TKO isn’t just satisfied with cornering the market in mixed martial arts and professional wrestling. Now they are coming for boxing, setting up a battle between promotional kingpins Dana White and Eddie Hearn.
Dana White and TKO are soon entering the boxing world with the launch of Zuffa Boxing. The group not only has hefty financial backing from Saudi Arabia and Turki Alalshikh, but they also have a deal with Paramount+ for several fight cards.
But English promoter Eddie Hearn isn’t ready to roll over for White and cede the spotlight to him and TKO just yet. He runs the Matchroom Sport promotion founded by his father Barry Hearn that holds a number of sports under their umbrella from darts to snooker to boxing. And it’s in the boxing world that the younger Hearn has made his mark, promoting fights involving stars like Anthony Joshua.
Hearn hasn’t been shy about challenging White about the transition to boxing. And White has responded in kind. In an interview with Ariel Helwani, Eddie Hearn fired off another salvo at the UFC head honcho.
“You never hear me speak negatively about him. He’s been very good to me. I really respect him. But you have to understand that my life is the sport of boxing and our company. When you say publicly that you’re coming in to the sport and you’re gonna dominate the sport, and you’re going to be CEO of boxing, what do you want me to do? Roll over and let you tickle my belly? No,” Hearn said.
“And when you come out and you say, ‘people like Eddie Hearn, they don’t really have the vision.’ If I’ve been accused of many things, that’s one thing I’ve never been accused of. And that, all that does is, it puts a fire in my belly. I need that fire. I live for that s—. You know? And I can’t wait to take him on.”
While Eddie Hearn said that Dana White coming into boxing was great for the sport because of the increased competition. He also firmly believes that White can’t hold a candle to what he has done and can continue to do in boxing.
“Dana’s not an idiot. He knows I’m for real. Now he’s arrogant enough, as I am, and egotistical enough, as I am, to go, ‘in my opinion, I’m going to spank him in boxing.’ Right? In my opinion, he can’t lace my boots in boxing. But maybe I’m deluded. And maybe I’m so arrogant and egotistical that I’m going to get it wrong. But that’s what I truly believe,” Hearn said.
Eddie Hearn may have the experience, but Dana White and TKO have a whole lot of funding and a whole lot of partners in the wider sports world working with them. It doesn’t get much bigger than Zuffa’s debut fight being Terence Crawford defeating Canelo Alvarez on Netflix to tens of millions of people. Hearn and Matchroom are going to have to make a huge statement of intent in response. Given the money, power, and egos on display here, an Eddie Hearn vs Dana White story could bring some much needed juice to the sport.
About Matt Yoder