Eddie Hearn Calls Zuffa Boxing Belt 'The Cringiest Sh*t I’ve Ever Seen'

When Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing promotion stages its March 8 event, Jai Opetaia and Brandon Glanton will compete for the inaugural Zuffa Boxing World Cruiserweight Championship the first belt created under White’s fledgling boxing banner. White has already pushed two Zuffa Boxing events across the finish line, with two more on the calendar. But while the UFC CEO is accelerating into boxing with characteristic force, critics question whether a promotional “world title” carries meaningful weight in a sport steeped in sanctioning-body history.

Enter Eddie Hearn, chairman of Matchroom Boxing, who didn’t mince words in an interview with iFL TV. “That is the cringiest sh*t I’ve ever seen,” Hearn said. “Whenever it is, Jai Opetaia fighting Brandon Glanton for the Zuffa championship of the world, and I was thinking, ‘Do you know what? I could just do that.’”

Hearn sarcastically floated the idea of launching a “Matchroom Boxing World Championship,” highlighting what he views as the absurdity of creating a belt outside the established sanctioning framework.

Matchroom founded in 1982 by Hearn’s father, Barry has promoted some of boxing’s biggest stars, including Anthony Joshua, and current world champions such as Dmitry Bivol, Jesse Rodriguez, Shakur Stevenson, and Katie Taylor.

For Eddie Hearn, championship legitimacy is rooted in history. “Do you think I would disrespect boxing that much where I would say, we are going to bring out the ‘Matchroom Boxing World Championship?’” Hearn said. “The history and legacy of the sport governs that.”