Eddie Hearn has delivered his most pointed attack yet on Dana White and the Zuffa Boxing venture, calling their current output "complete dogsh*t" and dismantling White's claim that Matchroom lacks vision.
Hearn spoke with The Stomping Ground on Wednesday, where he responded directly to White's recent comments dismissing him as simply "Barry Hearn's son" with no real vision of his own.
The "Dogsh*t" Verdict
"When you compare Matchroom shows to Zuffa Boxing shows, quite frankly, Zuffa Boxing shows are absolute complete dogsh*t," Hearn said. "But they're going to get better and they're going to sign some big fighters and they're going to spunk some money. I've said it before, they're clever people, but right now they're trying to manipulate fight fans, and they don't understand how intelligent fight fans are when it comes to boxing."
Hearn took particular aim at Zuffa Boxing's recent output, questioning the concept of "vision" that White has claimed for his new promotional venture.
"To say that I don't have any vision is really quite strange," Hearn said. "When you talk about their vision, what's their vision? Getting Max Kellerman to tell everyone that Callum Walsh is the next Roy Jones? Or putting Charles Martin on a headline show on a Sunday night in front of 126 people in your garage, in a ring that looks like you've just got it out of a local club show. What sort of vision is that? That's not vision. That's control."
Turning Dana's Own Words Against Him
White's dig about Hearn being his father's son backfired badly. Hearn responded with a pointed history lesson about White's own career, noting that the UFC boss spent years working for the Fertitta brothers and now operates within a structure owned by TKO, Endeavor, and Saudi interests.
"Yes, I do work for my dad," Hearn acknowledged. "But Dana White has worked for his daddy for a long time — the Fertitta brothers. That's who he worked for. And right now, Dana White's got a new daddy, and his name is Turki [Al Sheikh]. So it took him a nanosecond to get personal — but that's because right now he's right at the bottom of the pile in terms of quality as a boxing promoter."
This isn't the first time Hearn has weighed in on White's boxing ambitions. When Zuffa Boxing first launched, Hearn predicted the UFC model wouldn't translate to boxing. More recently, Hearn addressed the broader rivalry with White when Zuffa Boxing first started gaining traction.
Hearn also delivered a pointed piece of advice for his rival. "The best bit of advice I've got for him is tune into DAZN for the next two Saturdays and see how to do it properly — with a bit of vision, in front of sold-out crowds, with unbelievable atmospheres, brilliant undercards, and storyline. Real, true storyline."
Despite the aggression, Hearn stopped short of writing Zuffa Boxing off entirely, conceding that White's operation is staffed by intelligent people who will eventually become a more serious competitor. For now, though, he insists the gap in quality is stark — and he's happy to say so.