------ dream fight'</h2>Topping the bill is the welterweight showdown between Besputin and Bustaev, which Hearn called "a f------ dream fight for hardcore fans."It features Besputin, who had 315 amateur bouts, and Butaev, who had 450, Hearn said, adding other athletes widely avoid the Russians on account of being unbeaten in the professional circuit while possessing solid fighting abilities.They are also managed by rival representatives Andrey Robinsky and Egis Klimas, adding a further needle to the main event. "They don't like each other, and I can't wait," Hearn said of the managers. "It's going to be moody. Some proper people."On the fighters themselves, Hearn said: "Besputin is a really good boxer, but Butaev is a f------ beast. Basically, the winner's going to be a force. Profile perspective they've really got a chance [of becoming stars]. The problem with Eastern European fighters, they're very good but hard to gain the traction with."Hearn hinted that the winner could see their popularity soar should they be sufficiently promoted in America, following in the footsteps of Kazakhstan middleweight Gennady Golovkin."If you're an American, or you're in America, you've got to think an English-speaking American would gain more traction than a non-English speaking Russian."But Gennady Golovkin broke down the barriers of that, showing people a foreign fighter living in America can become a star. He laid the foundations for these guys."<h2>A 6-foot-6 southpaw could pave the way for mega fights in China</h2>Hearn also hyped the unbeaten 6-foot-6 southpaw Zhilei Zhang, a Chinese heavyweight with a 20-0 record.As an amateur super heavyweight, Zhang won medals at the 2007 World Championships and 2008 Olympics. He turned pro in 2014 and has won 20 times to date, knocking out 16 of his opponents.The toughest test of his career comes Saturday, and Hearn is interested to see what he can do against Andriy Rudenko and whether Zhang can go on a winning run that will, one day, lead to massive paydays in China."He's been out for a year, injured, but he's 20-0 and can fight," Hearn said. "He's got a tough fight against Rudenko if he wins, it's interesting."The potential long-term value in Zhang is massive, Hearn said."If a Chinese heavyweight breaks through on the scene, f--- me, you're all of a sudden looking at doing 80,000 or 90,000 [people] at the Birds Nest. Macau would love it, too."Saturday's event, the Monte Carlo Showdown, will provide a few familiar faces for Hearn. Though there will only be an exclusive number of attendees, 400, they will all know each other despite having travelled long distances - from Russia, China, and elsewhere - to mingle with the prince, watch boxing, and gamble."Everything's geared toward how we drive excitement to Monte-Carlo in a month where there isn't a whole lot going on, and that is through world championship boxing. Now we have a really solid fanbase of travelling fans."If you're a punter, and you have a good time, and you know it's happening the next year, you go again, and that's what's happened. We've got the same people coming every year, and while they're here, they'll go to the casino."It's an arrangement that benefits Hearn and Monte Carlo. "It's good for international expansion. It's unique to come here and host a smaller, intimate event with royalty."The fact is, everyone wanted to get this gig, but we got it," Hearn said. "It's a win for us."Read more:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/deontay-wilder-very-limited-as-a-fighter-says-eddie-hearn-2019-11?r=US&amp;IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener">America's hard-hitting heavyweight Deontay Wilder is 'very limited as a fighter' according to the British boxing promoter Eddie Hearn</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/david-haye-wants-to-turn-dereck-chisora-into-champion-2019-11?r=US&amp;IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener">How David Haye plans to make a world champion out of Dereck Chisora, the once wild and unpredictable heavyweight who draws comparisons to tennis star Nick Kyrgios</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wladimir-klitschko-plotting-boxing-comeback-2019-10?r=US&amp;IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wladimir Klitschko is plotting a spectacular boxing comeback, and he wants to break an old heavyweight record</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cconor-mcgregor-will-return-to-ufc-against-donald-cerrone-2019-11?r=US&amp;IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Conor McGregor will return to UFC against 'Cowboy' Cerrone, and experts say the Irishman will challenge Jorge Masvidal for the 'BMF' title if he wins</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/floyd-mayweather-should-retire-forever-2018-11?r=US&amp;IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Floyd Mayweather should disappear into retirement forever, because a comeback could end in tears</a>

A 'f------ beast' with a Golovkin-like trajectory, a 6-foot-6 heavyweight from China, and a dominant female champion will fight in front of the prince of Monaco on Saturday

