Paulie Malignaggi Calls Dana White “Average” as Hearn Debate Grows

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The former two-weight world champion reacted after Lou DiBella claimed White is already the better promoter, pointing to White’s UFC track record and financial backing as Zuffa Boxing begins to expand.

Malignaggi pushed back on that idea, arguing White’s boxing record is still too limited to support the claim.

“We haven’t seen enough of Dana White in boxing,” Malignaggi said to Boxingscene about Zuffa. “So far, he’s kind of average.”

He added that while White has strong financial support, that alone doesn’t guarantee success in a sport that operates differently from mixed martial arts.

“There is a big war chest, but he could still drop the whole bag and fail,” Malignaggi said.

Malignaggi pointed instead to Hearn’s track record, citing the number of champions developed under Matchroom Boxing and the company’s sustained global presence.

“Right now, Eddie Hearn is the better promoter,” he said. “He’s created more champions. He’s doing more.”

Trainer Stephen Edwards also questioned DiBella’s stance, noting that Zuffa Boxing is still in its early stages and hasn’t yet produced enough results to justify the comparison.

White has begun assembling a roster that includes Jai Opetaia and Richardson Hitchins, but his long-term impact in boxing remains unproven.

Malignaggi’s point comes down to output. Zuffa has signed names like Jai Opetaia and Conor Benn, but the early shows haven’t forced the rest of the sport to react yet.

There’s no breakout event or signature night attached to it. Hearn, by contrast, has spent years building champions and navigating the sanctioning bodies to make major fights. Until Zuffa delivers something at that level, the claims about its dominance are still ahead of what’s actually been produced.