Boxing is a sport which produces tough, determined people, some inside and some outside the ring. Barry Hearn is one of the latter breed. A chartered accountant by profession, he identified sport as a way to make his fortune.
After brief flirtations with the fashion industry and property, he became chairman of a snooker club chain, Lucania, in 1974 and soon recognised the talents of a young man called Steve Davis. After selling off Lucania for £3.1 million in 1982, Hearn built up another lucrative snooker business before getting involved in boxing by staging the Joe Bugner-Frank Bruno bout in the White Hart Lane stadium in front of 30,000 customers.
His boxing interests expanding dramatically as a result and, eventually, he handled the affairs of Chris Eubank, Nigel Benn, Steve Collins, Herbie Hide, Eamonn Loughran and Gary Delaney.
Married with three children, he has a keen interest in coarse fishing, and promotes the sport in conjunction with Sky television.
Two years ago Hearn took a controlling interest in Leyton Orient soccer club in London and has plans to develop the team to Premier Division status.
Viewed as a man who should not be crossed, his pleasant outgoing personality conceals a steely disdain for sentiment. His decision to pursue the case against Collins has much more to do with getting even than with getting rich.