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Two of <keyword id="6362171" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Boxing">boxing</keyword>'s most powerful figures have announced a wild plan to bring the sport back in Britain.</li><li><keyword id="2268473" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Eddie-Hearn">Eddie Hearn</keyword> and <keyword id="1311196" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Frank-Smith">Frank Smith</keyword>, both of Matchroom Sport, will host four live events in consecutive Saturdays in the grounds of Matchroom HQ.</li><li>Fights will take place outside, in the gardens of a 15-acre plot on which stands a heli-pad, an indoor swimming pool, and a mansion fit for a king.</li><li>Boxing royalty <keyword id="576793" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Anthony-Joshua">Anthony Joshua</keyword>, the unified heavyweight boxing world champion, wants to take part.</li><li>"World championship boxing in my garden? Oh, go on then," Hearn said.</li></ul>LONDON — Film footage cuts from one drone to another as they circle above Matchroom's head office in Essex, a grassy-county east of London.The HQ is not your normal office block. It's a 15-acre mansion which Eddie Hearn, one of boxing's most powerful figures, grew up in with his dad, Barry, Matchroom's founder.It boasts an indoor swimming pool, a heli-pad, and has cityscape views of London's financial district bursting through the horizon dozens of miles away."Sweet Caroline," the 1969 Neil Diamond classic now synonymous with boxing in Britain, has just finished playing.A light display, pyrotechnics, and more elaborate fireworks accompany a big-name heavyweight who makes his entrance from the hills and toward a Sky <keyword id="6356028" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="sports">Sports</keyword> ring Hearn, 40, had built next to Matchroom HQ in his backyard.It's almost time for the main event — let's get ready to rumble.Nobody is smiling more than Hearn, who sits beneath the night sky at ringside, socially-distant from those around him.Event staff and the fight's referee wear N95 masks to mitigate any threat from the novel coronavirus. Staff disinfect spit buckets after cleaning the canvas to a medical level.Boxing is back.<h2>A grand vision for the return of elite boxing</h2>What you've just read is Hearn's vision to safely restart his sport behind-closed-doors in July, <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-8323317/Boxing-return-July-Eddie-Hearns-garden-1m-plan-delivering-four-weeks-fights.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to the Mail Online</a>."World championship boxing in my garden? Oh, go on then," Hearn said.It is as inventive as it is ambitious, and it typifies Hearn's charismatic and over-the-top style as <a href="https://www.insider.com/eddie-hearn-plans-to-conquer-world-boxing-2020-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he has frequently told Insider that he isn't just content to have taken control of boxing in Britain</a>.No. He's always had world boxing in his sights, and even that might not be enough as <a href="https://www.insider.com/eddie-hearn-considering-plan-to-promote-mma-events-rival-ufc-2020-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he seemingly becomes increasingly tempted to challenge the near monopoly the UFC enjoys</a> in mixed martial arts.Hearn's vision for boxing in the COVID-19 era is akin to one Dana White has, as the UFC president appears determined to follow his three, indoor Jacksonville events in May, with <a href="https://www.insider.com/conor-mcgregor-texts-dana-white-wanting-to-fight-on-fight-island-2020-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a mysterious "Fight Island" project</a> he insists is real, and has a UFC hotel, gym, and a purpose-built Octagon which can apparently host events from June.Both concepts are beyond the boundaries of what you and I consider normal, but, well … this is what wildly-effective promotional showmanship is all about. This is the fight game after all.<h2>How the hell did boxing get here, in Matchroom Sports Garden?</h2>The plan was likely devised at Matchroom HQ, otherwise known as Mascalls, which is a stately property 30 miles from the O2 Arena, where Matchroom's pay-per-view shows in London are often held.There are many rooms all dedicated to Matchroom operations whether it's media-facing staff or operations. One of the key minds is Hearn's right-hand man Frank Smith, 27, who can be seen at events not in-front of the camera, but to the side, often working behind-the-scenes where he elevates the brand globally.It is a far-cry from how Smith started, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/boxing-news-frank-smith-anthony-joshua-matchroom-boxing-2017-3?r=UK" target="_blank" rel="noopener">telling Insider in 2017</a> he began life at Matchroom as a 14-year-old errand-boy delivering pizza or bringing tea to poker players.From there, he worked in various Matchroom sports properties like darts, snooker, and golf, before finally moving into the boxing department, where he handles multi-million dollar contracts for marquee clients like Anthony Joshua, Gennady Golovkin, and Devin Haney.Smith, now the CEO of Matchroom Boxing, recently told us about the challenges his company was enduring.<div type="image" title="Who is Matchroom Boxing CEO Frank Smith" height="618" width="825" msid="75872018" hostid="261"></div>Much of the world, England included, was in strict lockdown. Boxing, like the world's biggest sports leagues, had shut operations. The coronavirus pandemic had changed life for the foreseeable future.Smith said he was finding it tough to motivate a team of 100 scattered through multiple territories as the business was reliant on live events, and live events were banned. Matchroom shows in Britain, Italy, and the US had all been postponed.For Smith, the coronavirus was bigger than anything — boxing had to shut down. "So many people are suffering and are affected by it, so it's very hard … we're in a generation where we've never experienced anything like it," he told Insider.In early April, Smith ruled-out working abroad in a country with a lower rate of the virus, because the situation had a habit of changing so rapidly that the "substantial" financial investment it would take, to stage an event in Saudi Arabia or Singapore, for