{"id":543704,"date":"2026-04-21T23:46:33","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T23:46:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/543704\/"},"modified":"2026-04-21T23:46:33","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T23:46:33","slug":"how-he-rebuilt-his-body-at-46-while-working-around-the-clock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/543704\/","title":{"rendered":"How He Rebuilt His Body at 46\u00a0\u2013 While Working Around the Clock"},"content":{"rendered":"

When a picture of Rio Ferdinand<\/a> on the cover of Men\u2019s Health flashed up on Eddie Hearn<\/a>\u2019s phone, the boxing promoter\u2019s heart sank. Ferdinand looked sleek, muscular and in the shape of his life. <\/p>\n

\u2018Fucking hell, man,\u2019 the 46-year-old texted Ferdinand. \u2018I\u2019ve got to follow you!\u2019 <\/p>\n

Hearn smiles at the memory. \u2018But at the same time, I think, \u201cI\u2019m not an athlete.\u201d I look at Rio, who\u2019s in much better shape than me \u2013 not, like, a million times \u2013 and I think, \u201cYeah, but he spent his whole life training, playing football for Manchester United, doing all this strength and conditioning,\u201d\u2019 Hearn adds. \u2018I\u2019m just on the blag, at press conferences, eating out every night. That\u2019s why I say it\u2019s one of my biggest achievements, being able to get in decent shape. I\u2019m not an athlete, I\u2019m not a sportsman. I\u2019m just a businessman and an entrepreneur who\u2019s got a lot on his plate. I\u2019ve never been able to crack it and I\u2019m not saying I\u2019ve cracked it. But I look alright. I feel pretty good.\u2019<\/p>\n

To say Hearn has a lot on his plate is something of an understatement. The subject of a smash Netflix documentary and CEO of Matchroom Sport, Hearn is one of the main drivers in the resurgence of British boxing. Heir to his father Barry\u2019s empire, he\u2019s a man on a mission. Arriving just after 9am for his Men\u2019s Health shoot, Hearn briefly steps out of his car only to tell the awaiting crew, \u2018I\u2019ll be three minutes \u2013 I\u2019m on an important call,\u2019 before disappearing back into his all-black Defender.<\/p>\n

\"eddie<\/p>\n

In the middle of the previous night, the phone had rung and it was boxing powerbrokers in Las Vegas. A couple of hours and several phone calls later, a deal had been struck. Four hours after that, Hearn was at Matchroom\u2019s HQ in Essex for the shoot, but that doesn\u2019t mean the work stopped. There\u2019s always something else; another deal to broker, fight to organise or goal to aim for. And Hearn approaches his fitness as he does his business.<\/p>\n

\u2018I always feel like there\u2019s more and I never quite feel satisfied with what we\u2019ve done,\u2019 Hearn says. \u2018But this is probably the proudest thing that I\u2019ve done for myself, even though I\u2019ve got a long way to go.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018I truly believe that if I hadn\u2019t turned it around, I would probably have had a heart attack by now\u2019<\/p>\n

As proof, Hearn shares a before photo of himself looking pale and a bit bloated. <\/p>\n

\u2018When I look at that picture, I actually think that\u2019s a dead man walking, and with my family history as well,\u2019 he says, referencing family members who passed away in their forties. \u2018I truly believe that if I hadn\u2019t turned it around, I would probably have had a heart attack<\/a> by now. Because it was just going one way\u2026 Stress<\/a>, alcohol<\/a>, lack of training. But I just feel like it\u2019s such a big \u2013 I don\u2019t know what word you want to use \u2013 flex, or whatever, to be in your late forties<\/a> or going into your fifties<\/a> in much better shape than you were in your teens or your twenties or your thirties<\/a>; looking better than you\u2019ve ever looked before.\u2019<\/p>\n

Hearn was overweight growing up and it\u2019s something he\u2019s been conscious of since he was in his mid-teens. Even now, at the shoot, he nervously fidgets and grabs the skin around his sides.<\/p>\n

