Eddie Hearn Calls Zuffa Boxing First 10 Months Absolutely Abysmal
Eddie Hearn ripped Zuffa Boxing for producing too little in its first 10 months despite deep pockets and a Paramount deal.
Eddie Hearn is not holding back on Zuffa Boxing. The Matchroom boss told Boxing News 24 that the Dana White-led promotion has badly underdelivered given the resources at its disposal.
"With that money, with that contract, with those connections to Turki Alalshikh, the first 10 months have been absolutely abysmal," Hearn said.
Hearn pointed to July 26 as the last time Zuffa staged a show on American soil, when Edgar Berlanga fought Steven Butler in New York. Since then, per Hearn, the promotion has announced no upcoming U.S. events for the rest of 2026. He identified only Johnny Fisher vs. Pirotton and Chris Billam-Smith vs. Chev Clarke as notable fights on the near horizon.
The Shakur Stevenson situation drew particular attention. Hearn noted that Stevenson posted about opponents demanding three million dollars each to fight him, yet neither bout has materialized. For a promotion with Paramount broadcast money and Saudi connections, Hearn argued, that output is nowhere near enough.
Hearn also took aim at White's request to be judged over "a couple of years" rather than the original 12-month window. That shift in the timeline, Hearn suggested, is an admission that the early returns have been disappointing.
Hearn acknowledged his commercial interest as a competitor but argued that regular cards are necessary to maintain viewer interest on Paramount. Without consistent content, even a big-money deal loses momentum.
Look, Hearn has skin in the game here. He is a competitor. He wants Zuffa to fail. But that does not make him wrong.
Ten months in, Zuffa Boxing has Shakur Stevenson sitting on the shelf, a broadcast partner with nothing to air, and a U.S. schedule that went dark after July. That is a bad look no matter how you spin it. When Dana said to judge him in a couple of years instead of 12 months, that told you everything. The goalposts moved because the results did not show up.
The UFC model does not translate directly to boxing. In MMA, Dana controls the fighters, the matchmaking, the broadcast, everything. In boxing, you have to negotiate with other promoters, co-promote, deal with managers who want guarantees. It is a messier business, and Zuffa is learning that the hard way.
I still think Zuffa can figure it out eventually, but Hearn is right that 10 months of this output is not acceptable for the money they are spending.
KEEP TALKING FIGHTS.
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