example, would be far too risky when borders could close at a moment's notice."It's quite a risk to do anything in other markets," Smith said. "We do shows in nine territories and didn't look outside the territories we normally work in. Restrictions constantly change, it would be a big risk to set something up, only for it to change again with airports closing."With international markets ruled out, Matchroom could only look within Britain, and so initially the team scoured studio options."We were looking at a few studios … no crowd, minimal staffing, minimal teams with the fighters," Smith told us. "But the decision was taken out of our hands when the government [banned] medical-supporting events."Options were running out.A possible new normal was dawning on the Matchroom team — they had become a live events business with no live events planned, or to plan.Because of social-distancing rules, Smith conducted group Zoom calls every morning with his teams, with staff now working from their own homes. They caught up on admin, doing things that may have been missed, or left, and just tried to stay busy.Every now and then Smith would return to Matchroom HQ to collect a file.Between those trips, and maybe Hearn himself taking a call at Mascalls with the gardens in the background, an elaborate scheme was hatched.<h2>The first rule of Fight Camp is … Tell everybody about Fight Camp</h2><h2>The second rule of Fight Camp is … No seriously, tell everybody about Fight Camp</h2>That scheme was Fight Camp — four consecutive midsummer Saturday night events which will take place in the gardens of Matchroom HQ, without fans, and with reduced fight teams and event crew.There can be no more than 90 people at each Saturday night event.There'll be a studio center for Sky Sports which is Matchroom's broadcast partner in the UK, in addition to a media zone, changing room marquees, a weigh-in area — likely in the halls of the building — and an outdoor ring beneath a canopy to protect against Britain's notoriously fickle weather.<div type="image" title="What is Matchroom Boxing Fight Camp, where is it, when is it" height="479" width="825" msid="75872021" hostid="261"></div>Matchroom plans to hire local hotels where athletes and trainers stay from each Tuesday, the start of fight week, through to Sunday, the morning after the Saturday fight.Everyone involved in the events will be forced to quarantine for 24 hours after they've been tested on the Tuesday before the event, until they receive the results the next day. If they test positive for the coronavirus, they will leave the hotel and be isolated. Those who test negative continue on for Fight Camp.Media activities will likely be done remotely, as the venue — with social-distancing measures — can only have 90 people on-site.Matchroom is paying for $35,000 worth of COVID-19 tests for everybody involved in each of the fight weeks, for the camp's four week duration.There is then a great financial outlay which come with rigging a mansion with fight and broadcast equipment in a way that dazzles on television. "It's a huge mission," Hearn told the Mail Online.Robert Smith, the general secretary for the British Boxing Board of Control — which oversees the rules and regulations of the sport within the UK — said on a recent BBC 5 Live appearance that promoters who go behind-closed-doors will "take a big financial hit."<a href="https://www.boxingnewsonline.net/boxings-comeback-begins/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According to Boxing News</a>, Smith said: "But they have contracts with TV companies and we want to get boxing back on TV."<div type="image" title="Anthony Joshua and Eddie Hearn in Diriyah" height="1395" width="2000" msid="75872024" hostid="261"></div>Matchroom has held memorable events inside massive soccer stadiums in Britain, at the historic Madison Square Garden in New York City, and a purpose-built 15,000 capacity venue in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia.Now, it's time for Matchroom Sports Garden to take center stage.It's a a costly but potentially legacy-building series of Saturday fight nights over a four-week spell, which Hearn, Smith, and the wider Matchroom team hope recaptures the momentum it had earlier in the year, a time Hearn was telling Insider — not for the first time — that <a href="https://www.insider.com/eddie-hearn-plans-to-conquer-world-boxing-2020-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">his business will be the world's No.1 fight firm</a>."Financially this will be painful for us," Hearn told the Mail Online, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/52689470" target="_blank" rel="noopener">adding to the BBC</a> more recently that he is confident the backyard brawls this summer will "go down in history" as one of the great periods in British boxing."The most iconic venue in the world is Madison Square Garden, we will be the new garden. Of all the challenges I have had from Wembley Stadium to Saudi Arabia and Madison Square Garden, this is the biggest. That excites me," he said.One of the greatest obstacles Matchroom has to overcome, is for gyms to reopen. This is so fighters with no other access to training can get fighting fit. Providing this ban is lifted, Hearn hopes to stage the events from mid-JulyProspective fights include:<ul><li>Natasha Jones vs. Terri Harper, super featherweight championship match</li><li>Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano, lightweight championship match</li><li>Cecilia Braekhus vs. Jessica McCaskill, welterweight championship match</li><li>Dillian Whyte vs. Alexander Povetkin, heavyweight match</li></ul>As there will be no fan-led atmosphere at any of these shows, Hearn hopes the raw sound of 10-ounce gloves smacking into