BARRY HEARN revealed he gave Luke Littler “the best advice ever” days before the start of the World Darts Championship.
Littler, 17, is one of the favourites for this year’s tournament at Ally Pally.
The teen sensation burst on to the scene at the last Worlds, reaching the final on his debut before losing to Luke Humphries.
Littler has since gone from strength to strength with numerous darts successes, including victory in the Premier League, taking his earnings past the £1million mark.
And he is now hoping to add a World Championship to his collection despite competition from big names like Michael van Gerwen and Nathan Aspinall.
Littler knows the pressure is on with darts fans up and down the country set to tune in for his first match on Saturday.
He will take on the winner of Ryan Meikle vs Fallon Sherrock in the evening session.
And darts guru Hearn has now delivered some advice to Littler in a bid to help the youngster realise his dream.
The Matchroom chief revealed he had a private chat with the ace before delivering some expert advice sure to aid his cause.
Hearn told the Express: “I talked to Littler a couple of days ago and said something to him.
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“I said, ‘Listen, you’re going to find you’ve got a lot of friends now, son. You’re 17 years old – don’t listen to anybody. Give yourself a chance, just put the money in the bank and forget about it’.
“I said, ‘It’s the best advice I could ever give anyone. We’ve got plenty of time to spend money, not necessarily plenty of time to earn money’.
“You don’t know what’s around the corner. So cash is king.”
Hearn’s advice came after he revealed his future vision for the World Darts Championship.
He exclusively told SunSport:
- The event will increase next year from 96 to 128 players.
- Sky Sports’ TV deal is up for renewal and he could switch to a platform like Discovery+ or DAZN.
- Other London venues are an option.
- The winner’s prize will soon go up from £500,000 to £1million.