\"mensDavid Venni<\/p>\n

Eddie on the MH cover back in January 2024<\/p>\n

When he thinks back to his first cover with Men\u2019s Health in 2024, he recalls, \u2018They said to me, \u201cWhat is it that\u2019s important to you?\u201d And I\u2019m like, \u201cI just want to wake up in the morning in my pants and look in the mirror and go, \u201cFucking hell, you\u2019re in good nick.\u201d And they\u2019re like, \u201cDo you think that\u2019s a bit of ego?\u201d \u201cNo, I\u2019m just being honest.\u201d That makes me feel good. If I put on a suit and I feel like I look good, automatically I\u2019m winning to start the day. I think most people, if they\u2019re honest, probably feel the same way.\u2019<\/p>\n

This time, the journey towards Eddie 2.0 went far beyond training, leaning into the holistic elements of performance and longevity such as recovery<\/a>, nutrition<\/a> and hydration<\/a>. It was not long before he realised he had been undereating for the gym, but then he\u2019d binge or go out for dinner and overcompensate. Consistency, he has found, has been key.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not easy to be consistent when you are taking more than 100 flights a year, staying in dozens of hotels, constantly having to go to meetings over lunch or dinner. Temptation lurks on every menu and, although there were no physical signs Hearn was deteriorating, there were warnings.<\/p>\n

\u2018Your cholesterol\u2019s<\/a> high, your blood sugar\u2019s high, your fatty liver\u2019s high from alcohol, your stress is through the roof, you\u2019re not sleeping<\/a>,\u2019 Hearn reels off his health concerns in quick order. \u2018What other problems do you need than all of that mixed in together, with the hereditary problems as well?\u2019<\/p>\n

\"eddie<\/p>\n

Hearn talking about stress makes for an interesting case study. He\u2019s charismatic and happily owns just about any room he walks into; his affable nature making him both disarming and engaging at the same time. But while he may not show outward signs of stress, he recognises it as a constant presence. Just being ringside puts his body through enough strain to register on his Whoop as if he\u2019s done a workout<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s undoubtedly the worst business in the world for that,\u2019 Hearn says of boxing.<\/p>\n

\u2018And it\u2019s never-ending. For 15 years I battled with [rival promoter] Frank Warren and it\u2019s now the propaganda of the YouTube culture, the cesspit of Twitter, all these other things you\u2019re battling against. Also, you\u2019re against someone who\u2019s trying to take you down or stop you in your tracks or turn people against you or lie about you. And then what do you do? You decide to go to America and crack it over there. So then you\u2019re bringing in [US promoters] Oscar De La Hoya, Leonard Ellerbe, Bob Arum, Lou DiBella. You\u2019ve got this whole new war front attacking you. Then you wake up and a couple of days ago, it\u2019s Dana White<\/a>. It\u2019s like, fucking hell!\u2019<\/p>\n

The Re-Education of Eddie<\/p>\n

Hearn\u2019s father, Barry, is nearly 78. He\u2019s suffered three heart attacks, including one around the age Eddie is now \u2013 a fact that\u2019s not lost on his son. The younger Hearn reckons the training his dad put in to run the 18 marathons he completed throughout his life is what\u2019s given him his longevity.<\/p>\n

Watching his dad pound the pavement so regularly inspired Hearn to follow in his footsteps. Running<\/a>, he found, came naturally to him; it was the weights he found challenging. But observing how his father is ageing makes him want to double down on strength training.<\/p>\n

\u2018Seeing him get older, I can see him deteriorating physically,\u2019 Hearn explains. \u2018He\u2019s still full of life, but everyone says you\u2019ve got to build muscle, it\u2019s going to help you go into those fifties, sixties and seventies in a much better way.\u2019<\/p>\n

Yet, Hearn\u2019s early attempts to build muscle<\/a> were \u2018soul destroying\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u2018You\u2019re in these gyms where people are lifting, but I\u2019m so weak. I was so weak,\u2019 Hearn sighs. \u2018And, again, this isn\u2019t something that is going to change after three weeks or three months. You have to actually stay with this process.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"eddie<\/p>\n

