Eddie Hearn reacts to Fury criticizing Joshua and Usyk’s performance

By Boxing News - 08/21/2022 - Comments

By Jim Calfa: Eddie Hearn reacted in anger on Saturday night when asked about Tyson Fury’s negative remarks about Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk in their rematch in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Given that Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs) had cried at the post-fight press conference, Hearn felt it was low of Fury, who has had mental problems during his career, to be taking a shot at him.

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Instead of Fury boasting Joshua up at a low point in his life, Fury chose to kick him while he was down.

For the record, Joshua lost a competitive 12 round split decision to IBF, WBA & WBO heavyweight champion Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs) in a fight in which the outcome was determined in the final three rounds [10, 11 & 12].

“You saw the reaction there [with Joshua]. This is a guy in Tyson Fury, who openly says he had all these mental health problems and struggles. You see a guy up there crying,” said Eddie Hearn in reacting to being told that Tyson Fury said tonight that he’d beat both Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk.

Fury’s comments about Joshua’s loss to Usyk:

“Both of them were s***. It was one of the worst heavyweight world title fights I have ever seen. It was bull s***,” said Tyson Fury on social media, reacting to Oleksandr Usyk’s win over Anthony Joshua.

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“I’ll beat both of them on the same night. Get your checkbook out because the Gyspy King is here to stay forever,” said Fury.

“As big and as strong as AJ for years has put on a brave face, and tonight, you saw chinks in the armor. So if you want to see a guy that has been through this mental health experience and goaded someone when they’re down and when they’re devastated, that shows you the kind of man he is,” said Hearn about Fury.

Tyson made it clear that he was coming out of retirement to fight Usyk, but he warned that his checkbook would need to be out. The way that Fury is talking, he could wind up pricing himself out of the fight and ending up with nothing.

“Probably, yeah. We’ve done an unbelievable job for him,” said Hearn when asked if he’ll work with Usyk in the future. I said to them the other day, ‘How good of a job have I done for you?’ They said, ‘Unbelievable,’ but we’ll see. This is where my heart is [Joshua].

“I was frustrated last time [Joshua lost to Usyk], and I’m proud this time because I felt like last time, he could have done more,” said Hearn. “Tonight, he left it all in the ring. I don’t know what else you can do.

“We talk about getting respect from people. If you give it your all, how can you not get respect from people? It wasn’t like he finished the fight and was trying to survive. He was in there swinging, taking everything but the kitchen sink in the last three rounds, and stayed on his feet.

“He went through the whole fight with Robert Garcia, kicking himself, ‘should have done this, should have done that, why didn’t I do this?'” said Hearn when asked what was Joshua’s reaction in the dressing room after the fight. “He was shouting a bit and was devastated to lose,” said Hearn.

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