David Adeleye Set to Give Matchroom a Domestic Heavyweight Option

David Adeleye is expected to join Matchroom Boxing after leaving Queensberry Promotions, giving Eddie Hearn another established British heavyweight for domestic events. The 29-year-old Londoner has a 14-2 professional record, including 13 victories inside the distance.

Adeleye has been with Queensberry since making his professional debut in December 2019. His move to Matchroom is expected to be announced as the latest addition to Hearn’s heavyweight roster, although his immediate value is likely to be at British level rather than in the world-title picture.

The fighter’s two defeats have come against Fabio Wardley and Filip Hrgovic. His stoppage loss to Wardley exposed problems that were also visible in his unanimous decision defeat by Hrgovic, where the judges scored the bout 99-90, 99-90 and 98-91 in the Croatian’s favour.

Adeleye did produce a strong response against Hrgovic after being dropped in the eighth round. He returned fire and briefly hurt his opponent, but Hrgovic regained control. Adeleye’s output faded as the fight went on, while his movement became less effective and his attacks increasingly depended on single power shots.

His best domestic results include a first-round stoppage of Solomon Dacres and a sixth-round finish against Jeamie Tshikeva. Those victories underline the danger he presents to British heavyweights who give him openings, with his explosive right hand and counter hooks providing his main weapons.

Adeleye has been inactive for more than a year, making a carefully chosen return opponent a likely first step before a domestic challenge. Matchroom can use him in British-title contests or as a test for younger heavyweights, while assessing whether he can support cards as a headliner.

The signing would strengthen Matchroom’s British heavyweight depth, but Adeleye’s record and recent performances point to a useful domestic option rather than a proven future world-title challenger.