Dana White did not talk like a man trying to smooth things over.
The UFC boss went on Piers Morgan Uncensored and threw the line straight across the table. If Eddie Hearn wants to step in a ring, White said, he will meet him there.
“Listen, if Eddie wants to box, we can box.”
That was not said as a joke. White delivered it the way fighters talk in a gym when someone keeps running his mouth.
The friction has been building since Zuffa confirmed it is launching a boxing project backed by Saudi money. The dispute sharpened when Conor Benn agreed to join that venture.
White did not sound interested in the emotional angle some promoters tried to paint around the deal.
“The whole Conor Benn thing, apparently, they’re supposed to be really close,” White said. “Conor, who they care about, is going to make some good money for him and his family. He should be happy for him if they’re that friendly and that close, or he should have matched the deal.”
Benn’s agreement has been reported around £15 million for a single fight. White did not confirm the figure, but he made his view clear.
That principle runs through boxing whether promoters like it or not. When contracts expire, fighters follow the best offer. That reality is exactly what worries established promoters as Zuffa starts recruiting.
That principle runs through boxing whether promoters like it or not.
White also brushed aside the idea that he is trying to poach fighters tied to existing deals.
“I wouldn’t confuse business with the personal relationship either…If there’s a guy under contract, you don’t you don’t mess with him, when contracts are up and somebody has the right to to negotiate, all’s fair.”
Then he circled back to Hearn again.
“I don’t think Eddie wants to box… Yeah, listen, I used to, back in the day, I used to box with all the guys.”
Pressed again on whether he would actually fight Hearn, White did not hesitate.
“Absolutely.”
This argument is bigger than two promoters trading lines in interviews. Zuffa is trying to build a centralized structure in a sport built on rival promoters, television deals, and alphabet bodies guarding their belts.
That shift threatens the business model people like Hearn have worked for years to build.
And when fighters start following the money, promoters start swinging.
To watch the full interview tonight, go to https://www.youtube.com/
Read the full article here