Eddie Hearn has hit out at Tyson Fury after the world champion’s reaction to Anthony Joshua’s latest defeat.
The Matchroom head honcho was ringside on Saturday in Saudi Arabia as his charge was outpointed on a split decision by Oleksandr Usyk in the pair’s money-spinning rematch.
Joshua failed to win back the WBA Super, IBF, IBO and WBO world heavyweight titles at the Jeddah Superdome, while former undisputed cruiserweight champion Usyk added Fury’s old Ring Magazine belt to his silverware collection after picking up tallies of 115-113, 116-112 and 113-115 from the three scoring judges.
And Hearn, who praised former two-time unified world champion Joshua in the wake of his defeat, insisting that the game of boxing wouldn’t be where it is without the 32-year-old, laid into the WBC champion in the aftermath.
In a media huddle after the fight, Hearn said:
“This is a guy, Tyson Fury, who openly says that he has had all these mental health problems, struggles and stuff like that.
“You see a guy up there [Joshua], crying, as big and strong as ‘AJ’ who for years has put on a brave face and, as he said, you just saw chinks in the armour.”
Fury retired from the sport back in 2015, in the wake of his greatest night when he dethroned Wladimir Klitschko in Dusseldorf to win the unified titles, citing mental health issues. He ballooned up in weight and even attempted suicide on a number of occasions before making a comeback in June 2018.
And Hearn was far from pleased with the 34-year-old’s comments, expecting more from the man who is now likely to face the aforementioned former undisputed cruiserweight champion Usyk in a potential £200million showdown for every piece of real estate in the sport’s premier division.
He continued:
“If you want to see someone who has been through this mental health experience and goading someone when they’re down and devastated, that shows you the kind of man he is.”
You can watch the full clip here courtesy of Boxing Social: