Eddie Hearn has turned Dana White’s own language against him, calling Zuffa Boxing visionless after White spent months making the same accusation against established boxing promoters.
Speaking to Fight Hub TV, Hearn reflected on how his relationship with White has changed since the UFC boss entered boxing with Zuffa Boxing and began publicly attacking rival promoters, including Matchroom.
“He’s always been unbelievably courteous to me,” Hearn said. “It is what it is, I don’t have anything personal to say about him and it’s just a business and a fight, but this one is out of the ring. It’s Matchroom vs Zuffa, and I love it. It’s a buzz. Everyone is talking about Eddie and Dana fighting but the real fight is the business.”
The two men used to have a cordial relationship, with Hearn having attended UFC events as White’s guest. That changed when White launched Zuffa Boxing and began targeting boxing’s promotional establishment with broad criticism about a lack of vision. Hearn is now pointing to Zuffa Boxing’s early track record as evidence that the accusation applies in the opposite direction.
“I don’t think they know what they’re doing in boxing. Where’s the league? We’re six months in and all we’ve seen is five shows with a load of randoms on it. You’re stuck in the Apex still, are you gonna come out of there and do anything creative?” Hearn said.
He also suggested White operates in a bubble that prevents him from accurately assessing what the rest of the industry is doing. “Every time he opens his mouth he talks about me, which is brilliant for my profile over here in America. I don’t really think he knows what’s going on in terms of what other people are doing because they’re so arrogant they just think what they do is the only thing happening.”
White has teased plans to take Zuffa Boxing to the UK and has recently signed Conor Benn to a multi-fight deal, though the promotion has staged all of its events to date at the Meta APEX on the UFC campus.