Hearn Threatened To KO Ben Shalom – ‘He Started Quivering’
Eddie Hearn issued a mock apology to Ben Shalom as their recent feud continued.
The duo have not had the best of relationships since Shalom entered boxing. Hearn left Sky Sports to work with DAZN, leaving Shalom to join Sky with his BOXXER promotions. The pair are rivals, although Hearn’s Matchroom is a considerably bigger promotion. Shalom and Hearn were spotted during the build for the Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois fight. Joshua aimed to become a three-time heavyweight champion by picking up Dubois’ IBF belt.
However, Dubois stopped him. Shalom had an interest in the fight since his fighters were on the show. Hearn was seen on stage during the face-off between Joshua Buatsi and Willy Hutchinson. Since neither of those fighters were with Matchroom, Shalom could not understand Hearn’s reason for being there. Hearn reacted by threatening to knock out Shalom, which did not go down well.
Shalom On Hearn
“He said he was going to knock me out. I said, as a joke, ‘I didn’t realise this was your fight’ or something like that. It was literally a joke, but he wasn’t too happy. I’m not playing that game. [And] I’m not sinking to those levels. I’m not here to fight. To be threatened to be knocked out by a guy who is nearly 50 was an interesting one,” Shalom said
In Hearn’s defense, Joshua was headlining the fight. AJ was the main attraction at an event that set the Wembley record at 96,000. While Hearn did not represent those fighters, having extra exposure was unlikely to harm their careers. However, Shalom’s comments will not improve the relationship. This is a detriment, especially if boxing fans want to see the biggest bouts being made. Promoters have started to come together once the Saudis came into boxing.
Hearn Responds
Hearn and Frank Warren put their feud behind them to make the Joshua vs Dubois fight. There is also a real optimism that Joshua will still box Tyson Fury. Therefore, if Hearn and Shalom are not on good terms, that will only add an obstacle to making the biggest fights. Hearn was asked about the incident, during which he admitted that he had threatened to assault the promoter. But rather than backtrack on his comments, he made a flippant remark about the situation. He mocked the promoter with his apology.
“And I felt really bad and I do have to apologise to him because it was when he started quivering and he went white like Casper the Ghost that I actually felt terrible. And as he was just joking to me, it was just a throwaway line. He is just learning, and if he thinks that was serious, I do apologise because I felt bad after and I saw his face,” Hearn added
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