Eddie Hearn and Chris Eubank Jr exchanged angry words during a press conference on Wednesday after the promoter’s attempt to pay tribute to Ricky Hatton was cut short by the middleweight fighter.
Hearn, representing Conor Benn ahead of next month’s highly anticipated rematch against Eubank Jr, began proceedings in London by asking for “30 seconds” to honour Hatton, who was found dead at his home in Hyde, Manchester, on Sunday morning aged 46.
But as the promoter started to speak, Eubank Jr interrupted him sharply, saying: “Come on Eddie, there’s no 30 seconds. You know the drill.”
Hearn, visibly frustrated, snapped back: “All I was going to do was say a few words about Ricky Hatton.
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"You’re an a**hole, you talk s*, you’ll get what’s coming to you.”
The tense exchange briefly derailed the press conference, with Eubank Jr continuing to talk over Hearn.
“I’m not going to sit here and listen to anything you say,” he said.
“Let’s move on with the press conference, we know the drill.”
Ricky Hatton was tragically found dead at his home in Manchester on Sunday
|PA
Benn, who wore a Manchester City shirt as a mark of respect to Hatton, remained silent during the spat.
A montage celebrating Hatton’s career was played before the main media questions began.
Speaking later, Hearn defended his decision to pay tribute, describing Hatton as “the last of a rare breed of boxers”.
“I think it was so important to say something,” he said. “That’s a big platform with a lot of people listening. People need to understand the importance this guy had on British boxing and to people individually.
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“In a toxic business, for no one to have ever said a bad word about Ricky Hatton just shows you what kind of individual he was.
"He built his popularity without social media, without a content team following him around. He was just a pure soul with a clean heart that a city fell in love with, and then a country fell in love with.”
Hearn added that Hatton’s generosity extended well beyond the ring: “He gave his time to everyone – whether you were a CEO or the person cleaning up afterwards, he treated you the same.
"Even when he needed help himself, he chose to help others first.”
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Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn were speaking at a press conference ahead of their boxing rematch
|PA
Hatton, known affectionately as “The Hitman,” had been preparing for a return to the ring this December against Eisa Al Dah in Dubai.
According to BBC boxing commentator Steve Bunce, Hatton was due to fly out on Monday to sign the fight contract.
His long-time friend and manager Paul Speak discovered his body on Sunday morning after he failed to attend a boxing event the night before.
“Speaky deserves a little bit of love,” Bunce told 5Live.
The boxing world continues to mourn the death of Ricky Hatton
| GETTY“It’s a 25-year relationship – more than just manager and fighter, they were close friends.”
Police say Hatton’s death is not being treated as suspicious. A cause of death has not yet been confirmed.