a fighter's face will make for a compelling enough audio-visual experience at home."There's nothing like 90,000 [people] singing 'Sweet Caroline' but if you can create intensity through the sound of punches landed, the sound of fighters' heavy breathing, the sound of corner teams giving instructions and conversing with their fighters, this is what we need in the mix of the new TV show," <a href="https://theathletic.com/1824855/2020/05/20/eddie-hearn-details-plan-to-bring-boxing-back-from-his-backyard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hearn told The Athletic</a>."This isn't a game of soccer or tennis. This is brutal. If we can showcase that brutality in a more intense way, it's going to be quite compelling in the short-term."He told <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3R5ZjHaVv8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the YouTube channel iFL TV</a> that many of his athletes can compete on short notice. "90% of fighters are ready to go," he said. "They want to carry on their career."<h2>Anthony Joshua wants to join Fight Camp</h2><div type="image" title="Anthony Joshua" height="1000" width="2000" msid="75872025" hostid="261"></div>Joshua, heavyweight boxing's hottest property, has not fought since he reclaimed three major world heavyweight championship titles in Saudi Arabia last year, when he out-pointed Andy Ruiz Jr. with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/3-statistics-show-why-anthony-joshua-was-able-to-beat-andy-ruiz-jr-2019-12?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a disciplined performance in Saudi Arabia</a>, six months after he was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/anthony-joshua-setback-should-have-listened-to-floyd-mayweather-2019-6?src=rss&amp;r=US&amp;IR=Tamp;IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener">humiliatingly defeated by the same man</a> in New York.Joshua was due to defend his belts against mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev on June 20 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, and while the coronavirus nixed that event, the date is being rearranged for when the COVID-19 situation becomes clearer.<a href="https://www.espn.co.uk/boxing/story/_/id/29169457/croatia-interested-hosting-anthony-joshua-kubrat-pulev-bout" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESPN reported</a> earlier this month that Croatia presented a "very solid offer" to host the fight, but Joshua apparently wants to keep the bout in the UK, and even asked Hearn for an invitation to Fight Camp."I was talking AJ, AJ wants to fight here at Fight Camp," Hearn told iFL TV. "I don't think that's necessarily an option. But he wants to fight. This is what he does, I want to go back to the office, I want to go back to work. That's what I do."I'm sure fighters would prefer to fight in front of live crowds, of course you would. That's not going to be an option in the interim and may not even be an option until next year. So, be a pro, get prepared and get a fight in the bank. Get your money in the bank, progress your career, and let's go."This echoes what Smith told Insider last month. The fighters, he said, are ready. "They're all keeping training, going out for their one run a day, working-out indoors, and staying very active."A lot of people knew the severity of the situation and are understanding of what's going on. They're all keeping ready, and that's the main thing."Regardless of who fights and who doesn't, Matchroom appears set to follow in the UFC's footsteps and have a short-term residency of multiple nights in the same venue.While the UFC did that in an empty 15,000 capacity VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Florida, the chosen venue, for Hearn, just happens to be the grounds of Matchroom HQ.He told the Mail Online last week that he hopes it will be great for boxing, even if he knows it "won't be great for the grass."Read more:<a href="https://www.insider.com/conor-mcgregor-fighting-manny-pacquiao-in-boxing-is-still-possible-2020-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Conor McGregor fighting Manny Pacquiao in boxing is still possible, says the man who represents both athletes</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/video-evander-holyfield-debunked-meme-he-cant-wear-covid-masks-2020-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Evander Holyfield hilariously debunked a meme that he can't wear COVID masks because Mike Tyson bit one of his ears off</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/floyd-mayweather-wants-to-make-1-billion-through-property-2020-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Floyd Mayweather's new goal in life is to make $1 billion through property, doubling the money he made as a boxer, his right-hand man says</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/devin-haney-says-hes-not-racist-regrets-white-boy-remark-2020-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">21-year-old American boxer Devin Haney says he's not racist, has 'learned a lot,' and regrets saying he'd never lose to a 'white boy'</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/mike-tyson-punched-garbage-man-for-throwing-away-his-pigeon-2020-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mike Tyson said he once knocked out a garbage man for throwing away one of his pet pigeons that had died</a>Read the original article on <a href="https://www.insider.com/how-matchroom-and-eddie-hearn-will-restart-boxing-during-coronavirus-2020-5">Insider</a>

Britain's biggest fight promoter has launched an ambitious plan to bring elite boxing to his huge, multi-million dollar mansion — and Anthony Joshua wants to get involved

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