Chris Eubank Jr. harshly criticized several prominent boxing promoters during a press conference but later issued an apology and retracted his statements after legal threats from Frank Warren.
Chris Eubank Jr. didn’t hold back on Wednesday afternoon, targeting Frank Warren, Eddie Hearn, and nearly every other boxing promoter. Eubank’s harsh words came during a London press conference for the upcoming Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol pay-per-view event in October.
Facing Kamil Szeremeta on the undercard, Eubank had strong opinions about promoters Warren, Kalle Sauerland, and Hearn. Back in July, he signed with Boxxer, bypassing some of the sport’s bigger names. When asked why, he was brutally honest.
"Why Boxxer? Because every other promoter out here is a scumbag," Eubank said bluntly. "Frank Warren has been lying and cheating his way through boxing for decades. He sued me for a couple hundred thousand a few years ago—obviously, I was never going to go with him. The guy is a scumbag."
He didn’t stop there. "Kalle Sauerland had me trapped in a terrible contract for years, squeezing money out of me at every opportunity. Scumbag." And about Eddie Hearn? "Eddie Hearn and Frank Smith did everything they could to make the fight against Conor Benn happen despite knowing Benn was on steroids. Scumbags."
Eubank did have one positive note: "The only promoter I know for sure isn’t a scumbag is Turki Alalshikh. This man isn’t trying to take money from fighters or lock them up in slave contracts." Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia, has invested heavily in boxing recently.
Warren, who attended the press conference along with Hearn, wasn’t pleased with Eubank’s comments. Having previously promoted and later sued Eubank for breach of contract, Warren hinted at more legal action. "I successfully sued him before for a legal breach of contract," Warren told talkSPORT. "And as for what he’s just said, I’ll keep it short: he’s gonna get sued again."
Warren made it clear: "He will be sued and will have a problem over that. Anyone else who says it can join the queue."
UPDATE
A few hours post-press conference, Eubank issued an apology and retracted his statements. Warren accepted the apology in his statement. "Following today’s press conference for the historic Riyadh Season event on October 12th, I retract my inaccurate statements and apologize to Frank Warren, Eddie Hearn, and Kalle Sauerland," Eubank stated.
"I accept Chris’s apology and retraction," Warren responded. "I too have said things before and apologize if any criticism of him has upset him in the past." Both look forward to focusing on future bouts.
In the end, cooler heads prevailed. The focus now shifts back to the ring and the upcoming fights in Riyadh next month.