Eddie Hearn has joked he's 'glad it wasn't me' after John Fury caused outrage by headbutting a member of Oleksandr Usyk's team earlier this week.
Fury headbutted Stansilav Stepchuk with the eyes of the world watching, with the 59-year-old branding the Usyk team member a 'disrespectful fella'.
He has since apologised for his actions, however, and is expected to attend the huge fight between Tyson Fury and Usyk on Saturday night.
Hearn, speaking to IFL TV, has admitted he's glad it wasn't him who was on the receiving end of Fury's rage.
Boxing: John Fury caused outrage by headbutting a member of Oleksandr Usyk's team
PA
And he also admitted that he never expected the 59-year-old to act in such a way, having previously 'called his bluff over the years'.
“I’ve called his bluff over the years because he’s never actually done anything," he said.
"So in that respect, we have to say it’s out of character, because he’s never done anything before.
"The amount of times he’s come face to face with people and never done anything, you start to wonder if it’s just for the hype of the show and so forth.
“I’m glad it weren’t me because I would have stood in front of him and I wouldn’t have expected him to do anything and he would have just nutted me.”
He continued: “I’ve said before in interviews John Fury is good for boxing in respect of the buildups.
"That’s not, I think he shouldn’t have done it. I know he’s apologised – it’s a heat of the moment thing.
“It’s difficult for some people to quite understand the game and the pressure and what it means for some people, especially if it’s your son.
"I’ve over-reacted sometimes. Even recently after the Devin Haney fight I lost my rag a little bit.
"I’m not gonna nut anyone – well it would take me more to nut someone.
“Something can always kick off, but he shouldn’t have done it in my opinion.
"But I also understand emotions are very high. I don’t really know what was said to make him do it.
"Like I said, people might not agree when I said it’s out of character. Normally it’s ‘I’m this, I’m that’ – it’s quite amusing and then it goes away.
“This was physical so yeah, quite surprised.
"I think it’s one of them where afterwards, I’m not gonna say he’d be embarrassed but he’d probably think to himself ‘shouldn’t have done that’, which he shouldn’t have.
LATEST SPORTS NEWS:
- Tyson Fury 'wants Oleksandr Usyk fight called off' as footage of boxing star on crutches sparks fan alarm
- Tyson Fury teases 'surprise' that's 'never been done before' ahead of blockbuster Oleksandr Usyk fight
- Tyson Fury receives retirement green light as clock ticks towards monumentous Oleksandr Usyk fight
Boxing: Eddie Hearn has joked he's glad it wasn't him who was headbutted by John Fury
PA
“But I also understand it’s his son and it’s a massive moment for them.”
Saudi Arabian authorities won't be taking any more action against John.
And Tyson's father offered his sincerest apologies in the aftermath of the incident, which saw blood poor from his head.
"Sincere apologies to everybody involved. It's just the way we are. Emotions and tensions are running high. He was a very disrespectful fella," said John.
"If you come close in a fighting man's space, you're gonna cop for something.
Boxing: John Fury is set to be supporting Tyson Fury when he faces Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday night
PA
"What matters to me is respect for my son and he wasn't showing any of it. He mentioned my son and that was it, so he had to have it.
"It doesn't bother me [bleeding], it's what we live for, we're fighting people. That's a regular occurrence to me."
As for Stepchuk, he says he didn't fight back because of the age difference between himself and Fury.
"I was just supporting our team," he told Seconds Out.
“We were only shouting, 'Usyk, Usyk,' I didn't touch him. He went crazy… Yeah [I wanted to punch him], but because of the age difference it would not be very fair."
