Matchroom: The Greatest Showmen

It starts off a bit shaky, to say the least. It's clear that Netflix producers were chasing a certain angle in the pilot episode and that it was filmed separately, detached from the rest of the five episodes that make up season one of the recently released documentary series Matchroom: The Greatest Showmen. The reason for this is an endless nagging about how retired 77-year-old Barry Hearn wants to see what his son Eddie is capable of before handing over responsibility to him, responsibility for one of the world's largest sports promotion companies: Matchroom Promotions.

All of us who have followed boxing as a sport, especially over the last four years, know very well that Barry has handed over the day-to-day to his son, who in recent years has gone from strength-to-strength, made history with live boxing via Dazn, organised some of the greatest fights of all-time, and built on his father's already impressive empire. Eddie Hearn is a brilliant promoter. He is undoubtedly the best in boxing right now, and is incredibly fresher, quicker, and more interesting than old fogies like Bob Arum and Frank Warren.

However, it picks up after a rather slow start. We get to go behind the scenes as Hearn & Co organise the World Darts Championship and the World Snooker Championship, mourn AJ's narrow defeat to Dubois, and prepare to let Saudi Arabia buy the company for over a billion pounds.

Matchroom: The Greatest Showmen is a small-scale production, in the right way. The portrait of both Barry Hearn and Eddi is intimate and heartfelt but not schmaltzy, and their relationship is portrayed as problem-free, warm but business-like, in a way. We get to meet the people behind Eddie, who handle much of the day-to-day running of the business, and we get to meet Conor Benn during the period when he was suspended for doping and trying to clear his name and regain his professional licence, before going into the final episode of that magically entertaining, massively hyped, incredibly anticipated fight against Chris Eubank Jr.

It's easy to like Eddie Hearn. I usually (as a warm-up for upcoming fights) listen to his interviews, check out the press conferences, and everything in between, and regardless of what you think of a promoter who gets involved as much as he does, this old man offers straight talk, fresh perspectives, and great humour, consistently and on a regular basis. Matchroom: The Greatest Showmen is only six episodes long and ends just when it's getting interesting, but for us boxing fans, it's an extremely enjoyable insight into a fascinating business.