Dana White and Eddie Hearn have argued for years about how to run combat sports, but White’s new venture Zuffa Boxing is making that rivalry worse. White often criticized the boxing industry and promised his new company would fix it. Instead, Zuffa Boxing has struggled since its January launch. Its biggest star, Shakur Stevenson, recently left the company.
Matchroom Boxing chairman Eddie Hearn is now mocking those struggles, highlighting White’s frustrated behavior at a recent press conference as proof that the UFC boss cannot handle the boxing business.
Eddie Hearn Predicts Zuffa Boxing Might Be Finished Already
The downfall began with Stevenson. He signed on July 9. About three months later, he said Zuffa granted him a release without ever fighting under the banner. Negotiations with Devin Haney reportedly stalled over weight and rehydration terms.
Hearn, who previously managed Stevenson’s rise, labeled the exit humiliating. He points out that Zuffa has not hosted a single card in America since July, and called their single UK event awful.
He argued that boxing exposes promoters who are used to completely dictating the media narrative. To highlight White losing his grip, Hearn pointed to a recent UFC 333 press conference where White failed to recognize his own No. 4-ranked heavyweight contender, Alexander Volkov.
“I actually—I’m not being facetious when I say this—I feel bad for Dana White. It’s like it’s disaster after disaster after disaster. And what boxing does is it completely scrambles your brain… These guys can’t [handle it] because they’re used to just control, control, control. You ask him one question, he tells you to f—- off… You got to stand up here. You got to have a debate.”
According to the 47-year-old, the boxing community has already decided the winner of this promotional war, leaving White’s venture completely dead in the water.
“When you read everybody’s response now, it’s not even a debate. It’s just, ‘Eddie Hearn has kicked their ass into next week. It’s over.’… So I think Zuffa Boxing, I think they might be finished already.”
Despite Hearn’s criticism, White urged the public to look at the bigger picture, saying, “I’ll put it to you this way: Like I said, judge me at the end of the year. Let’s see how this whole thing looks in a couple of years. The writing is on the wall. Whatever little fcking—pardon me, ladies—p—- game he thinks he won, he’s out of his mind. He’s incredibly delusional. He knows what’s going on.”
This ongoing feud highlights a messy, complex power struggle behind the scenes. While Hearn claims Zuffa is failing due to Stevenson’s departure, the company is still actively involved in major boxing matchups.
Most notably, White is co-promoting the massive Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua heavyweight fight on December 11 in Cardiff. However, losing a premier fighter like Shakur Stevenson without ever booking a single fight for him remains a red flag.
