UK-based Terry O’Connor was appointed to oversee Joseph Parker’s titie defence against Hughie Fury on Saturday night and Higgins, Duco and the rest of the team have made their feelings known ever since.
Higgins wanted a neutral official for the Manchester Arena contest, and despite arriving late for the presser with former world title challenger Frans Botha, made his feelings plain to Fury’s father and trainer.
“You shook my hand, you shook my hand,” Higgins told Fury before being asked to leave.
As he did so, Higgins continued to shout, ‘neutral referee’ as security pushed him towards the door.
Clearly upset as claims he or the British Boxing Board, who gave O’Connor the job, were intending to act outside of the rules. Fury said:
“You’re rattled and now you’ve shown it. Who gives a s*** about your neutral referee, you dickhead!”
When given a short time to calm down, Fury added: “When I came here this morning, it’s not nice when your promoter is saying to you that Higgins is threatening to pull out of the fight and wants to run away to New zealand with the money.
“We hear all this rubbish talk out of his mouth and he comes in here and says what about the referee and making comment about looking Peter Fury in the eye.”
He went on: “I want my son to win the world title with no hidden agendas. Higgins is basically saying, it;s not fair. Is he insinuating that I have the British Boxing Board of Control, one of the most respected officiating group in world boxing, saying I have them in my pocket, they are bent?
“I have got no interest in a referee, a judge or anything else. I’m here to see my son win a world title and that’s what we have been training for.
“All this stupid, silly gossip … I’m not interested in all that crap.”
Parker, embarrassed by what had transpired, gave his opinion on the outburst.
“I think he should have waited until he was sitting down to make the comment.
“It doesn’t really reflect the best on the team but you can understand, he has concerns as a promoter having agreements and contracts in place and it’s not really going as planned. But there are better ways we can. hopefully it’s a one-off.
“The fight hasn’t had the best promotion, maybe that’s why he did it.”