Does he enjoy lifting?<\/p>\n

\u2018That\u2019s a good question,\u2019 he smiles. \u2018I don\u2019t enjoy it like the running, but I really enjoy seeing my body change. I like the feeling of when I finish a good, strong weights workout and I feel better within myself. My arms<\/a> have doubled in size over the past couple of years and that\u2019s not hard because they were non-existent, but I\u2019m starting to see a decent change to my body.\u2019<\/p>\n

Among the changes, Hearn\u2019s learned to embrace a zone 2 run rather than constantly trying to better his 5K<\/a> and 10K<\/a> times. He loved the buzz of running hard, but he\u2019d crash later in the day. That type of pushing was a borderline addiction and he\u2019s found it hard to substitute in low-intensity cardio<\/a>. He finds it boring but understands its purpose for the greater good. Such runs also allow him to ease pressure on hips that need work, as well as the recurring calf and hamstring niggles.<\/p>\n

Train like Eddie: Hearn\u2019s PT, Kai Peacock, has created a plan exclusively for members of MH SQUAD. Existing members can access the training plan in full via the MH app.<\/p>\n

Sign up here<\/a><\/p>\n

\"magazine<\/a><\/p>\n

West Coast rap was his music of choice as a teenager and that\u2019s what he tunes into when he runs, listening to the likes of Ice-T, Ice Cube, Tupac, Warren G, Nate Dogg and Eazy-E. Nowadays, he has no downtime, so there are no pastimes. He doesn\u2019t have four hours for a round of golf beyond a couple of times a year and also struggles to concentrate for that long with so much else going on. But there is something he manages to do on the move.<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019ve got quite into the Bible and scriptures, so I like listening to audiobooks, such as the book of Matthew, the book of Romans,\u2019 he says. \u2018But not when I\u2019m running. It doesn\u2019t do anything for me at all.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"eddie<\/p>\n

To help keep him consistent, Hearn has a nutritionist, Lee Rickards, who works closely with his coach, Kai Peacock, and they combine to make sure the promoter has what he needs for fuel and training as Hearn makes his way through the matrix of time zones. They scope out hotel facilities and sometimes even phone ahead to discuss dietary options.<\/p>\n

Eating out still represents a challenge. At a recent dinner in New York, Hearn asked for a fillet steak, broccoli and asparagus. He even enquired how the steak would be prepared.<\/p>\n

\u2018And I just thought to myself, \u201cFuck me, this is a standard night out for me,\u201d\u2019 he grins. \u2018But you imagine the shit that you\u2019re eating [when you go] out. And don\u2019t get me wrong, it tastes unbelievable. But I was eating out three, four times a week because I\u2019m on the road and it\u2019s just what you do.\u2019<\/p>\n

He\u2019s started looking for health food shops, declines more dining invitations than he used to and has stopped drinking alcohol<\/a>. It was how it made him feel the next day, even only having a couple, that saw him call it a day. He says there are two further areas that require attention.<\/p>\n

Mobility<\/a> is one; a physio once told him he had the body of a 70-year-old. \u2018I was like, \u201cFuck me,\u201d\u2019 Hearn says, exasperated.<\/p>\n

Another significant issue is sleep. It hardly comes as a surprise that Hearn sleeps with his phones by his bedside. \u2018I\u2019ve got a lot better,\u2019 he says. \u2018But I\u2019ll lie there to go to sleep and if I\u2019m not asleep within 20 minutes, I\u2019m picking up my phone again<\/a>. It\u2019s a disaster. And if I wake up in the night and I go to the toilet and I come back to bed and I can\u2019t sleep, I pick up my phone again. Unfortunately, I run a business where I\u2019m dealing with Australia, East Coast, West Coast, UK, Saudi Arabia\u2026 Whatever time I pick up my phone, one o\u2019clock in the morning, four o\u2019clock in the morning, six o\u2019clock in the morning, there\u2019ll be people messaging non-stop.\u2019 <\/p>\n

\"eddie<\/p>\n

The non-stop nature of his work is best revealed in the Netflix documentary Matchroom: The Greatest Showmen, which follows Hearn, his dad and the inner workings of their empire. During one episode, he is ready to wind down after a full day when he\u2019s summoned to Claridge\u2019s by Saudi boxing financier Turki Alalshikh.<\/p>\n

