The rivalry between boxing promoter Eddie Hearn and UFC president Dana White has intensified, with Hearn delivering a pointy rebuttal to White’s latest jabs. In a clip from an interview on The Stomping Floor, shared extensively on X (previously Twitter), Hearn addressed White’s feedback mocking him for working below his father, Barry Hearn, at Matchroom Boxing.
White, who lately launched Zuffa Boxing below the TKO umbrella, had criticized Hearn throughout a press occasion, saying, “Eddie Hearn works for his dad.” Hearn didn’t maintain again in his response, flipping the script on White’s profession trajectory and present affiliations.
Within the video, Hearn acknowledged: “Sure, I do work for my dad. However guess what? Dana White has labored for his daddy for a very long time, the Fertitta brothers. That’s who he labored for. And proper now, Dana White’s received a brand new daddy, and his identify is Turki Alalshikh. His new daddy and he has received to do no matter he’s informed as a result of he works for TKO which is owned by Endeavor and the Saudis and Turki Alalshikh. So it took him a nanosecond to get private however that’s as a result of proper now he’s proper on the backside of the pile by way of high quality as a boxing promoter.”
The feedback reference White’s early days with the UFC, which was bought by the Fertitta brothers in 2001, and his present position below TKO Group Holdings, a merger of UFC and WWE owned by Endeavor. Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s Normal Leisure Authority, has been a key determine in funding main boxing occasions by Riyadh Season, influencing promotions throughout the game.
This change comes amid White’s push into boxing, together with Zuffa Boxing’s inaugural occasion and proposals to amend the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act. Hearn, whose Matchroom has promoted stars like Anthony Joshua and Canelo Alvarez, has beforehand questioned White’s motives and the standard of his occasions.
The feud has sparked reactions from followers and trade insiders. On X, customers praised Hearn’s clapback, with one noting, “Eddie vs Dana goes to be so electrical these subsequent 5 years.” Others identified perceived hypocrisies, equivalent to White’s personal historical past of working below buyers.
As each promoters vie for dominance in fight sports activities, this back-and-forth may sign extra collaborations—or conflicts—forward, particularly with Saudi involvement reshaping the panorama. For now, the gloves are off within the promoter’s ring.
