Eddie Hearn Says Zuffa Boxing Product ‘Not Very Good’

Eddie Hearn said Zuffa Boxing’s early cards have not reached the level he expects.

The Matchroom chairman spoke ahead of his Arizona event and addressed the Saudi-funded venture led by Dana White. Hearn said he is judging the promotion by the matchups it is putting forward for its headline slots.

Zuffa Boxing has entered the sport with significant financial backing and plans to stage events in the United States and abroad.

The promotion has introduced its own title system and ranking structure rather than operating fully within the existing sanctioning body model.

Hearn pointed to Jai Opetaia’s Zuffa debut against 15th-ranked Brandon Glanton and the build around Charles Martin versus Efe Ajagba. He said those fights fall short of what he considers top competition for events presented on a national stage.

“Let’s be honest: they’re not making great fights on Zuffa Boxing. The product is not very good,” Hearn said in comments to Lance Pugmire at Boxingscene.

He said that if similar cards were attached to his name, he would expect criticism.

“If I was putting on those shows Dana is doing, I’d get ridiculed,” Hearn said. “If you actually strip it back and look at what you’re getting…”

Zuffa Boxing has introduced its own championship belt and plans to rank fighters inside its structure. Opetaia is scheduled to compete for the first version of that title in Las Vegas on March 8. The setup places the promotion outside the four major sanctioning bodies that oversee recognized world championships.

Hearn questioned whether a newly created belt can gain recognition alongside established titles.

“It’s smart what they’re trying to do, trying to spin the narrative that this Zuffa belt is the belt,” he said. “If you know boxing, you say, ‘Oh no it’s not.’”

Hearn said he will continue to book recognized championship fights and pursue cooperation with other promoters.

“We’ve just got to keep outperforming them,” Hearn said.