Eddie Hearn reveals dad Barry suffered a heart attack during Leyton Orient play-off clash - before attending boxing fight just FIVE days later in rapid recovery
Barry Hearn suffered a heart attack last month during Leyton Orient's play-off semi-final clash against Stockport County, his son Eddie has revealed.
Barry, a legendary sports promoter, who has been involved in snooker, boxing, darts, football and more, previously owned the Os between 1995 and 2014.
And, according to Eddie, a renowned boxing promoter, Barry felt some discomfort during the first leg of play-off encounter against Stockport and had to be taken to hospital.
The 77-year-old, who has had two previous heart attacks, then had a third stent installed. A stent is a small mesh-like tube that helps to keep arteries open and is a common procedure following a heart attack.
Thankfully, Barry recovered and despite the ordeal, he was remarkably present at Dave Allen's boxing clash against Johnny Fisher just a week later.
Reflecting on what happened, Eddie told Boxing Social: 'He's fine. Obviously it's always very scary, that kind of thing. It was at the Orient match. It will do that to you, Leyton Orient.
'Five minutes in and he said "I'll just see out the game". Unfortunately he had to go down to the doctors and get taken to hospital, he had a heart attack.
'He had another stent. He's had three stents now, three heart attacks. As far as he's concerned he's brand new now. He played cricket at the weekend for Essex Over-70s. He scored 60.
'It actually happened the weekend before the Johnny Fisher fight, so it was back in May, and he went to the Johnny Fisher fight, five days after the heart attack.'
Speaking further about his father's rapid recovery and return to normality, Eddie provided further context.
'On the Monday he had a stent put in to his artery,' he added. 'Tuesday they let him out. So he gets back home Tuesday.
'So I'm like "right, well you won't be coming to the Johnny Fisher fight". He says "no I'm f***ing coming to the Johnny Fisher fight".
'No, what are you doing? "I'm not missing the Johnny Fisher fight!" I said "dad, chill out". He goes "I'm not living my life like that, I've had a new stent, I'm brand new".'
Eddie continued: 'That's what you're dealing with. When he goes, my dad, it could be next week, or it could be in 10 years, you just never know when your time's up.
The 77-year-old owned Orient, who play in League One, for 19 years from 1995 to 2014
'But you will be able to say he lived to the absolute max of his life. And that's a great thing to be able to say.'
Orient went on to draw the first leg against Stockport 2-2 before they progressed to the final on penalties following a 1-1 draw in the second leg.
However, the Os - who were owned by Hearn when they last reached the League One play-off final in 2014 when they lost to Rotherham - were beaten 1-0 by Charlton to consign Richie Wellens' side to another season in the third tier.
Hearn had previously explained the painful nature of that dramatic defeat by Rotherham 11 years ago and how it had impacted him.
'I've been paying for therapy ever since that day against Rotherham!,' he said. 'I get nightmares about it. This (the Charlton game) is my opportunity to cleanse myself, take away my therapist bills, go back to normal sleep patterns.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Two Leeds hospitals' maternity services rated inadequate over safety risks
The care of women and babies at two Leeds hospitals presents a significant risk to their safety, the NHS regulator has said, after the preventable deaths of dozens of newborns. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) demanded urgent improvements to maternity services at Leeds general infirmary and St James's hospital as it downgraded them to 'inadequate'. A BBC investigation this year found that the deaths of at least 56 babies and two mothers may have been preventable at the two hospitals between January 2019 and July 2024. The hospitals, run by Leeds teaching hospitals NHS trust, are the latest to be engulfed by a maternity scandal that has revealed catastrophic failings in Nottingham, Shrewsbury and Telford, Morecambe Bay, east Kent and others. The downgrading of maternity and neonatal services in Leeds follows unannounced inspections by the CQC in December and January. Ann Ford, a director of operations at the CQC, said it had received concerns from staff, patients and families about safety and staffing levels at the two hospitals. She said: 'During the inspection the concerns were substantiated, and this posed a significant risk to the safety of women, people using these services, and their babies as the staff shortages impacted on the timeliness of the care and support they received.' Inspectors found dirty areas on the maternity wards of both hospitals, unsafe storage of medicines, a 'blame culture' that left staff unwilling to raise concerns, and short-staffed units. On the neonatal wards, which care for the most vulnerable newborns, the CQC found they were understaffed and infants needing special care were being transported unsafely from one hospital to another. A freedom of information request by the BBC revealed in January that the NHS trust had identified at least 56 baby deaths that may have been preventable from January 2019 to July 2024, made up of 27 stillbirths and 29 neonatal deaths, which are deaths within 28 days after birth. In each case, a trust review group had identified care issues it considered may have made a difference to the outcome for babies. Sir Julian Hartley, the head of the CQC, was the chief executive of Leeds teaching hospitals NHS trust for 10 years until January 2023, meaning he was in charge when many of the preventable deaths took place. The parents of a newborn girl who died after multiple failings at Leeds general infirmary in January 2020 questioned the CQC's ability to carry out an independent inspection, given Hartley's previous role. The regulator said it has 'robust policies in place to manage any conflict of interest'. Prof Phil Wood, the chief executive of Leeds teaching hospitals NHS trust, said: 'These reports have highlighted significant areas where we need to improve our maternity and neonatal services, and my priority is to make sure we urgently take action to deliver these improvements.' He said the trust was improving whistleblowing procedures for staff and had recruited 55 midwives, leaving it 11 short of the national target. Wood added: 'I want to reassure every family due to have their baby with us in Leeds and any new parents that we are absolutely committed to providing safe, compassionate care.'
