Higgins lashes his critics

Joseph Parker’s controversial boss David Higgins has had a crack at his New Zealand critics and fired a broadside at glamour British promoter Eddie Hearn at the same time.

Higgins drew sharp criticism for his antics at a London press conference earlier in the week, where, fuelled by a few drinks, he voiced his anger at the lack of neutral officials for Joseph Parker’s WBO world title defence against Hughie Fury.

Higgins was ejected by security guards and his behaviour was roundly criticised by Sir Bob Jones and sections of the Kiwi media. Higgins also took a roasting on social media, with many questioning his value to Parker.

This time a calm Higgins quietly took his place at the top table of the final press conference yesterday for the title fight and chose his words carefully.

But he still breathed life into a tame affair that was full of pleasantries between the two rival camps two days out from the fight.

‘‘There’s a few silly old know-it-alls back in New Zealand, and they know who they are, who are saying I’m out of my depth and that sort of thing. We wouldn’t be sitting here today if I was out of my depth,’’ a steely-eyed Higgins told the large gathering at Manchester United’s famous Old Trafford ground.

‘‘The reality is I’ve been promoting boxing for only eight years. I have only got two fighters [Parker and Australian welterweight Jeff Horn] and they are both world champions currently. That’s a 100 per cent success record of promoting world champion boxers.

‘‘And getting here today was about the damn trickiest thing you can do in boxing with all that was involved and all the cat and mouse. We stepped through it and here we are, we got the

"We wouldn't be sitting here today if I was out of my depth." David Higgins, left, hits back at his accusers

terms of the contract for Joseph, they were on our terms ... the referee changed and everyone is now talking about the fight. That’s the other job of the promoter - you want people to talk about the fight.

‘‘So I’m pretty happy about the job, I make no apologies.’’

Higgins felt getting the title fight together in Manchester was also a way to thumb his nose at his English doubters, later revealing that Hearn had told him ‘‘half a dozen times’’ the fight wouldn’t happen because the Furys wouldn’t front with the money.

‘‘This promotion and the Fury camp have proved a lot of people wrong,’’ Higgins said.

‘‘There’s been a lot of rubbish said in British boxing that they wouldn’t put the fight on and they wouldn’t put the money in the bank. They rubbished me for backing the word of Peter Fury.

‘‘Those like Eddie Hearn who promised to meet our New Zealand travel group and pulled out on the day, broke their word. But not the Furys and that’s why we are here today.’’

Higgins is not afraid to speak his mind and believes in this murky game that’s the way it needs to be done. His attack on Hearn comes despite being keen to see Parker take on some of the powerful English promoter’s prized fighters – Tony Bellew and ultimately WBA and IBF world champion Anthony Joshua.

‘‘You don’t make fights by sucking up to your opposition and pandering to Eddie,’’ Higgins declared.

‘‘Tactically pointing out that Eddie broke his word probably helps a Joshua fight in the future because this is the boxing business.

‘‘I sat next to Tony Bellew two months ago and I couldn’t get a word in, and he shouted at me for half an hour about how this fight’s never going to happen because these guys won’t put up the money.’’

Having made his peace with Peter Fury after the London shenanigans, Higgins had the press conference in stitches as he wound up his time at the microphone.

‘‘Finally I’d like to thank Peter Fury for promising me I’m safe here in Manchester, because I tell you what, if it was Eddie Hearn I’d have my doubts. Peter is a man of his word, so we are all going home safe.’’

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