Eddie Hearn Calls Out Artur Beterbiev’s ‘Disrespectful’ Behavior

According to Eddie Hearn, Artur Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) is “arrogant” despite getting a $10 million fight purse.

The knockout maestro is all set to face Russian light heavyweight superstar Dmitry Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs) in a potentially sensational showdown on October 12, a fight which would also give the division its first undisputed fight. While barely days remain for this highly anticipated fight, their pre-fight press conferences have certainly lacked the drama and hostility that brings fans to the edge of their seats. And Matchroom Boxing’s top man, Hearn, representing Bivol, seems to have taken offense to Beterbiev’s silence and reserved outlook.

“At the first presser, Beterbiev said about three words; I found it quite arrogant,” Hearn said while talking about it at a recent press conference. Beterbiev has always exhibited a rather calm demeanor during press conferences, avoiding the fiery exchanges and altercations that have become the norm. However, this was not enough for the businessman in Hearn, who knew that the drama was quintessential in bringing in the PPV numbers.

He mentioned that Beterbiev owes a lot more to his fans, especially due to the fact that he was getting paid a hefty fight purse to face Bivol. In fact, Hearn even felt that his silence was outright disrespectful. “You’re getting paid an absolute fortune, the entire world’s media here; you owe us a little bit more than that,” he said. “He couldn’t care less. In a way, I respect it, but in a way, I think it’s a little disrespectful.”

“I Can’t Remember”

However, the last press conference for the fight surely had the drama that Hearn had hoped for. Hoping to stir up the cauldron of contention, the Matchroom boss was posed with his former statements in front of Beterbiev.