With mounting problems confronting them, legacy promoters find themselves under pressure. In this mix, however, one promoter continues to stand out. With Shakur Stevenson winning a landmark title in a fourth weight class, Matchroom and Eddie Hearn’s stakes have now reached elite territory.

That success, though, has not insulated Hearn from setbacks. Hoping to consolidate his presence in Australia after suffering a reversal when cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia joined Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing, Eddie Hearn appeared ready to pivot toward a major title event. That, however, did not materialize. A local promotion outbid Matchroom with a purse topping $1.1 million. The setback set the stage for what followed.

Down Under deal stuns Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom

The story largely centered on the title shot of former champion Liam Paro. The Queensland native, who had previously been with Matchroom, lost his light-welterweight title to Richardson Hitchins in December of 2024. Since then, he has been trying to work his way back into title contention. After winning a title eliminator against David Papot, he earned a slot to face top-ranked contender Paddy Donovan on the January 16 Nikita Tszyu-Michael Zerafa card. However, Donovan withdrew, citing illness.

Paro subsequently received approval to challenge IBF champion Lewis Crocker. There was a snag, though. Matchroom Boxing, which represents Crocker, and Paro’s new promoters, No Limit Boxing, could not agree on terms or a venue within the allotted time. That impasse triggered a purse bid on February 3. Under normal circumstances, one might have expected a veteran outfit like Matchroom to prevail.

They submitted a bid worth $1,125,000 at the IBF’s headquarters in New Jersey. But No Limit countered with $1,152,000. Financially, that means under IBF rules, Crocker, as the defending champion, will collect 65 percent of the purse, about $748,800, while Paro will receive the remaining $403,200.

Discussing the outcome, No Limit chief George Rose told Fox Sports Australia, “We’re always competing against billionaires, competing with old money… and to step up against a global company and get the win is a tremendous result.” Liam Paro, who himself came across the development early in the morning, found it ‘unreal.’

Still, uncertainty remains over the date and venue.

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Paro-Crocker plans evolve as date, venue remain unclear with Tszyu brothers on the undercard

Fox Sports Australia reported that the purse-bid victory allows No Limit to stage the bout in Australia, likely in late March or early April, and possibly add another local draw with either former champion Tim Tszyu or his brother Nikita Tszyu on the card.

“They’ve told us they want to be active, and it would be great to have one of them join Liam’s world title card,” Rose said.

Another report from BoxingScene’s Jake Donovan, citing information from veteran journalist Dan Rafael, suggested the fight could headline the March 28 Sebastian Fundora-Keith Thurman pay-per-view in Las Vegas.

For now, observers will have to see how the situation unfolds. Against that backdrop, because of the IBF’s stipulations, once Tuesday’s hearing concluded, the two camps – Matchroom and No Limit – must stage the bout within the next 90 days.

As more details emerge, the episode underscores how a local promotion outmaneuvered a global entity like Matchroom. Reflecting on the symbolic victory, Rose added, “This is the biggest purse win by an Australian boxing promoter ever. It’s huge.”

For Hearn and Matchroom, the clearest path to redemption would be Crocker defeating Paro. While they lost the purse bid by a narrow $27,000 margin, a win in the ring would carry far more weight than the money surrendered outside it.