Eddie Hearn on rejecting Tyson Fury and why Anthony Joshua fight didn't happen

Eddie Hearn has admitted why he turned down the opportunity to sign Tyson Fury.

The WBC heavyweight champion is preparing for his exhibition bout with Francis Ngannou, which will be followed by an undisputed world title clash with Oleksandr Usyk. Fury is continuing to build his legacy and could be considered an all-time great heavyweight at the end of his career.

However, there was a time when Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn could not envision Fury getting back to his best. Following his famous win over Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, Fury spent more than two years out of the sport as he suffered from mental health and substance abuse issues.

‘The Gypsy King’ would eventually sign with promoter Frank Warren and fight Deontay Wilder for the WBC title, less than six months after his comeback fight in June 2018. Asked about his decision to reject Fury, Hearn recalled what happened during their meeting.

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“When he imploded and put on all that weight, he contacted me and he said would you be interested in signing me? He had beaten (Wladmir) Klitschko at the time and that was unbelievable - I thought he didn’t have a chance in that fight,” Hearn told The Overlap. “He asked if I would be interested, I said yes. I was in Monaco at the time and he flew out.

“I sat down in the boardroom of this hotel and he walked in, and I’ve never seen anything like it - he could hardly talk, he was sweating to the floor. I looked at him and thought I am not spending the money. Look at the state of you, I don’t think he would get in the ring.”

“He had two