By Keith Idec

NEW YORK – Boxers seeking a promoter and HBO exposure have been calling Eddie Hearn non-stop since the British promoter announced September 23 that he has signed former middleweight champion Daniel Jacobs.

Like Jacobs, many of those fighters want to be more active and want to reach the broadest audience possible. Hearn wants to sign more fighters for his company’s American division, Matchroom Boxing USA, but he has been careful not to add too much, too soon as he attempts to establish his fledgling business in the U.S. market.

“Already, since the announcement with Daniel Jacobs,” Hearn told BoxingScene.com, “the phone’s been going mad with other fighters. ‘I’m not active enough. No one’s promoting me. Can I work with you?’ It doesn’t really – it’s not that easy. So the move really is to take your time, get into the market, look at other talent as well that we can develop with, and it all starts with Daniel Jacobs.”

Hearn didn’t mention the fighters who’ve called him during an interview conducted before a press conference Tuesday in Manhattan to promote Jacobs’ first fight under his promotional banner.

Hearn reportedly has expressed interest in signing Errol Spence Jr. to a promotional contract, but he hasn’t addressed that publicly, either. The unbeaten IBF welterweight champion knocked out one of Hearn’s franchise fighters, Kell Brook, in his last bout and is widely viewed as one of the best boxers in the world.

The 27-year-old Spence, like Jacobs, works with influential adviser Al Haymon, but has worked without a promotional contract in recent years. Spence (22-0, 19 KOs) hasn’t fought since knocking out Brook in the 11th round May 27 in Sheffield, England, Brook’s hometown, and doesn’t have a fight scheduled.

For now, Hearn is looking forward to Matchroom Boxing USA’s first show on American soil.

That card, scheduled for November 11 in Uniondale, New York, will feature Jacobs (32-2, 29 KOs) in the main event against Milwaukee’s Luis Arias (18-0, 9 KOs). HBO will televise Jacobs-Arias and a 10-round heavyweight bout between Brooklyn’s Jarrell Miller (19-0-1, 17 KOs) and Poland’s Mariusz Wach (33-2, 17 KOs) from Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

“It won’t be built overnight,” Hearn said. “We’ve got to understand the audience. I’m not arrogant enough to walk in and say, ‘Watch this. Watch this. On November the 11th, it’s gonna blow the whole place out. We’re gonna do 14,000 [fans].’ It’s not gonna work like that. But what you will see is a difference. You’ll see a new energy, you’ll see better fights, in my opinion, you’ll see a different kind of audience, you’ll see them getting interested through digital programming, through social media platforms as well.

“You don’t promote fighters during a seven- or eight-week camp. You promote fighters 365 days a year. … There’s very little promotion going on for some great fighters right now. There’s no plan. There’s no activity. It’s not difficult. I’m not saying I’m a rocket scientist. But you look at Daniel Jacobs – it’s so easy for me to promote Daniel Jacobs. You know, put him in front of a camera, tell his story. It’s very straightforward and that’s what we plan to do with him.”

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.