Carl Frampton on why he changed his opinion on Eddie Hearn

"He could see it in my eyes - this wasn't playing anymore."

Carl Frampton was once promoted by Eddie Hearn, before they split in 2013, causing a rift between the two, but the Belfast fighter has since changed his opinion on the promotor. Hearn worked with the Northern Ireland fighter in the early part of his career, but after they split following a fallout between the Essex businessman and Frampton's then-manager Barry McGuigan, the two never really saw eye to eye.

Carl Frampton on why he didn't like Eddie Hearn.

In fact, Frampton openly disliked the Englishman, and when he signed a deal to fight Scott Quigg in a unification world title fight back in 2016, the pair had to cross paths again. Hearn was Quigg's promotor and in the build-up to the fight, he would be verbally jostling with both McGuigan and their fighter in press conferences and open workouts. However, in Frampton's new book Carl Frampton: My Autobiography the two-weight world champion admitted that he saw red during the face-off at the Frampton vs. Quigg weigh-in.

"I gave Quigg a few patronising pats on the shoulder and he responded with a bit of a shove. I retaliated with one of my own and then this long arm comes over the top and pushes me back. It was Eddie. '"Get your f***ing hands off me you big lankey c***'

"I was deadly serious now and he could see it in my eyes this wasn't playing anymore. I saw fear in his. 

Carl Frampton on why he changed his opinion on Eddie Hearn.

However, in an exclusive interview with SportsJOE's Lee Costello, the former world champion said that a lot of his dislike towards the promotor was influenced by others. When asked if he has a different opinion of Hearn now, Frampton openly admitted that he did. "My opinion on him has completely changed," the Belfast boxer said. "I see Eddie Hearn for what he is, he is a top promotor, and when we see each other from time to time, we would shake hands. "But that was me again being influenced by the McGuigans and how they saw Eddie Hearn. "Barry McGuigan was supposed to be my manager and supposedly negotiating fights for me, but for the Quigg fight, he would have had to negotiate with Eddie Hearn.

"But it was left up to Jake McGuigan (Barry's son) and Sandra (Barry's wife) to negotiate terms for that fight because they were fearful that Barry would attack Eddie Hearn at any sort of meeting, genuinely.

"I was easily influenced. Eddie is a promotor, a salesman, he's one of the top promotors in the world and I have a lot of respect for him, but I was influenced by a lot of people who didn't like him, so I just thought that 'I don't like him as well.'" You can buy Carl Frampton: My Autobiography online or in your local bookstores now. Related links:

• Carl Frampton absolutely destroys Barry McGuigan on The Late Late Show
• Carl Frampton cuts Steve Bunce off after repeatedly calling Michael Conlon British
• Carl Frampton views Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury fight differently than most ex boxers