Eddie Hearn has opened up about his decision to pass on signing Daniel Dubois before the young heavyweight turned professional. Dubois, who had been a promising talent in the Team GB setup and had sparred with notable fighters like Anthony Joshua and Joe Joyce, was initially offered a deal by Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions.

Hearn revealed to talkSPORT.com that he was aware of Dubois’ potential but decided against matching Warren’s offer due to the significant investment required. At the time, Hearn admitted that Dubois was relatively unknown to him, and he was hesitant to commit substantial resources.

“I never really had my eye on him, but I had Ambrose Mendy come to me and say, ‘There’s this kid at GB,'” Hearn said. “I spoke to the people at GB and they said he’s a really good young heavyweight. They phoned me and said, ‘This is the deal that’s on offer from Queensberry, will you match it?’ I said no because I’d hardly ever heard of him and it was a lot of money.”

Hearn’s decision to pass on Dubois now seems like a missed opportunity as Dubois has made significant strides in the heavyweight division under Warren’s guidance. After an impressive start to his career, Dubois faced setbacks, including defeats to Joe Joyce and Oleksandr Usyk. However, he has since bounced back strongly, securing victories over Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic, and capturing the IBF heavyweight world title.

Dubois is now set to face Anthony Joshua on September 21 at Wembley, presenting a significant challenge for Hearn’s star fighter. Hearn reflected on Dubois’ career trajectory, noting, “When he started out he looked really good and, I don’t kick myself, but I was like, ‘Oh, maybe he was worth the money.'”

Despite the setbacks, Dubois’ resilience and recent performances have shown that he is a serious contender. Hearn acknowledged this, stating, “Look at the defeats that he’s had and the way he’s bounced back, and now he’s in the form of his career. And still, what is he? 26? He’s really probably not even in his prime as a heavyweight yet.”

With Dubois poised to challenge Joshua, Hearn will be watching closely, perhaps wondering how different things might have been had he opted to sign the young heavyweight back in 2017.