Matchroom promoter, Eddie Hearn, has given his full support to former welterweight world champion, Kell Brook, after a leaked clip of the Sheffield superstar snorting white powder hit the headlines.
Hearn promoted ‘Special K’ for the majority of his career, including his world title win against Shawn Porter in 2014. However, in 2020, Brook began life as a free agent, ahead of his fight with Terence Crawford. Hearn claimed that Brook and his trainer, Dominic Ingle, cut him out of the Crawford deal for financial reasons. Meanwhile, Brook argued that the 43-year-old had “put him on the shelf” and was instead prioritising his other fighters.
However, these days there appears to be no bad blood between the two and in an interview with iFL TV, Hearn wished his former fighter luck in seeking the help that he needs.
“His Dad messaged me last night, you know, everybody has their demons. Everybody. It doesn’t matter who they are. The classic thing at the moment is that you don’t know how someone is feeling really, I could be up here today going ‘Yeah, here we go, we are rocking and rolling’, but inside I could be dying. That is not the case, but sometimes maybe it is, I have done some interviews where you have to put on a brave face and that is for everybody in life.”
“For someone like Kell, whilst people might feel that he is OK, you see him I certain interviews talking about how difficult it is to overcome boxing. At the end of the day, Kell is a good person, doesn’t have a bad bone in his body, sometimes he can beat a bit of a wally and make mistakes, like everybody. Genuinely, he is a good person, who has done a lot for boxing and boxing should support him, and you have seen that support come out. I hope he gets any help that he needs and can be as happy as possible.”
Brook later issued an apology on social media and opened up about his personal struggles in dealing with life after boxing.
“I messed up, I hold my hands up and want to apologise to my family, gym friends and fans.
It’s no secret that I struggle with mental health and I’m finding retirement really hard. I’m actively seeking the help I need to get me on the right path. Again i apologise for the hurt I’ve caused.”
There are still talks of a ring return for Brook this year, with the likes of Conor Benn, Chris Eubank Jr, and Liam Smith all possibilities.