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JOE CULLEN burst out in frustration as he left his World Championship press conference, claiming that the media had shown him “no respect”.
The Bradford star defeated Wessel Nijman, winning 3-0 in an impressive opening performance at Ally Pally.
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Despite this, an irritated Cullen, 35, lashed out at the media just moments after advancing to the third round.
Cullen, who enters to the tune of Don’t Look Back In Anger, took merely three minutes of questioning before leaving in anger.
He stated: “I’m thrilled. I displayed some of my best gameplay.
“Am I proud? I’m ranked 30 slots higher than him.
“I’m satisfied with my performance. I don’t know Wessel personally.
“I think the media focus could have contributed to his troubles somewhat.
“I’ve faced obstacles both on and off the oche this year. Achieving a performance like that is meaningful.
“Honestly, I owe a debt of gratitude to you all because I don’t think I would have played that way had it not been for the absurd comments I read beforehand.”
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But then Cullen became exasperated, mentioning the scrutiny on Wessel regarding his return from a match-fixing ban.
He continued: “The media attention that Wessel has received—I’m not criticizing him.
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“He seems like a wonderful young man.
“He got caught up in some issues earlier; he served his time and took responsibility for his errors, which many fail to do.
“However, the way I’ve been treated by the media—I get that you all have no sway over the bookies.
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“I feel disrespected, and tonight I won’t show any respect to you people. I’m going home.”
Cullen is set to face former world champion Gerwyn Price in Round 3.
