Eddie Hearn admitted he thought he was “going to have a heart attack” during the thrilling fight between Callum Smith and Joshua Buatsi.
The British light-heavyweight boxers delivered a potential Fight of the Year contender as part of the undercard for Artur Beterbiev’s rematch with Dmitry Bivol last Saturday.
Smith was victorious in the intense back-and-forth fight, defeating Buatsi and claiming the interim WBO 175lbs title.
The sheer excitement of the contest caused Hearn, Smith’s promoter, to feel his heart racing intensely, even to the point of dizziness.
Speaking to The Stomping Ground, he said: “I actually thought I was going to have a heart attack tonight. I really did.”
“During the Callum Smith fight, I sat down and felt a bit dizzy.”
“I do often wonder… you never know when you’re on the verge of keeling over, do you?”
“I was thinking to myself, 'If the Good lord took me now, it wouldn’t be a bad way to go.' Would it?'”
Hearn was impressed by Smith’s resilience and determination, telling DAZN: “Callum Smith was unbelievable.”
“What a fight. That was an incredible domestic tussle. I’m very proud of Callum, I thought it was a brilliant performance.”
“Shoutout to Buatsi as well because he was tough but the right man won.”
Hearn’s heart rate was also elevated during the rematch between Beterbiev and Bivol, where Bivol successfully avenged his previous loss from 133 days prior.
He commented: “I think a lot of people felt he [Bivol] won the first fight. It was obviously very close.”
‘It was one of the best performances I’ve ever witnessed.”
“I thought he won the first two rounds and then Beterbiev won the next three I think but it was the way he won them.”
“What Bivol did was just incredible, young fighters should look at the way he boxed.”
“To do that to Beterbiev, who is an absolute beast and one of the greatest fighters of our generation.”
“It’s the kind of performance that cements you as a pound-for-pound king.”
