Eddie Hearn: No Passion, No Point

Endurance runner Russ Cook, tells Eddie Hearn about his epic adventure running the entire length of Africa, through 16 countries in 352 days. He raised over a million pounds for charity on his 16,000km challenge.

It was the realisation that he needed to sort himself out and a spur-of-the-moment decision to run home after a night out clubbing that sparked this passion that has taken him around the world.

He tells Eddie about the setting off with a fraction of the money he needed to complete the mission but he believed that if he shared his story financial backing would come. They discuss the power of sport to change lives for the better and what the future adventures might look like.

Produced by Jane Thurlow

Rapper and actor Bugzy Malone talks to Eddie about his tough childhood in Manchester and his journey to stardom.

Stabbed when he was just 11 years old, he got involved in crime as a young teenager. After a short stint in prison he determined to improve his life and turned to boxing where he learned to use discipline and hard work to achieve his dreams in music.

Bugzy tells Eddie about his new album, The Great British Dream, the rumours about him fighting Floyd Mayweather, acting alongside Jason Statham and his growing business involvement in fashion and fragrance.

If you’ve been affected by the topics discussed, you can find more information and support on the BBC Action Line website: http://bbc.co.uk/actionline

Magician and illusionist, Steven Frayne, formerly known as Dynamo, talks to Eddie Hearn about his tough childhood in Bradford, his rise to stardom and how being open about his mental health struggles has led to him creating magic out of joy for the first time.

Dynamo is one of the world's most celebrated magicians. His tricks have seen him walk on water and stroll down the side of a huge building and his TV series Magician Impossible was watched by millions of people around the globe.

But it hasn't been an easy path to success. It was being badly bullied at school that led to him learning magic in the first place. He’s also has Crohn's disease, a debilitating inflammatory bowel disease, since he was a teenager. He used these challenges to build a stunning career but has hidden behind the persona he created. In recent years he’s opened up about his mental health struggles and attempted suicide but says he’s now happier than ever and looking forward to creating new magic.

If you’ve been affected by the topics discussed, you can find more information and support on the BBC Action Line website: http://bbc.co.uk/actionline

Rugby league legend Kevin Sinfield talks to Eddie Hearn about being a father, coach and charity ambassador. They discuss how raising money and awareness for Motor Neurone Disease has been the most fulfilling work he’s ever done and how it’s changed him as a person.

He learned early in his career that he relied on the team to do well and the way to get the best out of those around him was to try and support them. He played rugby league for England and Great Britain and captained Leeds Rhinos to seven Super League championships and two Challenge Cup wins.

Kevin has taken the sense of camaraderie from team sport in to retirement taking on astonishing challenges to support one of his best friends and fellow Leeds player Rob Burrow who has MND. Whether it’s running seven marathons in seven days from Glasgow to Manchester, or seven marathons in seven days in seven cities he’s raised millions of pounds along the way.

“The best thing when I look back is not the money, it's not the trophies, it's the friendships and the memories I've got. And I do know that if I fell on some difficult times there'd be some people I played alongside for a number of years... would be there for me and I don't think you can put a price on that.”

Eddie Hearn talks to one of the best darts players of all time, Michael van Gerwen. “Mighty Mike” is a three-time PDC World Champion, and in May 2023 made Premier League darts history with his seventh title, beating Phil Taylor’s record of six.

At just 17 years old he won the 2006 World Masters and threw a nine-dart finish in the 2007 Masters of Darts – the youngest player to do both. In 2014, at the age of 24, van Gerwen became the youngest winner of the PDC World Championship, a record he still holds, as well as being one of only five players to win it more than once.

He tells Eddie that other players might be better at one thing or another – but he believes he’s the only player with both great technical ability and strong mental attitude.

Eddie Hearn talks to Charley Hull, a golfing superstar who's been obsessed with the game of golf since she was a toddler and always believed she’d be a professional player.

When she turned professional in 2013, Hull achieved five consecutive second-place finishes on the Ladies European circuit winning Rookie of the Year, and became the youngest competitor to participate in the Solheim Cup aged 17 years. Her career so far has included two victories on the LPGA Tour and three on the Ladies European Tour.

After a diagnosis for ADHD and anxiety in 2023 she came second in two majors and tells Eddie how that’s helped her understand herself better and come up with strategies to cope.

Eddie Hearn talks to Ella Toone, Manchester United attacking midfielder and one of the Euro winning Lionesses.

Irrepressibly cheerful, she tells Eddie about getting papped eating a pastie, connecting with fans on social media and inspiring the next generation of football stars.

"I think the paparazzi and all that stuff is part and parcel of the game now. We want that to grow, so that's going to come with it. So, yeah, you've got to get used to it. But I definitely now brush my hair when I leave the house, just in case of an emergency.”

Eddie Hearn talks to British sprint record holder at 100m and 200m, Zharnel Hughes. In 2023 he became the first British man to win a world 100m medal in 20 years when he claimed a bronze at the World Championships in Budapest.

He’s also a double Commonwealth Games gold medallist and European champion as part of the 4 x 100m relay team. He was on the Great Britain team that won silver in the 4 × 100m relay at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (in 2021) though the team was stripped of their second place after the Court of Arbitration for Sport found CJ Ujah guilty of a doping violation.

Born and raised Anguilla, which is a British Overseas Territory, Zharnel lives in Jamaica and trains with Glen Mills – Usain Bolt’s coach. He tells Eddie about some of the posturing antics that go on ahead of a race, how he holds on to his innate sense of calm, and his passion for flying planes.

Eddie Hearn talks to cricket legend Stuart Broad. He shares his journey as a professional athlete, his mental strategies in cricket, lessons on success, and his parents' influence.

His mother was determined to keep the game fun for him at all times irrespective of results, making him very much at home in a team led by Brendan McCullum that put an entertaining playing style and positive attitude ahead of winning.

Broad says he scoffed when his father, Chris, told him Test match cricket was 80 percent mental – but now believes that was an underestimate. And he tells Eddie how writing down his feelings and concerns about the day ahead helps him take action to keep focused; about the importance of staying in the moment, and about setting new goals for himself now he’s retired.

World-renowned sports promoter Eddie Hearn talks to the great and the good of sport, entertainment and business about what makes them tick, how they deal with success and what gets them up in the morning.

For the final episode of this series, Eddie is on holiday in Antigua but couldn’t miss out on the chance to speak to Leicester City star James Maddison via video chat. They talk about the importance of family, the challenges of living in the moment and James’ hopes to be selected for the England squad.

Producers:Gwyn Rhys Davies and Georgia Keating

BBC Studios Production for BBC Radio 5 Live