Hearn’s Prospects Flop: Promoter Rages Against Reality

Promoter Eddie Hearn blew his stack last Saturday night over the flak he received online from fans over his two Matchroom prospects, Jalil Hackett and Marc Castro, getting beaten on the DAZN card in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Castro & Hackett Exposed

Hearn was in a state, going on a rant for a full six minutes on the topic and looking like he needed to be sedated. I don’t know why. It was obvious that Castro and Hackett were destined to lose because they were NOT major talents. It’s a little surprising that they were both beaten on the same night by second-tier fighters. How can Hearn not know?

Welterweight Hackett (9-1, 7 KOs) lost a 10-round split decision to 31-year-old Puerto Rican fighter Jose Roman Vazquez (14-1, 6 KOs). This was supposed to have been a piece of cake for the 21-year-old Hackett, but man, he was found out quickly by Vazquez and out-hustled in the second half of the fight.

Lightweight Marc Castro (13-1, 8 KOs) was beaten by Agustin Ezequiel Quintana (21-2-1, 13 KOs) by a 10-round split decision. Castro was staggered in the eighth round by Quintana and looked nowhere near world-class.

“The opinion of people around my mindset is really the clear difference between a loser and a winner. If you can’t beat those level guys, you aren’t, or you weren’t good enough on the night,” said Eddie Hearn to iFL TV, reacting to Matchroom fighters Marc Castro and Jalil Hackett’s upset losses last Saturday night in Puerto Rico.

Eddie’s Rant

“People were going, ‘That’s a bit harsh.’ Grow a pair. Listen to me. If you want to be in this game. You’ve got to prove you’re good enough to be on these cards and at this level,” Hearn continued. “Marc Castro has had four ten-round championships. That was his fifth ten-round championship fight.

“Quintana that he boxed, 20-2, from Argentina, who they chose. We sent them three opponents, and that’s who they chose. You have to be beating Quintana if you are a world class fighter or anywhere near it. Quintana is not at that level.

If you’ve seen Castro and Hackett fight before, you could tell that neither of them was destined for world titles. You knew this was going to happen sooner or later once Hearn matched either of these guys against halfway-decent fighters, but they’re both lacking.

“Keyshawn Davis is 12-0 and is about to fight for a world title. Marc Castro beat him in the amateurs. Marc Castro beat Raymond Ford in the amateurs. You have to be beating [the lower-level fighters]. Quintana arrived around midnight on Thursday night, Friday morning from Argentina. He ended up flying 30 hours around the world.

“Not Good Enough”

“Marc Castro was 8 to 1 to win that fight. You’ve got to stop with all these idiots here, ‘Oh, you got these guys [Castro and Hackett] beat.’ No, they lost because they weren’t good enough. Jalil Hackett fought a guy [Jose Roman Vazquez] who is 10-1, from Puerto Rico, and very limited.

“Jalil Hackett was 8 to 1, 9 to 1 on to win the fight. Jalil Hackett f**** himself at the weight. You saw it. Everyone saw it at the hotel, and that is a lack of professionalism that is going to cost you victory. He also busted his hand in the fight. He lost a very close decision.

Hearn has got to show some tough love by putting his fighters in sink-or-swim situations, and if they can’t handle it, cut them loose. He’s got to keep Matchroom lean and mean with just talented fighters. If they can’t meet the standards, they’ve got to go.

“I said to him tonight, ‘You either got to get it right professionally, or you’ve got to move up in weight.’ This is a brutal sport. I’m not going to spoon-feed you until world championship level. I need to find out how good you are if I’m going to stick all my money and take you all the way to the top.

“I got a couple of DMs. ‘Oh, Eddie Hearn got a prospect beat.’ F*** off. If you can’t beat those guys, you’re not the fighter I thought you were, and if you lose tonight, it’s not the end of the road for you. You’ve got to rebuild and come back better if you don’t want to watch competitive fights. If you don’t want to see prospects tested just a little bit when they’re 8 to 1 on, f*** off, and don’t watch my shows because I’m going to give you real fights, and I’m going to give you entertainment.

“Guess what? Sometimes, when people aren’t good enough and they underperform, they’re going to lose. Not every prospect is going to go on to be a world champion, but if you spoon-feed them and never put them in anything competitive, one it’s a s*** product. Two, it’s going to be a con for the fans, and three, you’re not doing the right thing for the fighter.

“When they get to the top, they’re not going to be good enough. Eddie Hearn found out tonight that they ain’t good enough. You want me to keep it real with you? Marc Castro, you were not good enough tonight. If you perform like that, you are not going to be a world champion or real that level.

“Jalil Hackett, if you don’t make weight professionally, you are not going to be at guys like that who you should be strolling through. Facts. Grow a set, and quit mincing around the subject and be real with people. Sports, you get beat if you’re not good enough.

“You don’t just make matchups that are s*** that you can’t lose. It’s s*** for the sport. It’s s*** for the prospect,” said Hearn.

This won’t be the last time that Hackett gets beaten if Hearn is going to match him against fighters with a bit of talent. He’s not good enough. Even when Hackett was fighting sub-level fodder, he was taking a lot of shots, and I was like, ‘This guy is heading for defeat once Hearn takes him out of his protection program.’ Sure enough, it happened, and Eddie is going nuts about it.