Barry Hearn cherishes his introduction to snooker hero Steve Davis that sent him on the path to becoming one of Britain's finest sports promoters.
Hearn is the founder and President of Matchroom Sport and was first acclaimed for his trailblazing relationship with the six-time world champion Davis.
The 74-year-old has had huge success in boxing, has rapidly raised the profile of darts, while also bringing attention to pool, tenpin bowling, table tennis and fishing in an esteemed career.
But snooker was Hearn's first love and his chance meeting with Davis at one of his clubs in Essex proved to be a sliding doors moment for the duo and the sport. Hearn recalls spotting Davis' talent at the Romford venue of his new chain of Lucania Snooker Clubs.
"If Steve Davis hadn't have walked into the Romford Lucania in Essex in 1975.... where I was sitting in the office downstairs and the phone went," Hearn told the Framed Podcast .
"It was Les Coates - who was the manager of the Romford Lucania - who said there's a kid up here who you should come and have a look at. He looks a bit special.
"I had nothing else to do, I went up there and the rest is history. Without Davis and without snooker, trust me when I tell you I wouldn't get on your checklist, you wouldn't be talking to me today because I probably wouldn't exist."
Hearn struck a partnership as Davis' manager and was integral in transforming an extremely shy but dedicated youngster into a legend of the green baize. Davis won the first of his six world titles at the iconic Crucible Theatre six years after his first meeting with Hearn and went on to dominate snooker in the 1980's.
And Hearn reflects fondly on an 'incredible adventure' of 'two council boys who came from nothing' as the pair played an huge role in changing the landscape of snooker.
But Hearn, who worked as a chartered accountant before meeting Davis, admits there was no secret in identifying the 'Golden Nugget' as a future icon of the sport.
"I'd love to tell you I saw the future greatest player in the world but I didn't really," he said. "I didn't know enough about the intricacies of snooker to make a judgement on that.
"But what I did see was the intensity of him. He had a steeliness. There was obviously zero personality in those days, he was just dedicated to hitting a white ball straight.
"He had a commitment in his face that looked like you could explode an atom bomb behind him and he wouldn't flinch! I thought that intensity first captured me and I subsequently found out he could play as well.
"The greatest compliment of our relationship is that, 50 years later, we're still best mates, although we're two completely different people."
