For more than a month, Eddie Hearn has returned to the same subject whenever Fury-Joshua is discussed: Dana White and Zuffa Boxing. His latest remarks were no different.
Asked about several topics throughout the interview, Hearn repeatedly circled back to White, Zuffa Boxing, and who would ultimately receive credit for staging the biggest fight in British boxing history.
“I don’t want peace if I’m honest. I haven’t had this much fun since the Warren days,” said Hearn to iFL TV.
Hearn later made it clear that he has no interest in ending the rivalry.
“I don’t want to play nice and Dana don’t want to play nice. Listen, I respect Dana in the sense of he’s a great competitor and he wants a war with me and he’s picked the right geyser because I’m bang up for it, mate.”
He also suggested the feud has become a recurring topic whenever White speaks publicly.
“At the moment, every single Dana White press conference is basically about Eddie Hearn.”
Hearn insisted that under the current agreement, Dana White and TKO cannot promote Fury vs. Joshua and said the contract also specifies that the fight is to take place in the United Kingdom. He added that any move to the United States or any promotional role for White would require a renegotiation of the existing deal.
At the same time, Hearn acknowledged that he would be willing to discuss changes if they benefited Anthony Joshua.
That is where the situation becomes interesting.
On one hand, Hearn says the focus is on delivering the fight Joshua wants. On the other, much of his public commentary has centered on White’s role, White’s ambitions in boxing and the ongoing rivalry between Matchroom and Zuffa.
The concern is understandable. If White ends up attached to Fury-Joshua in a leading promotional role, it would give Zuffa Boxing instant credibility and another recruiting tool in its effort to attract elite fighters.
Hearn has already seen Conor Benn fight under the Zuffa banner, while Johnny Fisher recently revealed he wanted Matchroom to have the opportunity to match or come close to an offer he received elsewhere. Hearn’s response was blunt, admitting the numbers being discussed were far beyond what Matchroom could justify for the level of opposition involved.
Those developments help explain why the Dana White subject continues to surface.
The bigger issue may not be Fury vs. Joshua itself. The bigger issue is what comes after. If Zuffa can attach itself to the sport’s biggest events and continue offering purses that traditional promoters struggle to match, the balance of power in boxing could begin to shift.
Fury-Joshua remains unsigned for a venue and date. But judging by Hearn’s recent comments, his most persistent battle is not with Tyson Fury’s team.
It’s with Dana White.
Read the full article here