Dana White has seemingly escalated his rivalry with long-standing boxing promoters like Eddie Hearn and Oscar de la Hoya with a blunt, five-word warning for the sport’s old guard.
White has long commented on the possibility of Zuffa Boxing invading the sport. However, recent movements indicate that it plans to mold the sport in the UFC’s image, by creating a new ecosystem within it. Due to TKO Group’s support of The Muhammad Ali Revival Act, UFC could create a Unified Boxing Organization (UBO), create its own rankings, and award its own belt.
The recent Canelo vs Terence Crawford super event which GIVE ME SPORT attended at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas was a showcase for Zuffa’s Premium Live Events (PLEs), yet its proposed league for 2026 would shine a light on up-and-coming, or neglected, boxers, too, with 12 events planned that year on Paramount+.
White shared more of his vision for the sport in an interview Monday on CBS, which owns Paramount+, and in that interview, he had a clear message for rival boxing execs like Hearn, de la Hoya, Bob Arum, and Al Haymon.
Dana White’s Blunt, 8-Word Message For Boxing Rivals
“I’m not worried about what any of those are doing, and to be honest with you I think those guys … they don’t think big enough,” White said, when it came to the subject of promoters like Hearn effectively saying ‘Bring it on,’ when it comes to increased competition Zuffa Boxing brings to the marketplace.
“They’ve been in the business for however long. Eddie Hearn went like Oscar de la Hoya overnight, and got attention. But I like Eddie. I think those guys all think small. They don’t think the way that I think.
“Bob Arum, a bunch of those guys, say this model is ridiculous. The sport is a joke. It’ll never make it. But when you look at what we’ve done, we’ve done things that have never been done in the combat sports industry. Tell me a business, or a sport, that has generated trillions of dollars in revenue but at the end of the day, there is absolutely nothing there. That is the sport of boxing in a nutshell.”
That’s when White said eight words that should be a warning to the rest of boxing — particularly those who “want to compete” with Zuffa.
“I think way bigger than you guys do.”
Watch part of the interview right here:
White finished: “I’m not competing with the other promoters, I’m competing with whatever takes the attention of the fans on the night we’re on television — a release of a big movie, NFL, your wife or girlfriend you have to take out. That’s my competition.”