Boxing is an art, and art deserves to sit in a gallery—an exhibition of its live spectacle. The skill of boxing is refined over years of meticulous craft, with great foundations there to help build and nurture a boxer’s career. Not only is the skill on display artistic, it’s also just a really incredible sport. A complex industry boasting centuries of history, and a budding business where characters are built, enticing fights are made and monumental events are curated. The latter is such an endeavour of Matchroom Boxing CEO Frank Smith—a man who prides himself on the grand occasion that parades these fight nights.
Matchroom Sport has been in business for over 40 years, a cross-generational business founded by Barry Hearn and run by him and his son, Eddie. Frank Smith has now been with Matchroom for over 17 years, starting there as a teen doing work experience after meeting (and pestering) Eddie Hearn for a job. “I joined Matchroom as a kid because I saw Eddie had a nice car,” Frank says, when asked about how the opportunity came about. At the time, he was simply a young, impressionable man inspired by Eddie’s lifestyle, and was given a life-changing opportunity through seeking it. After building his way up through work experience, including a stint as the teaboy, he worked across a spread of different sports that Matchroom promotes, like darts, snooker, football and poker, before joining the boxing division in 2011—the beginning of a new dawn in British boxing on the cusp of the 2012 Olympics.
“Boxing is something I love, but I also love shows; I love putting events on. That’s the real passion. That’s what drives me every week,” says Frank, considering his love for the sport and his job. Over the last decade and a half, Matchroom has been involved in many of the greatest spectacles in boxing. For example: promoting Anthony Joshua on his stellar rise, ultimately facing Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley, where he became World Champion for the first time. British boxing fans can’t forget the Carl Froch and George Groves rivalry, which came to an emphatic conclusion at Wembley after years of a contentious build-up. And then there’s Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano, which was the first women’s fight to headline Madison Square Garden.
All of these grand events have been immense occasions that halted the boxing or sporting world. This year alone, after years of contention, Matchroom brought fantasy to life by reviving a generational rivalry in Benn vs Eubank, where two sons in Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr. fought to end a decades-long rivalry. Both events were tremendous, absorbing from start to finish, nights that Frank finds great joy in putting together. With recent shows like the Monte Carlo Showdown VI in Monaco, Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua in Miami and Craig Richards vs Dan Azeez in Accra, Ghana—Matchroom’s first event in Africa—Frank Smith has overseen an adventurous year for promotion.
Speaking from Accra, Frank had a chat with Complex UK to provide insight into his inspiring journey as the CEO of Matchroom Boxing. Read on below.
COMPLEX: You’ve been with Matchroom for over 17 years now, which puts you in a unique position to reflect on how boxing—and the business around it—has evolved. Before we get into that, what’s your first sporting memory?
Frank Smith: My first sporting memory… I used to love WWE, or whatever it was called back then. WWF. I loved wrestling when I was a kid. After that, the most notable memory is football. I’m a West Ham fan and I went to the FA Cup final when West Ham played Liverpool. Steven Gerrard scored a volley in the last minute; I was about 14 years old and I was close to crying. That one’s always stayed with me. That was probably the point I fell out of love with football.
I have to be honest: I’m a Liverpool fan, so I was watching that at home crying tears of joy. Apologies! [Laughs]
[Laughs] Don’t rub it in, mate!
People assume boxing was always the plan for you, but when would you say you actually fell in love with it?
I have to be completely honest: boxing was never my focus. I joined Matchroom as a kid because I saw Eddie [Hearn] had a nice car. It was never really about working in sport, if that makes sense? At that point, you’re just impressed by the money. Well, I was anyway. That was the reason I met Eddie, started talking to him, pestered him for a job—and I never looked back. Boxing is something I love, but I also love shows; I love putting events on. That’s the real passion. That’s what drives me every single week.
That makes sense, because when people think of Matchroom—especially over the last decade—they think of showmanship and spectacle.
You can’t control the boxing itself. You can put two of the best fighters together and they might not have a great fight, and it’s the same with football. But what you can control is the show around it. That was always the focus for me. We come from an entertainment business. When you look at the sports we’re involved in—darts especially—it’s an entertainment product. I want to walk out at the end of a night and think, “Look at what we did tonight.” And I get to feel that every week.
There’s been a lot of debate about the state of boxing—YouTube boxing, crossover fights, Misfits. From your perspective, how do you see the industry right now?
Boxing is a crazy business. It’s always evolving. Every couple of years, some new mad person or business wants to get involved, which is great. Boxing is sexy. People look at it and want to be around it. Over the years you’ve had PBC, Triller, DAZN—huge investment coming in. Do I think there can be some improvements? Sure, but I’m not really a boxing purist. I look at it as a product. Other sports have changed formats and adapted to how people consume content, and boxing has to move with those times while still keeping its heritage. That’s what interests me: looking at the sport beyond just being a hardcore fan.
I recently interviewed Conor Benn, and after that first Eubank fight I was locked in from start to finish. It felt bigger than just the fight.
It’s an amazing job to be able to do this. Every week we’re doing shows; I’m at one right now. Then I’m off to Ghana, 20,000 people there, then Riyadh the week after. What drives us is walking out of those shows and seeing people enjoying themselves. Putting on events people want to be at—that’s the focus.
Instead of asking about your favourite fight, what’s been your favourite event to curate this year?
It would have to be the first Eubank vs Benn. There’d been so much anticipation building for over two years, and the scale of the show was massive. I’m also really excited about Ghana. Going into new markets and doing something completely different excites me.
Which city in Ghana?
Accra.
I’m Ghanaian—my family’s from there.
It’s a very peaceful place. That really stood out to me. Very friendly, extremely safe.
It was voted one of the safest countries in Africa recently.
That peacefulness is the key thing for me. Everyone’s happy and excited—I love that.
You’ve done shows all over the world. Do you have a favourite city for boxing?
Monaco stands out because it’s completely different. Vegas is amazing. Riyadh is doing great things. But, for me, Madison Square Garden is special. It’s an unbelievable venue. AJ vs Ruiz didn’t go our way, but the spectacle was incredible. We’ve done so many great events there, and I love New York as a city.
You’ve described yourself as the “walking spreadsheet” of Matchroom. Have you seen social media directly change how fights are sold?
Definitely. Social media is everything now. When Ben Whittaker made his debut with us, clips from that fight did 70 million views. That’s insane! The world is bigger than broadcasters now. It’s easier to build a star, but you’re also competing with everyone. Fighters like Johnny Fisher or Dave Allen show how strong social numbers translate directly into ticket sales and viewership. That’s a big factor for us.
Finally, how important is it for fighters to build their own profile alongside their team?
It’s crucial, but fighters have to be willing to do the work. There are loads of talented fighters who don’t want to do the outside stuff. Conor Benn is a great example of someone who does: he shows up and puts himself out there. Our job is to give them the platform, and it is up to them to grab it. At the end of the day, you have to be entertaining. That’s what makes people want to tune in.