Barry Hearn hails snooker star with ‘the personality of a glass of water’ as the catalyst behind his £1billion empire
SNOOKER promoter Barry Hearn has worked with the very best – but lauds one player as his golden ticket.
The 76-year-old credits Steve Davis with forming the foundations of his Matchroom empire in the 1980s.
Hearn discovered The Nugget in 1975 at the Lucania snooker hall he ran in Romford.
The promoter told his podcast The Barry Hearn Show that Davis took three buses to attend an amateur tournament.
Hearn said: “I put up the princely sum of £1000 in prize money.
“In those days that was unheard of. All the top players in the country started playing in Lucania halls so they qualified.
“One of those people who just turned up off the street was this little ginger kid.
“He had his backside hanging out of his trousers. About as much personality as you’d find in a glass of water.
“I told him he had to play twice a week – and he did. That’s how we got to be friends.”
Hearn added that Davis was “everything he needed” as he looked to get a foothold in the promoting game.
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And he quickly discovered that the quietly spoken kid from Plumstead was his ticket to the big time.
Hearn continued: “How much luck can you get in life?
“When possibly the greatest player of all time – certainly the greatest of his era – just turns up on your doorstep?”
The promoter backed his new prodigy both in terms of his time and cold hard cash.
Hearn continued: “In those days, I loved to gamble.
“And suddenly I had this player that no one knew. That I could take all round the country.
“I would get the start for Steve because nobody had heard of him. And he dismantled people everywhere. And I was lumping on.
“He was The Nugget. That piece of gold that you only find once in your life.”
Davis would turn professional in 1978, going on to dominate professional snooker during the 1980s.
He won six world championships, as well as a total of 15 Triple Crown titles.
Davis was the face of snooker for Hearn, who launched Matchroom in 1982.
He grew his promoting empire to include boxing, darts, and golf, among others.
The Matchroom founder has since amassed a personal fortune estimated to be £158 million in 2024.
And he revealed to Piers Morgan Uncensored earlier this year: “The business is worth over a billion.”