The five-v-five concept in boxing between the top promoters in the world is fun.
Up to now, Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing hasn’t done well, but thankfully, it doesn’t appear he’s hesitant to push for another round. Golden Boy Promotion’s Oscar De La Hoya recently spoke with DAZN’s Chris Mannix, Claudia Trejos, and Sergio Mora about various topics, including a potential five-v-five between his promotion’s top fighters and Matchroom.
The clip below was posted on social media, and Hearn didn’t waste any time responding to the post with matchups that would produce the best boxing card of 2025.
Here is the post from Hearn, which suggests enormous fights between Jaron “Boots” Ennis vs. Ryan Garcia, Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda, Vergil Ortiz vs. Israil Madrimov, Gilberto Ramirez vs. Jai Opetaia and Jack Catterall vs. Jose Ramirez. Hearn called it “easy work.”
Every one of those fights is intriguing, but the obvious headliner is seemingly Ennis vs. Garcia.
If it happens, it could be the latter’s return bout after he was suspended a year for testing positive for banned substances following his win over Devin Haney in April. Garcia was a star before the ordeal with Haney, and like it or not, his profile has grown since the fiasco.
He’s still a talented 26-year-old fighter with a devastating left hook, and that combination could make him the perfect opponent for Ennis at this stage of his career. Ennis is on the hunt for a signature win that raises his profile in the sport, and a win over Garcia could do the trick.
For Garcia, defeating Ennis (assuming Boots takes care of business against Karen Chukhadzhian on Saturday as expected) would bring him the world title he’s yet to earn. It would also bring some legitimacy back to Garcia and flip him from notorious to recognized.
The Stevenson-Zepeda fight feels like the co-main event, which could be a significant springboard for the winner. I spoke to Hearn earlier this year, and he shared a plan for Stevenson to fight Gervonta Davis some time in 2025.
Winning over a respected and undefeated fighter like Zepeda would make that fight with Tank even more attractive to fans. Zepeda will be a significant underdog in the fight, but it does wonders for his career if he can shock the world.
The other fights have some contingencies, but all look good on paper. Madrimov has Serhii Bohachuk in the co-main event of Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury 2 in December. Madrimov will be favored, but Bohachuk could present him with a challenge because of his toughness. Ortiz hasn’t fought since he eeked out a decision win over Bohachuk in a war.
Zurdo Ramirez has a potentially tough battle against Chris Billiam-Smith at the same Golden Boy show in Riyadh on November 16, featuring Zepeda vs. Tevin Farmer and Jose Ramirez vs. Arnold Barboza Jr.
In other words, this concept has a long way to go before being official. Still, it is exciting to hear that both promoters are open to the idea.
Having seen it play out similarly between Matchroom and Queensberry and knowing that because the promotions share the same distribution partner in DAZN and have financial backing from Riyadh Season, it’s not crazy to think it can come to fruition in some fashion.