Eddie Hearn has suggested Frank Warren be banned from interviews following some digs by the veteran promoter surrounding the frustrating negotiations for a Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua title fight.
It’s the second time in the space of a year that the teams of Fury and ‘AJ’ have been in public discussions, and the second time that a fight will fail to materialise.
Warren – who represents Fury – was clearly frustrated in a recent interview with IFL TV, claiming Hearn was ‘talking b***ocks’ and that they were scared to face Fury.
Speaking to Boxing Social, Hearn said he was taken aback by the comments and advised Warren to retire.
“The best way to explain this, in case people think I’m being disrespectful, is sometimes I liken it to my old man as well. Ban from interviews. Because [they’ve] actually lost the plot.”
“Go on holiday, have a cup of tea, and retire. And I see it with Bob Arum as well. I’m not being ageist … but all I saw was desperation and just time to go. Let the young guns stay calm and try and do good business.”
Hearn said that interviews like the one concerned only serve to muddy the waters of cross-promotional relationships – something he has been working on with Frank’s son, George.
“I’ve got a relationship with George Warren where I can pick up the phone, we can have a sensible conversation, we can meet for a coffee. We don’t always do deals. But you see that [Frank Warren] interview and think how can we have a sensible conversation? … There’s too much history.”
The fight that symbolises the promoters’ frayed communications is Fury-Joshua, which still hasn’t found a way to being made and doesn’t look like it will anytime soon.