Eddie Hearn is convinced the future face of heavyweight boxing is not being forged in the gyms of Las Vegas or the storied fight factories of London, but instead in Brisbane. The outspoken boss of Matchroom Boxing has delivered a massive vote of confidence in Australia’s fight scene, declaring that the next dominant heavyweight champion of the world could soon emerge from Queensland.

Hearn’s bullish assessment of Australian boxing arrives at a time of major business expansion for Matchroom. This week, the global promotional powerhouse confirmed it would extend its long-running partnership with streaming giant DAZN until 2031, further cementing its influence across world boxing. Alongside that announcement came another significant development for local fight fans, with Matchroom also striking a fresh partnership with DAZN’s Foxtel Group arm in Australia.

The deal will deliver seven live events across 2026, all targeted squarely at the domestic market and designed to showcase Australian talent on home soil. Speaking to Fox Sports Australia, Hearn stressed that this was not a token commitment, but a genuine investment in building a sustainable boxing ecosystem in the country.

“These are actually Australian shows,” Hearn told Fox Sports Australia.

“So [it’s] a massive sort of injection of activity for Australian boxing. Our first big move.

“We’ve kind of flirted with these few shows that we’ve done, one or two a year in Australia, but this gives us a chance to set something up properly. And we’re very excited.

“And it’s massive news for Australian fighters and fight fans as well.”

Having promoted and managed some of the biggest stars of the modern era, Hearn is well placed to recognise raw potential. And in his view, the brightest jewel in Australia’s heavyweight crown is a towering Olympian who is still in the early stages of his professional journey.

“The big gold that I see is Teremoana Teremoana,” Hearn said.

“Because I see a guy there that I truly believe is the future heavyweight champion in the world.

“And I see a guy that is a tremendous character, you know, he lights up the room.

“He’s got absolutely everything, but he’s at the early stages of his career at the moment.”

At 198 centimetres tall and already boasting an intimidating presence, Teremoana Teremoana has quickly built momentum since turning professional. The 28-year-old Paris Olympian is unbeaten at 9-0, with every victory coming by knockout, a statistic that has only heightened excitement around his long-term potential. While he remains relatively inexperienced at elite level, Hearn’s comments underline just how highly he is rated behind the scenes.

Yet Teremoana is not the only Australian heavyweight catching international attention. The local division has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years, with several fighters pushing towards world-level contention. Among them is Justis Huni, whose heartbreaking loss to Britain’s Fabio Wardley last year remains a major talking point.

Huni had been in control for much of that bout, dominating across nine rounds before being stopped late in a dramatic turnaround. Wardley would go on to claim the heavyweight crown, a fact that only reinforced how close Huni came to seizing his own moment.

“Justis Huni, I felt, was very unlucky,” said Hearn.

“Obviously, I know he got stopped against Fabio Wardley, but that’s a fight that can turn and give him a shot at the world heavyweight title.

“He’s only one fight away, one win away from that.”

While optimism around Australian fighters continues to grow, Hearn has also found himself embroiled in a very public feud with Dana White, the powerful boss of the UFC. The spat ignited after White dismissed the challenge of competing with boxing’s existing structure, likening it to “beating up babies,” while also taking a personal jab at Hearn.

White suggested that Hearn “works for his dad,” a remark aimed at diminishing the Matchroom chief’s independence and vision. Hearn, never one to shy away from confrontation, responded by branding the early efforts of Zuffa Boxing as “absolute complete dogs**t.”

When asked whether the exchange was likely to escalate further, Hearn admitted the rivalry was far from over.

“Probably,” he said.

“It was quite unusual to see him sort of come out and say, you know, Eddie Hearn works for his dad,” he said.

“That’s something that my competitors have said over the years when they’re really struggling, and Dana’s only been doing it for a month.

“So, yeah, you know, it allowed me to go back and fight back and, you know, tell him that you know, I may work for my dad, but he works for his daddy as well. And his daddy’s Turki Alalshikh, but it’s all kind of tongue in cheek.

“I think what Zuffa are doing at the moment is really low level. I think it’s very average. But they’re a big organization, and they will be a threat.

“They won’t just be a threat to promotional companies, but there’ll be a threat to the sport as we know it, because they don’t really want the sport to exist as it is, right or wrong, you know, they want the governing bodies dead.

“They want to create their own rules. They don’t want to answer to anyone. They want to tell the fighters what to do and who to fight, and that’s just their model.

“...I’m happy to go our own direction and follow the codes and the legacy and the history of the sport. And yeah, I guess Eddie V Dana is going to be the big battle that’s going to roll on for many years.”

Away from the political and promotional battles, Hearn also offered encouraging news regarding former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, who has endured a traumatic period away from the ring. Joshua was involved in a horrific car crash in Nigeria in late December 2025, an incident that tragically claimed the lives of two members of his team.

Although Joshua escaped with only minor physical injuries, the emotional impact has understandably delayed his return to competition, including a long-anticipated showdown with Tyson Fury.

“I’ve spent quite a lot of time with him recently,” said Hearn.

“I think he’s training every day. You know, he’s still clearly recovering. The emotional and mental recovery is something that is going to take a long, long time.

“...He won’t be fighting Tyson Fury next, but at the same time, what he really wants to do is get back into training camp. And physically, he’s not able to do that yet.

“So, you know, the most important thing for us is to get him in that position where he can physically get back into training camp. I think that’s probably a month or so away.

“And then once he does that, we’ll just start talking about who and when.

“My gut feeling is the back end of the summer, you know, he’ll be back with a comeback fight, and then possibly at the end of the year look at [a fight with] Tyson Fury as well.

“See if he gets through, maybe early 2027 [for that fight].”

As Matchroom deepens its footprint in Australia, heavyweight prospects like Teremoana and Huni stand to benefit from increased exposure and opportunity. With major shows locked in, international attention growing, and Hearn firmly backing local talent, Australian boxing may be entering its most promising era yet — one where a world heavyweight champion from Brisbane no longer sounds like wishful thinking, but an increasingly realistic destination.