- Eddie Hearn promotes Anthony Joshua ahead of his fight with Daniel Dubois
- Hearn clashed with another promoter during the final press conference
- He has now revealed what he told his rival promoter on Thursday night
Eddie Hearn has revealed he told a rival promoter he would knock him out ahead of Anthony Joshua’s heavyweight title fight with Daniel Dubois.
Hearn is promoting the Wembley bout on Joshua’s behalf but has admitted he threatened to punch another promoter himself during Thursday’s final press conference.
The 45-year-old was seen on stage in animated conversation with BOXXER promoter Ben Shalom as undercard fighters Joshua Buatsi and Willy Hutchinson – two fighters Hearn does not promote – battled it out.
Hearn revealed that Shalom objected to being in the spotlight, leading to a heated exchange between the two.
“He came up to me and said, ‘Why are you here for this fight?'” Hearn told iFL TV. “And I said, ‘I’m going to knock you out!’
Eddie Hearn (right) and Ben Shalom (left) were seen in animated conversation during the final press conference on Thursday
Hearn has revealed he threatened to knock Shalom out in the heated row
Hearn promotes Anthony Joshua ahead of his heavyweight fight with Daniel Dubois
‘I felt really bad and I have to apologize to him because when he started shaking and turned white, like Casper the Ghost, I felt really bad.
“And while he was just joking with me, it was just a throwaway line. He’s just learning, and if he thinks it was serious, I apologize because I felt bad afterward and I saw his face.
Hearn then pretended to be on a phone call and mocked Shalom’s reaction to his shocked threat.
‘Hello, is that the Guildhall?’ Hearn began. ‘Yeah, you had a press conference last night. Is that lost property? Yeah, you haven’t found Ben Shalom’s a***hole yet, have you? It’s floating around the Guildhall somewhere. If you do, can you let me know? Cheers, thanks.’
After ending his prank call, Hearn continued: “He made a funny comment, I had a little joke. Sorry if he took it seriously. But I actually feel bad because his lip was quivering and he was over the whole gaffe.”
Shalom arrived at BOXXER in his mid-20s, an even younger age than Hearn was when he started boxing.
When Hearn was asked if he saw any similarities between himself and Shalom, he didn’t hesitate for a moment.
Shalom is the promoter of Joshua Buatsi (left) and hopes that his pupil can do better tonight than Willy Hutchinson (right).
“Not in the slightest,” he replied. “Ben Shalom has always aspired to be me. He’s Eddie Hearn from Wish.”
Shalom has two fighters on the undercard for Joshua vs Dubois. His light heavyweight fighter Buatsi is looking to move closer to a world title fight, while Tyler Denny is looking to pull off an upset against promising middleweight fighter Hamzah Sheeraz.
In the meantime, Hearn is keeping a close eye on two super featherweights who he believes will fight each other: Anthony Cacace and Josh Warrington.
He then turns his attention to the main event, in which Joshua attempts to become a three-time heavyweight champion by defeating Dubois.