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"People that know us know we don't like to come second. We like to win and we're not small."
As Barry Hearn sits in the clubhouse at his local club, non-league Brentwood Town FC, his passion and desperation for success quickly becomes apparent.
Hearn, the founder and president of Matchroom Sport and father of boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, may have taken a step back from the day-to-day operations since he resigned as chair of the company in 2021, but his schedule remains full.
He still has a vested interest in pool -- in which he still competes -- darts, fishing and of course, boxing. Just like everyone else, he's desperate to see Anthony Joshua finally face Tyson Fury later this year.
But with a new football season around the corner, Matchroom's renewed investment and five-year plan for Brentwood, he isn't slowing down any time soon.
The goal? A place in the English Football League.
It's going to be a tough ask for a club three steps below that. The non-league ranks are notoriously tough, but Hearn has never been known to lack ambition and he isn't short of the financial clout -- with Matchroom valued at over £1 billion -- needed to achieve the goal.
He's ready to add significant investment and boost the profile of the club in order to help them rise up the football pyramid.
"It's going to be tough, but it gives us a goal and I find that sort of thing great fun," Hearn tells ESPN. "I'm 78. I don't know how many years I've got here, but what I do know is I won't waste an hour.
"You can be the best in the world, but unless you win your matches, it doesn't matter. You can have all the money in the world as lots of people have found out and it won't last very long.
"I'm looking at putting some influence into Brentwood Town to get the philosophy: There's no point in having short term cash coming in because that doesn't last very long. Football is this huge black hole that you can't fill up."
Wrexham's fairytale, with investment from Rob Mac and Ryan Reynolds, has captured the attention of football (and non-football fans) around the world. While Brentwood aren't on the level of the Hollywood-backed Welsh outfit, they have the same desire to win.
The obstacles aren't just on the pitch. Negotiations are underway to purchase the land that the stadium sits on from Brentwood Council. Again, Hearn's mindset is simple and driven by a desire to get things done. The club need to increase their capacity by 1,000 to fit with regulations in the higher leagues.
"We need our own ground, that's part of our long term plan," Hearn explains. "They [Brentwood Council] will say: 'We don't want to sell it.'
"I will say: 'You've got to sell it because otherwise you're showing no ambition. So let's get it done.'"
The increased investment is a renewal of a partnership that's already established between Matchroom and the club.
Chair Jez Dickinson says having Matchroom on board is a "silver bullet" for the club.
"He's a winner, but he's also realistic. We can't do everything in year one ... You've got to build the bricks as you go and it's tough," he tells ESPN.
"I'm really impatient, so I want success straight away. But sometimes football doesn't work like that either."
On the day ESPN visit the club, there are several groups of kids attending a football summer camp. The club's decision to convert to a synthetic pitch means the facilities can be used all year round and has become a focal pint for the community.
"We have local schools that play here, we have lots of clubs that rent the pitch. Again, I'm impatient, but it takes time for that word to get around," Dickinson explains.
"So it's getting that awareness, which is why this sort of partnership and investment and relationship is second-to-none."
