“Lovely Fella”: Responding to Colby Covington’s Deceased Dad Comment at UFC 296 Presser, Boxing Promoter Eddie Hearns Makes Wild Prediction for Leon Edwards Fight

Clips of Leon Edwards first throwing a water bottle at Colby Covington and then lunging at the American have been going viral for some time. Scenes at the UFC 296 press conference at the MGM Grand Arena took an ugly turn when the former UFC (interim) welterweight champion made unsavory comments about the Birmingham-born reigning champion’s late father.

Leon Edwards steps into the octagon for the second time this year to defend his championship from Colby Covington. The UFC 296, which takes place at the T-Mobile Arena, features other main card fights such as the welterweight bout between Shavkat Rakhmonov and Stephen Thompson and the lightweight clash between Paddy Pimblett and Tony Ferguson. Social media was abuzz with the incident. There were many who felt what Covington did was sheer fight promotion and trying to get into Edwards’ head. However, there were others who weren’t so happy and felt the American fighter’s conduct was uncalled for. Among them stood Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn.

Eddie Hearns hopes Leon smashes “geezer” Colby Covington

Speaking with IFL TV, a visibly appalled Hearn said, “Just nasty wrong; I don’t know anything about the UFC. I’ve met Leon a couple of times, lovely fella. [I] hope he smashes that geezer to pieces…like how can you say that? Like, I know you can get carried away and you, but you got to have some kind of compassion horrible thing to say, but anyway, it’s a fight game, isn’t it?”

Colby Covington joined the event presser dressed as General George Washington. Then, probably to provoke Leon Edwards, he touched upon the British mixed martial artist’s deceased father. ‘Chaos’ said, “On Saturday night, I’m going to bring you to a place you never want to be. I’m going to bring you the seventh layer hair, hell okay no, I’m bringing you to seventh layer, hell we’ll we we’ll say what’s up to your dad while we’re there.”

Per the available accounts, Leon Edwards was thirteen when his father was reportedly shot dead in a London nightclub in 2004. Though he grew up in Birmingham, the welterweight champion is basically from Kingston, Jamaica. His family had relocated to England some four years before the tragic incident occurred.

However, Leon Edwards credits his mother for keeping the family intact. It went a long way toward keeping him away from a life in the streets. Finally, his life took a turn for the better when he was introduced to mixed martial arts. With 21 wins in his kitty and a championship belt, his journey thus far has been hugely successful.

Leon Edwards and Colby Covington: Journey to UFC 296

‘Rocky’ took over the welterweight championship from long-reigning champion Kamaru Usman last year in Salt Lake City, Utah. Seven months later, he defeated Usman once again in London during the first title defense. Since his last defeat in 2015, incidentally to Kamaru Usman, Edwards has yet to suffer a loss in the octagon, as a matter of fact, his performances have become dominating since he was crowned champion. Colby Covington, on the other hand, returns after a gap of 21 months. He defeated Jorge Masvidal during UFC 272 on March 5 last year.

Read More: ‘Most Money’-UFC 296 Main Event Get Scrutinized By Leon Edwards As The Champion Calls Colby Covington Undeserving

What’s your take on the issue? Do you think what Covington did falls under the purview of ‘everything’s fair in love and war’? Please share your views with us in the comments below.

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