Johnny Nelson hasn’t been afraid to ruffle the feathers of Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren over the past 12 months, and his latest comments are likely to have done just that once again.
Sky Sports pundit Nelson has previously found himself on the end of some flak from Hearn and Warren for various comments he’s made about their two premier heavyweight charges – Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.
The respective bosses of Matchroom and Queensberry were regularly at each other’s throats not so long ago, however now appear to be the best of friends and have worked together on numerous Saudi-backed shows at the behest of Turki Alalshikh.
Initially, fighters promoted by the pair were the only ones featuring on Alalshikh’s Riyadh Season bills, however the September 21st show at Wembley Stadium also consists of talent from Ben Shalom’s BOXXER and the Sauerland’s Wasserman.
Speaking to SecondsOut, Nelson claimed that Hearn and Warren would be displeased by Shalom’s inclusion, and also described them as “puppets.”
“The whole point of what’s happening out in Saudi, with Turki Alalshikh getting the promoters and banging their heads together, is it’s not just about Eddie [Hearn] and Frank [Warren].
“Eddie and Frank might be the front puppets, but they aren’t the ticket masters and they aren’t the ones pulling the strings.
“They can try as much as they want to stop anyone else getting through, but it’s not up to them.
“If Turki wants to make a massive difference in boxing, then it can’t be just down to two rival promoters.
“I’m quite sure that Eddie and Frank aren’t happy that Ben [Shalom] has got his foot in the door.”
Alalshikh has repeatedly stated his desire to work with all promotional outfits from across the globe, despite any desire Hearn and Warren may have had to keep the Saudi goldmine to themselves.
As well as stacked offerings in the Middle East and the blockbuster card in London in Autumn, the first American Riyadh Season show will take place on August 3rd in Los Angeles, headlined by Terence Crawford vs Israil Madrimov.
