Eddie Hearn has declared his intention to pursue legal action after Chris Eubank Jr made a series of serious accusations against the promoter and Matchroom.
Five months after beating Conor Benn by unanimous decision and Eubank Jr was reunited with his rival on Wednesday as the pair took part in a press conference ahead of their much-anticipated rematch in November.
It was an eventful press conference, to say the least, as Eubank Jr was criticised by Eddie Hearn for preventing him from paying tribute to former British two-weight world champion Ricky Hatton.
Eubank Jr would go on to make a series of accusations against Hearn and Matchroom as the former super-middleweight champion accused his opponent’s team of dirty tricks and “sabotage”.
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The 36-year-old was sent to hospital with severe dehydration after his contest with Benn in April, although Eubank Jr claims that an ambulance taking him to hospital afterwards was stopped.
“They did everything they could to try and destroy me in that last fight,” said Eubank Jr of Benn’s promoters. “Contract breaches, fines, rehydration clauses, a sabotaged weigh-in, biased commentary and refereeing. The list goes on."
He continued: “On fight night they blocked my team from coming to the stadium for 30 minutes. Then when I arrived, security were in front of my car trying to slow me down and make me late. It’s incredible the levels these guys will stoop to.
“I finally get into the stadium. I get into my changing room and they are sending idiots to try and disrupt me. I get through that. I go out there and I win the fight. Now, after the fight, due to severe dehydration I am in an ambulance and I have to go to hospital.
“I was so dehydrated that one of the toenails on my big toe fell off. I’m in this ambulance and these scumbags blocked that ambulance from leaving the stadium for 20 minutes.”
Eubank Jr added: “I’m laying there on a gurney, oxygen mask on and they wouldn’t open the gate to let us leave.”
Hearn vehemently denied the accusation and threatened to sue Eubank Jr unless he retracted the comments and apologised.
“What he doesn’t know, there is a log on fight night for the paramedics, it’s there in black and white,” he said.
“He will be making an apology, or we’ll be taking legal action, I can’t have this. I take this personally. That’s my life, our reputation is second to none ... making up sh** like that.
“An apology shouldn’t be enough, but that’s not my style. Some would go for the jugular right now but he won’t apologise, he’s arrogant.”
Shortly after the press conference, Hearn confirmed to reporters that he would pursue legal action against Eubank Jr.
"You can't say things like that. It's not even about, no, I'm speaking my truth... It's lies. That's the difference. I don't care," he said, as seen in the video above.
"If I really went up to a paramedic, right, and the British Boxing Board of Control went, mate, I know you've got to take him to hospital, but hang on 20 minutes so they're late.
"For f***'s sake. I mean, unless you've got no brain, you might be listening to that going, 'I can't believe Eddie has done that'. And that's why I gave him the opportunity to say it again. Because I couldn't believe what I was actually hearing.
"And he says, 'Oh, what are you going to do, sue me?' Yes. Absolutely. Because you ain't accusing me and my company of things like that. I haven't worked, and my dad hasn't worked his whole life with a reputation in the sport that, by the way, for some reason, you seem to think doesn't exist for you to make up lies about our company."
Hearn added: "And that will be dealt with."
Topics: Boxing, Eddie Hearn, Chris Eubank Jr, Conor Benn, Boxing News
Jack Kenmare