Zuffa Boxing 1 just unfolded on January 23! It was a decent card, with solid fights. However, it lacked the hype that Zuffa and UFC CEO Dana White had built around it, aiming to revolutionize the sport of boxing. And Matchroom Boxing head, Eddie Hearn, felt that. 

Hearn and White haven’t been on the best of terms lately. So, some may call the British promoter’s opinion on the card biased. However, Eddie Hearn’s takeaway from the event at Meta Apex in the Las Vegas Valley seemed pinpoint accurate, as he revealed his thoughts during an interview with Ariel Helwani. 

Eddie Hearn reveals why Zuffa Boxing 1 lacked ambition

“Basic.” That’s how Hearn summed up Dana White’s first foray into boxing. And this was despite the event being headlined by rising Irish star Callum Walsh, who defeated Carlos Ocampo via unanimous decision atop Zuffa Boxing 1. Still, Hearn believed he understood why the card felt underwhelming. “I think these guys are long-term players.”

“To the naked eye, it probably lacked ambition… I think if you want to come out of the gates hot, you want to do a big event with a big crowd and make big noise,” Hearn continued. However, he didn’t believe that was Zuffa Boxing’s immediate goal. Instead, the English promoter suggested the promotion is taking a measured, patient approach.

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“I think they’re looking at a five, ten-year plan for the business, and let’s get it rolling, maybe,” Hearn told Helwani during The Ariel Helwani Show. While he appeared to understand Zuffa’s long-term vision, Hearn also explained why he would never stage a card like Zuffa Boxing 1 himself.

“I mean, if I did a show like that, with that card, in that kind of atmosphere, with the look, I would be ridiculed for months,” Hearn continued. “But this is a new thing, and it’s emerging. And it will, no doubt, get better and better and better. The broadcasts I haven’t really seen.”

According to the BBC, the venue currently holds just 500 people—intimate, no doubt—but it lacked the energy such a small-scale event typically generates. Adding to that, the British outlet reported that much of the attendance consisted of invitees rather than paying, enthusiastic fans.

Gate revenue and viewership figures from the event have yet to be disclosed. Zuffa had secured a broadcast deal with Paramount ahead of the event’s launch, leaving questions about how boxing ultimately performed on the streaming platform.

While Hearn may not have been overly impressed by the debut event, that hasn’t slowed Zuffa Boxing down, as the promotion is already moving ahead with plans for its second show.

Dana White-led Zuffa Boxing confirms second show

Zuffa Boxing has confirmed the full main card for its second event, set for Sunday, February 1, at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, streaming on Paramount+. The 10-round main event will feature former WBA super lightweight champion Jose Valenzuela returning to the lightweight division to face hard-hitting contender Diego Torres.

Valenzuela enters the bout following an 11-month layoff after losing his WBA title to Gary Antuanne Russell in March. Torres, meanwhile, has rebuilt momentum with four consecutive wins since suffering the first defeat of his career in late 2023. The co-feature pairs Serhii Bohachuk against Radzhab Butaev in a 10-round middleweight contest. 

Opening the main card is a light heavyweight bout between former WBC champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk and Radivoje Kalajdzic. 

Clearly, Dana White and Zuffa Boxing aren’t worried about the optics at the moment. All they want is to get the show on the road, and Eddie Hearn feels the same way. But do you think Zuffa can survive in the current boxing landscape?