Eddie Hearn admits stealing fight week idea from Jake Paul following talks with MVP boss

Eddie Hearn has acknowledged taking a page from Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions when it comes to how he presents his fight weeks.

As the head of Matchroom Boxing, Hearn has worked with a long list of top fighters, including Anthony Joshua, Katie Taylor and Conor Benn.

Even though he and Paul have not always seen eye to eye, their paths have crossed more frequently in recent years through business ties.

During a recent meeting with Nakisa Bidarian – Paul’s partner in MVP – about future opportunities, the former UFC COO pointed out that Hearn had borrowed an element from MVP’s event production. The British promoter did not shy away from it either, saying he had simply put his own spin on the idea.

Eddie Hearn explains how Jake Paul inspired one of his presentation ideas

Viewers who caught Jake Paul’s fights against Mike Tyson or Anthony Joshua, as well as Katie Taylor’s second and third matches with Amanda Serrano, may have noticed a unique touch at the weigh-ins. Fighters stood on rising platforms during the ceremonial event, a production detail that’s become more common in recent shows.

Speaking to IFL TV, Hearn talked about his habit of keeping an eye on what other promoters are doing. He mentioned he was particularly interested in Dana White’s new Zuffa Boxing project, which is set to debut in Las Vegas during fight week for one of his own events.

And he recently opened up on a meeting with MVP boss Bidarian, saying: “I need to know what they’re doing. I need to know how it looks… I had lunch with Nakisa this week and he said to me ‘you stole our idea’.

“You know the raised platforms at the weigh-ins? I said ‘yeah I did actually because, you know what? People been stealing my ideas for years. And I looked at what MVP have done and I thought ‘I really like that stuff’.

“I didn’t copy it exactly but I got the idea from watching one of their weigh-ins they had… People weren’t weighing in at the same time, so we just adapted it. But you can’t be a buffoon and an idiot and not think that these people aren’t intelligent people that have great ideas that will be innovative. They will be.”