'Bit scary' – Eddie Hearn reveals all about Tyson Fury clashing with Francis Ngannou in front of Anthony Joshua and Cristiano Ronaldo  

07/03/2024 14:49

Eddie Hearn admits he got a bit scared when Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou started arguing right in front of him.

'The Gypsy King' tried to hijack a press conference ahead of Ngannou's fight with former two-time heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua on Wednesday.

On that occasion, Fury was put in his place by 'The Predator’, but a day earlier Hearn says it was the WBC heavyweight titleholder who got the better of their 'scary' verbal exchange.

The boxing promoter joined Fury, Ngannou, Joshua, Cristiano Ronaldo and Turki Alalshikh, who all seemed to be getting on well in a photo taken on Tuesday evening.

However, it soon emerged that the Englishman called out Ngannou for branding him a 'coward', but the former UFC superstar insisted he never did that.

Ngannou is adamant he beat Fury after dropping him and falling to a controversial split decision defeat in his squared circle debut last October.

The Matchroom Sports chairman is loving all the drama between Fury and Ngannou but admits he didn't enjoy being so close to the action when they were trading verbal blows.

"He was on great form this week, Tyson Fury," Hearn told Mail Sport. 

"I feel like I didn’t know if what happened in the room stayed in a room, but there’s already been some reports about Fury letting his feelings be known to Ngannou, which is true.

"He did stick it on him. And it was a little bit scary for a little bit, scary for a while, a lot of big men in that room last night."

Joshua, who has worked with Hearn since his pro debut in 2013, stayed away from the drama, and was ‘sitting in the corner, just observing’ the scene his promoter described as ‘very surreal’. 

Hearn added: "It’s become almost tradition here in Saudi Arabia that a couple of nights before the fight, we go to His Excellency’s house, and all the fighters from the card are in one room.

‘So yeah, definitely unique. And it’s almost like a last show of respect before it’s wartime on Friday.’ 

"But yeah, [Fury] was causing a little bit of mischief but he was on good form.

"He was on very good form, and looked well, looked very fit considering now there’s quite a bit of time to the fight, but he seemed very motivated to meet [Oleksandr] Usyk.”

Fury will face Usyk in a four-belt undisputed fight on May 18 and the heavyweight duo are expected to rematch later this year before one of them eventually fights the winner of Joshua vs Ngannou.

So, Fury and Ngannou might get to settle their beef in the ring.