\u2018That\u2019s life,\u2019 Hearn exclaims. \u2018I went to go to sleep last night at about half 12 and the Saudis are in Las Vegas. Ten minutes in, without being able to sleep, I just thought I\u2019d look at my phone. Four missed calls from Turki Alalshikh and Dr Rakan [AlHarthy], his right-hand man. Texts: \u201cPlease call us ASAP.\u201d\u2019<\/p>\n

Hearn knew a phone call would take 20 to 30 minutes, and would likely result in him having to take urgent action.<\/p>\n

\u2018If I don\u2019t [return the call] and say, \u201cFuck it, I\u2019ll speak to you in the morning,\u201d I will lay there and my mind will go, \u201cWhat do they want? It could be about AJ [Anthony Joshua<\/a>]. It could be about Conor Benn<\/a>, but I need to know.\u201d So I call him. Then it\u2019s quarter to two in the morning and I\u2019m fucking buzzing because there\u2019s a lot of money on the line and we\u2019ve just done a big deal.<\/p>\n

\u2018Laying there just pumped, it\u2019s a disaster,\u2019 he shrugs. \u2018Unless you just turn your phone off. That\u2019s what everyone says, \u201cJust turn your phone off, they\u2019ll still be there in the morning.\u201d It\u2019s like, \u201cYeah, but the fucking deal might not be.\u201d\u2019<\/p>\n

Gloves Come Off<\/p>\n

On the morning of our cover shoot, the news broke that Conor Benn \u2013 who\u2019d been with Hearn since his professional debut in 2016 \u2013 had left Hearn\u2019s Matchroom for Zuffa Boxing, the new player in boxing promotion fronted by none other than Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) head honcho Dana White. For Hearn, who had stood side by side with Benn for two years as the fighter fought to clear his name after failing two tests for performance-enhancing drugs, this must\u2019ve come as a shock. (Benn was eventually cleared by the National Anti-Doping Panel, after the panel declared it was \u2018not comfortably satisfied\u2019 that a doping offence had been proven.)<\/p>\n

\u2018I was disappointed there was no contact from Conor \u2013 who I speak to and text regularly. In all honesty, my first reaction was, \u201cYou dogs.\u201d\u2019 Hearn says he took loyalty for granted but now believes it did not exist in their relationship. \u2018I just expected, after everything I did for him, that he would show us some respect.\u2019 A short time later, Benn posted a statement thanking Hearn and Matchroom for \u2018everything\u2019 they had done for him.<\/p>\n

\"eddie<\/p>\n

But that story leads into a far bigger narrative. And while Hearn has crossed swords with all of boxing\u2019s big promoters, it\u2019s fair to say he\u2019s not faced a force like the TKO Group before, owners not just of Zuffa Boxing, but also World Wrestling Entertainment and UFC.<\/p>\n

White is heading up the Zuffa charge, putting him firmly in Hearn\u2019s crosshairs. \u2018Dana White is a serious rival,\u2019 he admits.<\/p>\n

\u2018He is a great promoter and TKO is a very powerful business, but he just doesn\u2019t have my magic when it comes to boxing. I love it and live and breathe it every single day and the passion I have is on another level. I\u2019m looking forward to the challenge.\u2019<\/p>\n

After all, Hearn is well accustomed to a challenge \u2013 he faces them every day, in person and online. Within the online boxing community rife with trolls, it doesn\u2019t take much for a man in his forties to be labelled as having a midlife crisis. Hearn\u2019s heard it all and he smiles at the sentiment.<\/p>\n

\u2018I think it\u2019s probably right,\u2019 he says, adding the caveat, \u2018I think it\u2019s a good thing, don\u2019t you? A midlife crisis for me is actually more of a wake-up call to what you are and where you are in your life and what\u2019s happening. I actually love it when people say, \u201cEddie Hearn\u2019s definitely having a midlife crisis. Look, he\u2019s wearing a tracksuit and he\u2019s going to the gym every day.\u201d Well, what\u2019s the alternative? I just get fat, bald and die? A midlife crisis doesn\u2019t mean to me my life\u2019s breaking down and I\u2019m losing the plot. I\u2019m actually going, \u201cFuck me. I\u2019m in my mid-forties. I need to get on this.\u201d\u2019<\/p>\n

