Eddie Hearn Posts Photo With Tsarukyan, Adds Handshake Emoji

Eddie Hearn has posted a photo with UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan, and the caption was a single handshake emoji. Tsarukyan spent time in Spain sharing a meal with the boxing promoter, one of Dana White's most bitter rivals.

The picture went up on Hearn's Instagram that morning. It shows him with Tsarukyan and some team members. Hearn gave no other text, but the handshake emoji implied that some sort of business had been done.

Tsarukyan has been in Marbella for reasons that are not known. Hearn is in the city to meet Anthony Joshua ahead of Joshua's heavyweight super-fight with Tyson Fury.

Matchroom Talent and the feud with White

Hearn has been adding MMA fighters to Matchroom Talent, his management stable. Ex-heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall was the first to join, and welterweight contender Ian Machado Garry came shortly after. Light-heavyweight contender Paulo Costa is reportedly joining too. Hundreds of MMA fighters have reportedly shown interest in the stable.

Hearn and White have been at loggerheads since White officially moved into boxing with Zuffa Boxing. The feud escalated when Zuffa signed Conor Benn, one of Matchroom's biggest stars, with a mega-money offer. Hearn answered by launching Matchroom Talent with the Aspinall signing.

If the meeting turns into something tangible, Tsarukyan could be the biggest signature yet for Hearn's young venture. He has spent the last two years building a following through streaming and social media. He has also competed relentlessly in RAF Wrestling and grappling matches. Across social media he has now accumulated almost 10 million followers with that strategy.

Source: Bloody Elbow