Eddie Hearn has told talkSPORT that he does not want to be in the business of YouTube boxing moving forwards.
The Matchroom promoter, who represents some of the biggest names in the sport including Anthony Joshua and Canelo Alvarez, caused a stir when he staged KSI vs Logan Paul as a pro bout back in 2019.
Before this point, the YouTube boxing trend had not fully hit the mainstream of the sport.
Since KSI’s split decision win, there have been several more of these events including Floyd Mayweather’s exhibition with Logan and three bouts for his brother Jake Paul.
“I’ve been on that side when I did KSI vs Logan Paul,” Hearn told White and Jordan on talkSPORT.
“It’s a mad world and, since I did that fight, it seems like there’s a YouTube fight every week.
“I’ve tried to move a little bit away from that because I think boxing needs to stand up and be counted.
“And the only way we can do that is to make great fights.
“Because if we don’t make great fights, what we’re seeing in terms of David Haye vs Joe Fournier, Jake Paul, Floyd Mayweather vs Logan Paul, will become much more regular, because they do rate.”
After putting KSI vs Logan Paul on DAZN, Hearn also staged the debut of Jake Paul, who is now at the forefront of YouTube boxing and set to fight Tyron Woodley on rival network Showtime next week August 29.
When asked if YouTubers can make great fights, the promoter replied: “No, not really.
“I don’t mind it, look, Jake Paul vs Tyron Woodley, I don’t have an issue with it.
“Jake Paul’s putting the work in, he’s now had three fights, he’s fighting a guy that can fight in some capacity and he’s a UFC champion.
“Floyd Mayweather vs Logan Paul was just a joke and so’s David Haye vs Joe Fournier, but it’s just a bit of fun…
“Some people want to almost respect their legacy in the sport and some just wanna make as much money as possible.
“We just need to focus on boxing.
“The Josh Warrington card with Katie Taylor and Conor Benn. The AJ vs Usyk fight, this is what we need to focus on.
“We need to deliver numbers for DAZN and our broadcasters because otherwise broadcasters will be asking for YouTube fights and that’s not a sport I wanna be in.
“I’ve done that before, we had a bit of fun, it was a bit cringe to be honest, it was tough at times, but I do understand the demand.
“But we’ve gotta make sure we focus on the sport, rather than just the other side, because otherwise you’ll see that more and more.”