Barry Hearn suffers heart attack as son Eddie provides health update | Other | Sport

Barry Hearn suffered a heart attack while watching Leyton Orient in the League One play-offs last month, his son Eddie has revealed. The veteran promoter, who oversees the Matchroom brand, served as Orient chairman between 1995 and 2014. He was in attendance for the first leg of their play-off semi-final meeting with Stockport County when he began to feel discomfort.

Hearn was rushed to hospital after being taken ill during the first half of the match. He subsequently had a third stent installed, having previously suffered two heart attacks. His son Eddie, who runs the boxing arm of Matchroom, opened up on the frightening ordeal during an appearance on Boxing Social.

“He’s fine,” said Eddie. “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.”

Just a few days later, Hearn was spotted at the boxing as Dave Allen secured a knockout victory over Johnny Fisher. Eddie added that his father has made a brilliant recovery in the weeks since his latest health scare.

“As far as he’s concerned, he’s brand new,” explained Eddie. “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.

“On the Monday he had a stent put in to his artery. 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****** 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’. That’s what you’re dealing with.

“When he goes, he’s actually 77 today, my dad, it could be next week, or it could be in 10 years, you just never know when your time’s up. 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 beat Stockport over two legs to book their place in the League One play-off final. Unfortunately for Hearn, they fell short under the Wembley arch as Charlton Athletic secured promotion to the Championship.