Tom Aspinall is eagerly waiting for his eyes to heal so he can hopefully face the winner of Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane by the time he returns to active competition. However, as the heavyweight champion slowly recovers from his eye injury, his new manager, Eddie Hearn, has ignited a war with his rival and Aspinall’s boss, Dana White. The prominent boxing promoter has now demanded that the UFC release Aspinall from his contract. In return, Hearn has assured them that he would drop the legal dispute involving their Zuffa Boxing star, Conor Benn. 

“When Conor Benn signed with Zuffa, he said, ‘Eddie should want fighters to earn as much money as possible. He should be happy for Conor Benn.’ I’ve got an idea,” Eddie Hearn told IFL TV. “I would like Dana White to release Tom Aspinall from his UFC contract. I will guarantee, in writing, a minimum; I’d probably pay five times more, but a minimum of three times more than what Dana White is paying him.

“I would like to propose that Dana White should be happy for Tom Aspinall, who is extremely unhappy. He should release him from his obligations with the UFC and allow him to go out and make considerably more for himself and his family, because that’s what Dana White’s all about, isn’t it? He’s one of the worst, most grossly underpaid athletes I’ve ever seen. I’ll walk away from all their problems they’ve got with the Conor Benn legal situation if they release Tom Aspinall.”

Going by Eddie Hearn’s words here, the British boxing promoter has seemingly proposed a trade deal to Dana White. Conor Benn was part of Matchroom Boxing before signing with Zuffa in a staggering $15 million one-fight deal. Hearn, who played a key role in Benn’s rise in the boxing world, felt hurt by the move. As a result, he signed Tom Aspinall to his talent management company in March of 2026. Many saw it as a form of payback to Dana White for slighting him with his comments on the UFC heavyweight champion following the eye poke fallout.

If Dana White releases Tom Aspinall, the heavyweight champion would be free to pursue boxing under Hearn’s Matchroom promotion. To be fair, the Brit is widely recognized, and the Matchroom boss would gain an ideal replacement for Benn if Aspinall joined his promotion. Also, the Salford native’s father has previously expressed a desire for his son to pursue boxing after the end of his MMA career, citing the UFC’s low-pay structure. As such, both Hearn and the Aspinall family have a vested interest in White granting his release.

On the legal side, the British promoter has threatened Conor Benn with legal action over alleged unpaid dues. During an appearance on the Cigar Talk podcast, Hearn claimed that the British Boxer borrowed approximately $500,000 or more from him for personal expenses. Benn, however, denied it outright. For this, the Matchroom chief has already hinted at potential legal action against ‘The Destroyer.’

If Hearn ultimately decides to take the legal route, Benn could find himself entangled in a lengthy legal battle that may affect his future fights under Zuffa. That said, as the tug-of-war between Dana White and Eddie Hearn takes an unexpected turn, a renowned boxing coach has already weighed in on Aspinall’s future in boxing.

Rico Verhoeven’s coach predicts Tom Aspinall could achieve a similar stardom in boxing

Rico Verhoeven recently shocked the combat sports world by going toe-to-toe with Oleksandr Usyk. The Dutch kickboxing great, who was part of Tom Aspinall’s camp ahead of his clash against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321, controversially came up short against the Ukrainian last weekend.

Even so, Verhoeven’s stock has risen significantly, with many in the boxing world praising his performance against one of the sport’s all-time greats. Now, Verhoeven’s boxing coach, Peter Fury, believes something similar could happen if Aspinall decides to step into the boxing ring in the future.

“Tom Aspinall’s got super fast arms,” Fury said on the Ariel Helwani Show. “He’s quick. He’s agile. For a man at 18.5 stone, 117 kilos. The speed and the way he moves is phenomenal. So could he do something in boxing? Yeah. It’s probably a similar story to Rico, really. He could definitely do the transition because they’ve all been around me for years in boxing.

“They know the game because they know me, and we’ve had the conversations for hours on end. They know the sport. They know this game because we’ve all been around each other for years. So yes, the transition for Tom Aspinall will be pretty easy. And do I think he can do big things? Yeah. For sure.”

As Eddie Hearn continues on his payback journey with the demand of Aspinall’s return, the promotion’s numerous legal and contractual clauses could make such a move difficult. However, it will be interesting to see whether Hearn’s public efforts to secure Aspinall’s release have any impact on the heavyweight champion’s eventual return to the Octagon.