Eddie Hearn teases Luke Littler with Emma Raducanu warning after huge prize money windfall

Professional Darts Corporation chief Eddie Hearn has warned Luke Littler about his rise to stardom with his net worth ballooning as a result.

Littler has shot to fame in rapid fashion this year after reaching the PDC World Championship final in January.

And the 17-year-old has only gone from strength to strength, going on to win the Bahrain Masters in his first-ever World Series Event and also claiming victory on the second day of the Premier League, that he was invited into.

Along the way, the youngster has beaten some of the biggest players in the world including Michael van Gerwen, Gerwyn Price and current world champion Luke Humphries, who he has defeated twice since losing to him in the Worlds final.

But such a meteoric rise is not without its pitfalls and Littler must now navigate a new world of fame and fortune at a tender age.

And Hearn, the chairman of the PDC, has issued a warning to the darting sensation, alluding to Emma Raducanu’s rise and fall.

“He’s a special player,” Hearn told the Love The Darts podcast. “Because there are players in the past, I remember years ago to Kirk Shepherd.

“He raced onto the scene in the worlds and you think: ‘Wow he’s this young kid and a massive new addition to the PDC’.

“And he went on from there but never to the heights that Littler did. There is that worry that it’s just too much too soon.

“I know it’s a completely different sport, but you look at the likes of like an Emma Raducanu…

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“Same kind of age. Go out and win the US Open. Are you ready for that? Was it a one-off? Was it a good draw? How are you going to respond to that?

“What Luke has done it’s been incredible. He is at the opening of an envelope. He’s at Misfits boxing, he’s at Manchester United but he is just embracing it and that’s part of the battle, to make sure that you can deal with the change that’s come into your life, not just financially, but the pressure of being a celeb.

“When you look at the positioning of major stars in UK sport right now, he is right up there.”

Littler has certainly seen his bank balance swell, bagging £200,000 at the PDC World Championship alone after reaching the final, as well as £275,000 after winning the second day of the Premier League last week.

And ‘The Nuke’ has also earned himself a modelling contract with BooHooMAN, which appears on his purple shirt while playing with tops selling for £49.95.

“I wasn’t (behind the BoohooMAN deal) but listen, good luck to him,” Hearn added. “He’s making a lot of money on and off the oche.

“It’s the first time really that a darts player has signed major sponsorship deals with major brands. Outside of your PDC partners, outside of your manufacturers and darts companies.”