Eddie Hearn Says Zuffa “Doesn’t Care About Boxing”

Matchroom chief claims Zuffa prioritizes business over fighters

Eddie Hearn publicly questioned Zuffa Boxing’s commitment to the sport following Conor Benn’s departure from Matchroom. Speaking on BBC 5 Live with Steve Bunce, the Matchroom chairman accused the new entrant of prioritizing business over fighters.

“It’s going to be a long, hard battle,” Hearn said of Dana White. “But I’m also privileged and honoured that it seems to be a battle between me and him. And I’m well up for it.”

Hearn described Benn’s departure as “painful,” then sharpened his focus on White and the structure behind Zuffa.

“I’ve said it before: these guys are very, very powerful, ruthless people. They don’t care about the sport of boxing. In my opinion, they don’t care about the fighters – it’s just a business to them.”

He pointed to how he believes fighters are treated under that model.

“Tom Aspinall literally had his eye gouged out in a fight and Dana White basically called him a cry baby and cast him aside, humiliated him in front of everybody, whilst the guy is having operations to save his eyesight.”

Hearn then drew a direct comparison to his own handling of Benn.

“Dana White wouldn’t do what I did for Conor Benn. But we’re different people, and we have a different passion for the sport. You’re a pawn in the game if you’re Conor Benn, aren’t you? We’re different organisations.”

This is more than promoter rivalry. It is a clash of operating styles. Matchroom works within boxing’s sanctioning structure, dealing with rankings, mandatories, and broadcast obligations. Zuffa enters with financial backing and a centralized model that has yet to be tested inside boxing’s independent belt system.

The rhetoric is loud. The next phase will be measured by who secures meaningful, sanctioned fights and who keeps their fighters positioned near the belts.