Barry Hearn says SIX darts wonderkids are set to rival Luke Littler and warns ‘he may not have it as easy as he thinks’
BARRY HEARN has warned Luke Littler that there are another SIX darts wonderkids ready to rival him for years to come.
Darts chief Hearn has tipped Littler to dominate the sport in the future but has cautioned the 17-year-old that it might not be as easy as he thinks.
Hearn, who is president of darts organiser Matchroom Sport, described Littler as his “Christmas present” after the teen’s meteoric rise pushed darts into a new stratosphere over the past year.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Hearn said: “He was my Christmas present last year. I am so difficult to buy for because I’m older, and I have got most of the things I want.
“And then someone gave me Luke Littler, and it is the ultimate Christmas present I could have had. Luke Humphries and him are going to just dominate these darts events.
“But be careful because there is half a dozen really top youngsters that are following in the footsteps of Luke Littler. So he may not have it quite as easy as he thinks.”
Littler burst onto the scene at last year’s World Championship when he made it to the final at just 16 years old.
And since then the Nuke has maintained an incredible level of form, winning 10 PDC titles and pocketing over £1MILLION in prize money in the process.
Now the darts sensation is preparing for a second try at the World Championship this December, all before turning 18 in the new year.
And even Hearn, who had been tracking Littler since he was seven years old, couldn’t have predicted what has happened since last year.
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Speaking to the BBC, he said: “We’ve been watching his progress since he was about seven.
“He was on our radar, but we never anticipated what would happen. The next thing we know, Littlermania is spreading everywhere.
“Luke Humphries is another fabulous player who is going to be around for years. Sport is a very brutal world. It is about winning and claiming the high ground. There will be envy around.
“Luke Littler is the next Tiger Woods for darts so they better get used to it, and the only way to compete is to get better.”
Littler will face the winner of Fallon Sherrock and Ryan Meikle in his first match of this year’s World Championship at Ally Pally.
Inside Littler's massive rise
LUKE LITTLER has taken the darts world by storm since exploding onto the scene at the PDC World Championship at the beginning of the year.
The Nuke reached the final on his Ally Pally debut at just 16 years of age – smashing records along the way.
He has then gone on to win a host of PDC events and the Premier League title – which he claimed at the O2 Arena by beating world champion Luke Humphries in May.
He also finished his first season in the World Series as the No1 ranked player.
He has joined Jude Bellingham on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list.
And the teenage titan even had to snub an invite from the WWE.
The Sun exclusively revealed that Littler is plotting to create a fitness empire.
He is also cashing in away from the Oche thanks to an Instagram side hustle.
And he’s even the face of a brand new cereal.
But he is newly single after splitting from girlfriend Eloise Milburn following a 10-month relationship.
Check out all of our latest Luke Littler stories.