Eddie Hearn wasted no time in landing a few jabs in his typical, understated fashion in his Zuffa Boxing debut on Friday night.
Dana White entered the boxing world and made a quiet headliner in his first major event at Meta Apex when Callum Walsh defeated Carlos Ocampo. While the show itself was low-key, fans praised the Las Vegas venue and overall broadcast.
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Still, Hearn wasn’t entirely convinced. He noted that he would face harsh criticism from boxing fans if he promoted a similar event at the venue – although he admitted that he himself had not attended the fight due to lack of access to the Paramount.
Eddie Hearn praises Zuffa Boxing’s debut fight
Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images
Dana White is the first to admit that Zuffa Boxing still has some work to do and although many expected Eddie Hearn to move on, he hasn’t taken the bait. Rather than exacerbating existing media tensions, Hearn has maintained a relatively cautious approach.
The 46-year-old told IFL TV that he did not watch the live broadcast. Even so, his comments made it clear that he wasn’t too impressed by what he saw or heard.
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“I followed it through social media like Zuffa. It’s different, isn’t it? I would say if I had put that card on I would have been completely flushed and I would have been abused for a month, but they’ve already started to act.
“These guys are long-term guys, they don’t have to make it in their first three fights, so I believe they’ll be good for the sport…I’m more interested in soap operas and beefs where they say they don’t recognize the belt and now they’re in the main event of a WBC world title fight.
“I thought it was really funny but I didn’t watch the show to be honest. I saw some highlights and Callum Walsh; Max Kellerman said he fought like Roy Jones Jr. so it must be good.”
Eddie Hearn wins world title before Zuffa boxing
There had been rumors that Zuffa Boxing might try to sign two-weight world champion Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, but Matchroom have inserted a match period into his contract to give them a chance to retain him.
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According to Hearn, Matchroom matched the offer, which means they will keep Rodriguez.
“We have a good relationship with Bam. We will move forward with him and we will announce his next game very soon,” he revealed.