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Dana White vs. Eddie Hearn? The head of Matchroom Boxing is ready for the 'battle' ahead
Dana White is used to having the first and last word. But since he recently announced the formation of Zuffa Boxing, which will be starting in 2026 and coming off being the promoter of record of the Turki Alalshiki-led Riyadh Season blockbuster event with Terence Crawford dethroning Canelo Alvarez in September, there's someone who is showing that he won't just sit idly by like previous MMA promoters have to the UFC President.
Hearn has been doing interviews, saying he welcomes the challenge White is going to bring to boxing, considering the success he's had with the UFC. White did an interview on The Three Knockdown Rule podcast, getting agitated at Hearn's recent comments.
"Eddie Hearn, all of a sudden, is acting like a lunatic," White said to co-host Mario Lopez. "You know who he sounds like? He sounds like he's reading a WWE script every time he talks on a show now. It's a fascinating thing because I've known Eddie for awhile. This isn't Eddie's personality. The other thing is when you hear Eddie talk, it reminds me of a career politician. He's running for election now. He's like, 'We're gunna do this. And we're gunna do that.'. Where were you the last 20 years? You didn't do s—t. And now I'm getitng in and I'm going to do these fights and know you're going to do this and that? Those guys never thought big. It's just not the way they think. It's not the way they run their business. All of a sudden, now Eddie's gunna change boxing and he's gunna fix this and gunna do that. He's gunna compete with me. He's going to do all this s—t. I don't even think about those guys, what they're doing, how they're doing it. I go in, keep my head down, grind and do my thing."
Hearn met with the media on Friday and was asked about White's comments towards him.
“I don't want it to go like this for him, but I saw that interview,” Hearn said. “I was like, ‘It's over. It's over before it's even started.’ I mean, how loud do you want to talk? Right? We know we've seen this before, where the blood pressure starts going through the roof. You could just chill. It's only little old me that doesn't think big enough. So just chill. We don't have to scream and shout. You don't have to lose your temper. The blood pressure doesn't have to go out of control. You do your thing. I'll do my thing.
“I'm looking forward to the battle, but all of a sudden, I just saw this anger and this tension. On one hand, we're not a threat; and two, you've lost your shit already. We haven't even started yet. I mean, you haven't got a boxing product yet, and it’s started. So, listen, this is bread and butter to me. The difference between Dana and me is I've been in those battles for 15 years with Frank [Warren], with Bob [Arum], with Oscar [De La Hoya], with all of them. And it is literally like riding a bike for me. I see these warning signs, like I saw in that video. I just thought, ‘Oh my God, this could be a little bit easier than I thought. But don't get me wrong, it's going to be a fun fight. But like I said, this is bread and butter for me.
“I don't mind when someone says something negative about me,” Hearn continued. “You don't see me boiling over and screaming down the interview. I’m just chilled. But I think they should answer some real questions, you know. And the most pressing question is, why do you want to change the Muhammad Ali Act or abolish the Muhammad Ali Act that is intact to protect fighters?”
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Joseph Parker and Fabio Wardley fight on Saturday, October 25, to become the WBO mandatory challenger to Oleksandr Usyk. Watch the fight and undercard live and exclusive on DAZN PPV.