In fact, Hearn says he doesn\u2019t see himself as a 46-year-old. His daughters, aged 16 and 13, regularly remind him of exactly how old he is, however, and even admonish him for his taste in clothing.<\/p>\n

\u2018Oh, Dad. Oh, ick. Ick,\u2019 they say.<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019m like, \u201cWhat?\u201d\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018Dad, you\u2019re nearly 50. You can\u2019t wear jeans.\u2019<\/p>\n

They are a reason, too, why the wake-up call to get his health in check speaks so loudly to him. For Hearn, health and fitness was \u2013 for years \u2013 dictated to him by the scales<\/a>. He still weighs himself daily, but more so to keep himself accountable. Health was about keeping his weight down and little else. Now it\u2019s about green recoveries, strength and trying to get a little more sleep.<\/p>\n

\"eddie<\/p>\n

He is aware of his limitations, though perhaps not yet fully aware of his potential.<\/p>\n

For example, a flat \u2018no\u2019 is his response to the idea of doing a pairs Hyrox<\/a>. But the truth is a little more nuanced. \u2018You could put me on a treadmill<\/a> and I could run a half marathon<\/a> now,\u2019 he smiles.<\/p>\n

\u2018Get me in a Hyrox\u2026 Those burpees<\/a> and those walking lunges<\/a>, that is my kryptonite. I\u2019d love to, but it\u2019s just getting into it, isn\u2019t it? It\u2019s just sort of doing one session and then getting on. Like we said earlier, the consistency.\u2019<\/p>\n

He has his own goals, though, and is on his own journey. And his is now about longevity, being there for his loved ones, setting a positive example and, yes, looking good in a pair of boxers.<\/p>\n

\u2018I feel like if you drum it into them enough, like when I was growing up\u2026 my dad was always drumming into me how important the company was and how important competing and winning was and at the time you\u2019re thinking, \u201cOh Dad, leave it out.\u201d But then actually, later in life, hopefully I want them to see me, what I\u2019m doing in the gym and the decisions I\u2019m making and actually for them to go, \u201cIt\u2019s just what you do.\u201d I think the phrase non negotiable is a really good phrase. For me, it\u2019s a non-negotiable.<\/p>\n

\u2018Don\u2019t get me wrong. I don\u2019t want to do every session, but I do every session.<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019m not going to break Olympic records, but I will do the work consistently and when we talk about life and heart attacks and stuff, I could drop dead tomorrow.<\/p>\n

But at the same time, I know that I\u2019m giving myself the best opportunity. And if I got ill, I know that I would have been in the best shape I could possibly be in for myself and my position to fight that. And I look at that quite a lot. And listen, some things are uncontrollable. I could have a massive heart attack and die and everyone would go, \u201cFucking hell, Eddie worked on himself and fitness didn\u2019t really help him out, did it?\u201d And I\u2019d think to myself, \u201cYeah, maybe it gave me another three, four or five years.\u201d Who knows? But there\u2019s no excuse. The one thing I\u2019ll never take for granted now is my health.\u2019<\/p>\n

What is for certain is that this does not mean Hearn is about to slow down. Within a few days of speaking with Men\u2019s Health, Hearn had hosted sell-out crowds in Nottingham and 5,000 miles away in Phoenix, Arizona \u2013 10,000 fans at each with a stop in Los Angeles along the way \u2013 and announced a further five years with the streaming platform Dazn. Oh, and he started up the Matchroom Talent Agency management group, announcing his first signing \u2013 a get-back at White \u2013 with UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall<\/a> putting pen to paper. In other words, settle in. Because this fight is only just getting started.<\/p>\n

Photography: Hamish Brown
Grooming: Nat Schmitt using Drunk Elephant
Styling: Abena Ofei at Wizzo & Co <\/p>\n

This interview features in the May 2026 issue of Men’s Health \u2013 out now. Subscribe to MH by hitting this link<\/a>. \"mens<\/a>