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Dana White fires back at Eddie Hearn amid rising tensions over boxing debut

Originally posted on HITC | By Jamie Theodosi | Last updated Oct 19, 2025 6:59 AM ET

There’s a new rivalry building in the world of combat sports, and it’s between two people who once got along quite well: Dana White and boxing promoter Eddie Hearn.

Earlier this year, UFC boss Dana White took his first big steps into the boxing world when he and Turki Alalshikh hosted their first TKO boxing event.

The event turned out to be one of the biggest fights of the century as Terence Crawford dethroned Canelo Alvarez to become the new undisputed super middleweight champion.

White’s entry didn’t go down well with everyone, though. Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn dismissed White’s involvement in the event, which is where things between them started to heat up.

White didn’t hold back as he hit out at Eddie Hearn over their broken relationship

Going back a few years, White and Hearn appeared to have a solid relationship, and they had both spoken positively about each other’s work as promoters.

Hearn even turned up as White’s guest at a UFC London show, taking in the action from the front row.

But with White now making moves into boxing, that friendship has cooled off quite a bit.

Photo by John Nacion/Getty Images for Fanatics

Despite the massive success of Canelo vs Crawford, Hearn publicly downplayed White’s involvement, crediting Alalshikh for putting it together.

“Well, it’s fascinating. Eddie Hearn is all of a sudden acting like a f—— lunatic,” White responded during an interview with The 3 Knockdown Rule podcast.

“You know what he sounds like to me? He sounds like he’s reading a WWE script every time he talks on a show now. It’s a fascinating thing because I’ve known Eddie for a while and this isn’t his personality.”

Dana didn’t stop there either and continued: “The other thing is when you hear someone like Eddie talk it reminds me of a careered politician… Where were you the last f—— 20 years?

“You didn’t do s— and now I’m getting in and I’m gonna do these fights and now you’re gonna do this and do that. Those guys never thought big.”

Dana White’s boxing lands broadcast deal with Paramount

After a strong start to his latest venture, White secured an exclusive broadcast agreement between Zuffa Boxing and Paramount.

The move will see both the UFC and Zuffa Boxing airing on the same platform, with the UFC having already agreed a $7.7 billion contract earlier in the year.

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

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