Sky News
an hour ago
- Sky News
Assisted dying bill set for crunch vote after months of debate over controversial legislation
Why you can trust Sky News A controversial bill which would give some terminally ill adults the right to end their lives is facing a crunch vote in the Commons today. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, more commonly known as the assisted dying bill, will be back for its third reading, which is the first time MPs will vote on the overall piece of legislation since the yes vote in November. That vote, during the bill's second reading, saw MPs vote 330 to 275 to approve the bill - a relatively narrow majority which means every vote will count later. If the new amendments are voted through, the bill to give some terminally ill adults the right to end their lives will get closer to becoming law as it will go through to the next stage in the House of Lords. Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, who introduced the assisted dying bill in October last year, said she felt confident the vote will be successful. She said: "There might be some small movement in the middle, some people might change their mind or will change their mind the other way. Ms Leadbeater said if MPs fail to vote the legislation through, "it could be another decade before this issue is brought back to parliament". She added: "It works and it is safe, and it provides dignity to terminally ill people. "This is not an either or when it comes to palliative care or assisted dying. It is about choice for people." But on the eve of the vote, four Labour MPs confirmed they were switching their vote from yes to no as they branded the bill "drastically weakened", citing the scrapping of the High Court Judge safeguard as a key reason. Ms Leadbeater has insisted the replacement of High Court judge approval with the multidisciplinary panels is a strengthening of the legislation, incorporating wider expert knowledge to assess assisted dying applications. The proposed legislation would allow terminally ill adults, with fewer than six months to live, to apply for an assisted death, subject to approval by two doctors and a panel featuring a social worker, senior legal figure and psychiatrist. A new YouGov poll found 72% of Britons supported the bill as it stands, including 59% of those who say they support assisted dying in principle but oppose it in practice, and 67% were opposed to the principle of euthanasia but are willing to back it in practice. Recently, the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCP), the Royal College of Pathologists and the Royal College of Physicians have raised concerns about the bill. The RCP said the bill, in its current form, did "not meet the needs of patients". It has also expressed concern over the shortage of qualified psychiatrists to take part in assisted dying panels.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Major sporting events and grassroots sport to receive £900 million funding
More than £900 million will be committed to major sporting events and grassroots sport across the UK in a 'transformational investment' over the coming years, the Government has announced. Euro 2028, the European Athletics Championships next year and the men's and women's Tour de France Grand Departs in 2027 are among the key events set to be hosted in the country that will benefit from more than half a billion pounds in funding. At least £400 million will also be invested in new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities nationwide after the funding was outlined in last week's Spending Review, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said. England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland will be co-hosting Euro 2028, with the showpiece men's football tournament expected to generate up to £2.4 billion in socio-economic value alone, the DCMS said. Other major events scheduled to be held in the UK include the women's Rugby World Cup in England this summer, the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the Invictus Games, founded by the Duke of Sussex, in Birmingham in 2027. Earlier this month, more than 100 athletes called on the Prime Minister to support a London bid for the 2029 World Athletics Championships. But the Government is yet to commit to the bid, but has not ruled it our either, with a spokesperson saying it was working with UK Sport to secure a series of major sporting events up until 2035. However, the DCMS confirmed that work was continuing to develop a bid for the UK to host the women's Fifa World Cup in 2035. Sporting bodies and local leaders for grassroots initiatives will work closely with the department to establish what each community needs before further plans are laid out. It said the investment will not only help create jobs and boost regional prosperity, but would also reduce barriers to opportunity and 'bring communities together through shared national moments'. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: 'Sport tells our national story in a way few other things can, uniting communities, inspiring millions, and showcasing our nation on the global stage. 'This major backing for world-class events will drive economic growth across the country, delivering on our plan for change. 'Coupled with strong investment into grassroots sport, we're creating a complete pathway to allow the next generation of sporting heroes to train and take part in sport in communities across the UK.' The announcement comes after Ms Nandy previously pledged £100 million to upgrade sports facilities across the UK, including new and improved pitches, changing rooms, goalposts and floodlights, back in March. Nick Webborn, chairman of UK Sport, praised the new funding as having 'huge potential to drive economic growth, bring people together and inspire the next generation'. He said: 'We believe that live sport is a fundamental part of this country's social fabric. 'We are really excited to be working with the Government and support their commitment to secure the pipeline of big events beyond 2028 to ensure we can continue to reach, inspire and unite people in every corner of the country.' Stuart Andrew, the Conservative shadow culture secretary, said: 'Funding for major sporting events and grassroots sport is welcome – but the spending review was no boon for British sports. 'Rachel Reeves' tax hikes are forcing schools to sell playing fields and driving up business rates for stadiums. 'At the same time, Labour have scrapped the Opening Schools Facilities fund and the National Citizen Service – depriving young people of sporting opportunities. 'Labour must recognise that their economic mismanagement is dealing a devasting blow to the sports sector.'
