Clash of Titans
The tension between Eddie Hearn and Dana White continues to escalate, with the Matchroom promoter hitting back at recent criticism from the UFC chief. Once on friendly terms, the pair have been trading barbs since White began promoting his own boxing events under Zuffa, prompting a war of words over vision, credibility, and influence in the sport.
White had accused Hearn of lacking vision and simply working in the shadow of his father, Barry Hearn, who founded Matchroom in 1982. Speaking to The Stomping Ground, Eddie was quick to push back, questioning White’s track record and the quality of Zuffa’s fledgling boxing shows.
Hearn Defends His Vision
“It’s very strange because Dana has always been complimentary about us as a company and me as a promoter, but to say I don’t have any vision is really quite strange,” Hearn said. He went on to criticize White’s events, citing poorly attended shows and mismatched fight cards.
“Right now, when you talk about their vision, what’s their vision? Putting Callum Walsh in the spotlight as the next Roy Jones, or Charles Martin headlining a Sunday night show for 126 people on a makeshift ring. That’s not vision, that’s control,” Hearn added. He argued that Zuffa is attempting to create its own boxing bubble rather than genuinely compete in the sport’s cutthroat environment.
Taking Shots at Personal Attacks
Hearn didn’t hold back when addressing White’s claim that he simply works for his father. “Yes, I work for my dad, but guess what? Dana White worked for his ‘daddy’ for years too—the Fertitta brothers. Now his new boss is Turki Alalshikh,” Hearn said.
He acknowledged that Zuffa is a capable operation but maintained that their current boxing efforts are underwhelming. “At the moment, Matchroom shows far outclass theirs. They’ll get better, sign bigger fighters, spend more money—but right now, they’re trying to manipulate fight fans who know better,” Hearn concluded.
With both sides digging in, the brewing rivalry shows no signs of cooling down, and fans can likely expect more fiery exchanges in the coming weeks.
