Ariel Helwani enlightens Eddie Hearn on improving "dreadful" boxing press conferences: "Have some energy"
Ariel Helwani has been known to voice his opinion, which has often led to backlash from fans, fighters, and even executives. The mixed martial arts journo recently revealed that he is not a fan of boxing press conferences in a conversation with Eddie Hearn, providing the Matchroom Sport chairman with his thoughts on how they can be improved.
Speaking to his guest on his popular podcast, The MMA Hour, Helwani stated:
"I feel comfortable being able to say this stuff to you. The press conferences are dreadful. They're absolutely dreadful. The boxing community needs to update these. And so, just because this is the way things are being done... Oh, they're absoluetly dreadful. The long talking at the beginning, going down the line, the fact that [Anthony Joshua] is the last person to speak. He's the star of the show. He's the A-side."
He continued:
"He should be the first person to speak. I don't want to hear from Spencer [Brown] and from the coaches and from all these people before we get to the main guys. Get right into it. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. Let the media ask questions. That's how you get the good stuff going. Have some energy, have some fans there. It needs to be updated and I'm saying this out of a place of love. I love this stuff."
Check out Ariel Helwani's comments on boxing press conferences below:
Hearn agreed that the sport needs changes, claiming that he had a similar discussion with someone earlier. The press conference lasted nearly two hours, however, Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubios did not speak until more than an hour had gone by.
Ariel Helwani asked about his relationship with Hunter Campbell
Ariel Helwani has not seen eye-to-eye with Dana White for several years, with the pair often taking shots at one another in the past. The MMA Hour host was asked about his relationship with Hunter Campbell and if his ties with the UFC would improve if the Chief Business Officer took over, responding:
"I've never met Hunter Campbell. I've had a conversation via text with him once when he got hired. He reached out to me after I reported him getting hired by the UFC, but that's the only time we've ever talked. I've heard that he doesn't think badly of me. That he doesn't talk s**t about me or anything like that. In the past when I was at ESPN and in Vegas I did reach out to try to meet but I didn't hear anything back."
Check out Ariel Helwani's comments on his relationship with Hunter Campbell below:
Helwani continued to praise Campbell for his work with the UFC but reiterated that the two do not have a relationship of any kind. He noted that he had no idea how White leaving the promotion would affect his relationship with the biggest company in mixed martial arts.