feature-image

Imago

feature-image

Imago

Essentials Inside The Story

  • Dana White isn't backing down
  • Oscar De La Hoya and Eddie Hearn are questioning everything from the league's structure to its credibility
  • A Paramount+ deal, and personal jabs hint that boxing's next turf war is only getting louder

The back-and-forth shows no signs of slowing down. Zuffa Boxing 3 wrapped up Sunday night at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas, and UFC CEO Dana White, tapped by TKO Holdings to lead the new boxing venture, is firing back at rivals Oscar De La Hoya and Eddie Hearn after their pointed criticism of the fledgling league.

Watch What’s Trending Now!

“There hasn’t been any pushback. This is like beating up babies,” Dana White told a sea of reporters during the Zuffa Boxing 3 post-fight press conference. “I expected some pushback. I expected… them to be more game. They’re all way out of their league. Like. Absolutely, positively out of their league.

ADVERTISEMENT

White has been in a constant war with the likes of Golden Boy Promotions head Oscar De La Hoya and Matchroom Boxing head Eddie Hearn. Even WBC President Mauricio Sulaimán hasn’t been kind to the UFC boss. Oscar, in particular, has slammed White for being “scumbags” for trying to amend the Ali Act and accused him of exploiting boxers.

He was critical of Zuffa Boxing’s debut in January, branding it underwhelming. Meanwhile, Sulaimán has accused White of bullying and mistreatment during the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford fight. He dismissed Zuffa’s business model, which doesn’t include any sanctioning fees, suggesting that’s because the promotion keeps all the money.

ADVERTISEMENT

“I haven’t said anything about Eddie Hearn. [De La Hoya and I] are what we are. The WBC, I haven’t said anything about… And all the s—t that De La Hoya talks. We all know he’s f—king mentally ill,” White reflected on all his rivals. “The guy’s talking all this s—t. His place is in foreclosure. He’s suing his fighters to try to stay with him.

article-image

Imago

According to reports, Oscar De La Hoya’s promotion defaulted on a $27 million commercial real estate loan connected to the promotion’s headquarters in downtown Los Angeles. Oscar, reportedly, is yet to pay $23 million, and is hoping for a modification to the loan repayment schedule to avoid losing the property altogether.

ADVERTISEMENT

Furthermore, De La Hoya has sued his star fighter, Vergil Ortiz Jr., for negotiating a fight deal with Jaron Ennis without him. Their promotional agreement stipulated that if Golden Boy doesn’t have a broadcast partner, Ortiz Jr. will be free to leave the promotion. DAZN and Golden Boy’s agreement ran out in December last year.

ADVERTISEMENT

However, Golden Boy argues that they are in conversation with DAZN to extend their broadcast deal to 2027, so Ortiz Jr. can’t leave the promotion.

“There’s no doubt about it,” White added during the presser, suggesting that pushback from the likes of Oscar, Hearn, and WBC shows the impact they have had on boxing. “I mean, we’re in our third event here, and we’re already in 18 territories across the world… and the list gets bigger every week.

ADVERTISEMENT

“I mean, it’s 18 right now,” White added during the presser. “I think it was 16 [during] Zuffa Boxing 2. It’s just going to keep getting bigger.”

Zuffa Boxing signed a broadcast deal with Paramount+, alongside its sister company, UFC, to air its events on the platform. Regardless, White’s mocking wasn’t just focused on De La Hoya.

ADVERTISEMENT

Dana White calls ‘career politician’ Eddie Hearn daddy’s pet

A handful of days ago, Eddie Hearn told IFL TV that Zuffa Boxing’s belts are the “cringiest s—t I’ve ever seen.” He shouldn’t have done that, as Dana White has now fired back. White branded the Matchroom chief a “career politician” and dismissed him as daddy’s pet.

“I don’t think anybody looks at Eddie Hearn and says, ‘Oh, this guy’s a visionary.’” He added, “This guy’s been in boxing forever… You’ve done nothing in the sport except stay in the lane and play by all the rules and ride right along with what’s happening.

ADVERTISEMENT

“Eddie Hearn works for his dad. You know what I mean? He works for dad,” White added. “… We do [have vision]. We’re gonna change the entire sport.”

White claimed that people in boxing who are protesting Zuffa’s involvement are simply uncomfortable with the disruption they have caused in the sport.

Safe to say, there’s no love lost between Dana White and his rivals. With statements such as these, the feud doesn’t appear to be stopping anytime soon. But do you agree with White?

ADVERTISEMENT

Share this with a friend:

Link Copied!

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Written by

author-image

Sudeep Sinha

4,219 Articles

Sudeep Sinha is a Senior Boxing Writer at EssentiallySports with over two years of experience covering the science at the ES RingSide Desk. Known for sharp fight-night coverage and detailed analysis, Sudeep has become one of the desk’s leading boxing minds. His work has been featured on major platforms such as Sports Illustrated, Daily Mail, and Yahoo Sports, where he covers everything from amateur boxing developments to high-profile controversies like Ryan Garcia career arc. Sudeep balances his professional writing career with a personal passion for reading, cycling, and lively debates about boxing match-ups and trends on social media. He takes pride in delivering engaging stories that resonate with both hardcore boxing enthusiasts and casual fans alike, providing clear insights into fighter strategies, training, and the evolving dynamics of the sport.

Know more

Edited by

editor-image

Bhwya Sriya

ADVERTISEMENT