Eddie Hearn has revealed how he turned down the opportunity to sign Tyson Fury after the Gypsy King turned up overweight and ‘sweating’ to their meeting in 2017.
Fury beat Wladimir Klitschko in November 2015 to become the heavyweight champion of the world but decided to walk away from the sport soon after.
Fury was struggled with his mental health during his two-and-a-half year hiatus from boxing, slumping into depression and ballooning to 28 stone.
The Gypsy King decided to return to the ring in 2018 and reached out to Hearn to see if the Matchroom promoter would sign him.
However, Hearn turned down the opportunity to work with Fury after the Gypsy King turned up sweating to their meeting in Monaco.
Eddie Hearn has revealed how he turned down the opportunity to sign Tyson Fury after the Gypsy King turned up overweight and ‘sweating’ to their meeting in 2017
Fury beat Wladimir Klitschko in November 2015 to become the heavyweight champion of the world but decided to walk away from the sport soon after
Fury was struggled with his mental health during his two-and-a-half year hiatus from boxing, slumping into depression and ballooning to 28 stone
Hearn told The Overlap’s Stick To Football podcast with Sky Bet: ‘When Fury imploded and put on all that weight, he contacted me. He said would you be interested in signing me.
‘I was thinking oft, not sure. But, obviously at that time he had beaten Klitschko and that win was unbelievable. I never thought he would have a chance in that fight.
‘Then he had his problems [with mental health]. Then he came to me and said would you be interested? So, I said come and see me.
‘I was in Monacco at the time. He flew out. I sat down in a board room at this hotel and he walked in. I’ve never seen anything like it. He was massive, he was 26 stone.
‘He sat down and he could hardly talk, he was sweating to the floor. But, he was saying, I’m going to come back and I am going to do this, that and the other.
‘He was saying I want four easy fights then I will fight Deontay Wilder. I was like, I can’t give you four easy fights. If you have one or two that’s fine.
‘That’s all you need to get back in shape. But Fury was saying no, no I have to do it this way. It’s the only way.
‘I looked at him and I thought, I ain’t spending the money because I have to give you all those fights and look at the state of you. I don’t even think you will make it back into the ring.
‘Obviously, he ended up having two fights before fighting Deontay Wilder. I would have signed him 100 per cent [if he agreed to that with me].
Hearn regretted that decision as Fury shed a staggering 8st before making a remarkable comeback in June 2018, beating Sefer Seferi
‘What he did to turn that around, was unbelievable. We have our ups and downs, I don’t always believe what he says but he is hilarious.
‘He is a personality in a dying breed of personalities in sports, not just boxing. And, to come back from where he came back from is unbelievable.
‘I watched At Home with the Furys, which I thought was brilliant, and I was just watching this guy with all the back fat and I’m thinking how do you do it.
‘He’s got better durability over rounds than AJ, probably Usyk, Wilder. He’s a one off. He’s been boxing his whole life and he’s so natural with it.’
The discussion between Hearn and Fury took place when the Gypsy King made a surprise appearance at Derek Chisora’s European title fight with Agit Kabayel in November 2017.
At the time of their meeting, Fury had not fought since his victory over Klitschko in November 2015.
The Gypsy King had decided to take some time away from boxing for mental health reasons before approaching Hearn about his return.
However, Hearn was concerned about Fury’s ability to return to the ring as he had ballooned up to 28 stone during his two-and-a-half year hiatus.
As a result, the Matchroom promoter politely declined the opportunity to work alongside the Gypsy King and two parted ways.
The Gypsy King (left) will return to the ring next weekend to face Francis Ngannou, while Hearn is looking to get AJ (right) back in action in December
Hearn regretted that decision as Fury shed a staggering 8st before making a remarkable comeback in June 2018, beating Sefer Seferi.
The Gypsy King then lost even more weight to take on Deontay Wilder in December 2018. However, that fight ended in a controversial draw.
Hearn’s decision to snub Fury benefitted Frank Warren with his rival now co-promoting the WBC champion along with Top Rank.
Hearn is in regular communication with Warren as he is eager to secure a bout between the Gypsy King and his star boxer Anthony Joshua.