Dana White fires back at Eddie Hearn in feud

Dana White escalated his war of words with Eddie Hearn, dismissing the Matchroom boss’s recent criticism and taking aim at his role in the sport.

The latest exchange came after White staged what he described as his most exciting Zuffa Boxing event yet at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas.

In the headline bout, Efe Ajagba stopped former world champion Charles Martin in a brutal heavyweight clash. Speaking to media afterward, White addressed Hearn’s recent remarks about Zuffa Boxing’s decision to stage Jai Opetaia vs. Brandon Glanton for a cruiserweight title outside traditional sanctioning bodies — a move Hearn had labeled “cringe.”

White rejected the criticism and questioned Hearn’s credentials as an innovator in boxing.

“I saw Eddie Hearn saying that the belt is cringey and all that stuff,” White said. “I don’t think anybody looks at Eddie Hearn and says, ‘Oh, this guy is a visionary.’ The guy’s been in boxing forever.”

Once regarded as friendly counterparts in combat sports promotion, the relationship between White and Hearn appears to have deteriorated as competition intensifies. Hearn, chairman of Matchroom Boxing, has frequently taken subtle shots at White’s efforts to reshape professional boxing through Zuffa Boxing, while White has positioned himself as a disruptor seeking structural change in the sport.

White argued that Hearn has largely operated within boxing’s traditional framework rather than challenging it.

“I look at him like most politicians; you’ve done nothing in the sport except stay in the lane, play by all the rules and ride right along,” White said. “You ended up becoming part of the problem.”

He also referenced Hearn’s family ties to boxing, noting that he is the son of longtime promoter Barry Hearn, a figure who played a key role in building Matchroom’s presence in the sport.

“And I don’t want to sit here and smash Eddie Hearn but Eddie Hearn works for his dad,” White added. “He works for dad and I don’t think he’s come in and ever had any type of vision, whereas we do.”

White maintained that Zuffa Boxing aims to overhaul boxing’s traditional structures and insisted that established promoters remain free to continue their own operations.

“We are going to change the entire sport,” he said. “I understand the people who are the status quo in boxing don’t like it. But it doesn’t mean they can’t still do their thing. If your thing is as good as you think it is, then do your thing. Good luck to you — I’m going to do my thing and they’re going to do theirs.”

The exchange marks the latest chapter in an increasingly public rivalry between two of combat sports’ most prominent promoters, as White continues to push for a broader expansion into the boxing world.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev