‘What do you mean we can’t?’: Eddie Hearn on Times Square, Saudi billions and boxing’s new reality

Eddie Hearn, left, and Devin Haney look on during the kickoff press conference for Friday’s card in Times Square. Photograph: Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy/Getty Images

As workers tighten bolts on a steel ring platform beneath the glare of LED billboards in Times Square on a sun-splashed Thursday afternoon, Eddie Hearn is still wrapping his head around the reality of what he’s helped build.

“It actually is going to happen,” he says, sounding slightly astonished. “Up until about two weeks ago, I thought: this isn’t happening. And now we’re 24 hours away.”