LONDON - Eddie Hearn claims he once planned an all-female card to mark International Women’s Day - only to have the ‘gimmick’ rubbished by Katie Taylor.

Natasha Jonas and Lauren Price meet in a welterweight unification fight at the Royal Albert Hall atop an all-women’s card on Friday night, televised on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports+ across the United Kingdom.

It is the first time a women’s fight has ever been given top billing at the venue and the show takes place on the eve of International Women’s Day 2025.

The show’s promoter, Ben Shalom, offered an invite to Hearn, who has been an advocate of women’s boxing ever since he turned Olympic gold medalist Katie Taylor professional in 2016.

However Matchroom boss Hearn turned down the offer and even suggested he decided against a similar idea on the advice of Taylor herself.

"Shalom asked if I was coming but I’m not around," Hearn told The Ring.

"I think it’s a really good card. I think it’s great for women’s boxing but I’ve never been into doing all-female cards because it’s not about that. It’s not about women’s boxing and men’s boxing. They have to co-exist together.

"I remember I once said to Katie Taylor that I want to do an all-female fight card on International Women’s Day and she said ‘not for me thank you’. She thought it was a gimmick and she didn’t like it."

This response was even more curious just a day after it was announced Taylor will defend her undisputed junior-welterweight titles against Amanda Serrano on July 11 at Madison Square Garden - their trilogy fight headlining an all-women's card.

Hearn also defended himself after Caroline Dubois suggested that he simply 'doesn't care about women's boxing anymore'.

He added: "I don’t like to pat myself on the back but without me… I'm not saying it would be non-existent but I was the only one who took a chance on it. I built women’s boxing to the point of seeing these great fighters and athletes get huge paydays and opportunities. I'm not looking for a pat on the back.

"Am I interested any more? I think there’s a massive saturation of women’s boxing to a level where it’s not all as appealing as each other. We have to make sure that we put on fights that are appealing, commercially viable and people want to see.

"I think the top level of women’s boxing is thriving but the middle level of the sport is struggling a little bit. Then you’ve got the more cost-effective stuff, like in men’s boxing, of 10-round championship prospects, that’s fine.

"But I feel like some fighters have a commercial value, same as the men. It has not regard of male or female it's just that in boxing some people draw eyeballs, some people put bums on seats, some don't. Male or female that doesn't really matter."