The bad blood between Eddie Hearn and Dana White is seriously threatening to steal the spotlight from the Dec. 11 mega-fight featuring Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. Forget the heavyweights getting in the ring in Cardiff; the promotional war between these two has been a massive distraction for a minute now, and Tyson Fury’s own manager, Spencer Brown, just weighed in with some serious truth bombs on Uncrowned’s “The Ariel Helwani Show” Tuesday.
The War of Words: Brown Breaks Down the Combat Kings
Brown didn’t hold back when talking about the bitter feud that has been a focal point in the boxing world ever since White’s Zuffa Boxing entered the scene back in January. “I think Eddie’s winning the war of words, but they’re two completely different characters,” Brown said. He painted White as a “hardened bulldog who’s a great businessman” and credited him for taking UFC “from nowhere” and basically creating the sport. That’s a huge compliment, right? But then Brown pivoted to Hearn, saying he “picked the boxing up from his dad, ran with it, and been unbelievably successful.” So, we’ve got one guy who built an empire from scratch and another who took a legacy and made it even bigger. Brown, like a lot of us who just want to see some epic fights, acknowledged that he’d actually like to see these two giants of combat sports promotion figure it out and work together, especially for Fury vs. Joshua.
Remember When They Were Friends? The History of the Beef
It’s wild to think these two were once cordial! Hearn and White used to be cool, even making appearances at each other’s events. But that friendship? Terminated, just like that, as soon as TKO (White’s Zuffa Boxing) stepped into the boxing space. “You’ve got two men there , I can’t see why they can’t [be amicable],” Brown mused. “Does it have to be bitter and nasty all the time? I don’t think so.” He even recalled seeing Hearn at a UFC fight in Vegas at The Sphere back in September 2024, invited and getting along well. Brown’s take? Zuffa’s move into boxing definitely made both guys territorial, especially Hearn. And who could forget White calling out Hearn for a boxing match on “The Piers Morgan Show” in March? Hearn swiftly grabbed that invitation with both hands. KSI’s Misfits Boxing even threw $20 million on the table for that promoter battle, though White has since dismissed the whole thing. Brown, joking around about a potential fight, said, “I think if Dana catches him on the jaw, he goes. If Eddie keeps him at long range and keeps him on the jab, I think he beats him.” Can you even imagine that chaos?
Beyond the Jab: What This Means for Boxing’s Big Money
The drama between Hearn and White isn’t the only thing on Brown’s mind when it comes to the Fury vs. Joshua build-up. His company, Goldstar, has been huge in Saudi Arabia’s investment in boxing. While he thinks whispers about the kingdom potentially exiting boxing are “overblown,” he did acknowledge that the Dec. 11 fight could be one of the last events the country funds on this massive scale. “I don’t think [their involvement in boxing] is going anywhere yet,” Brown insisted. “Everything has to calm down. The money has to go down because nobody can keep paying that sort of money.” He believes we might only see “one or two big fights a year” funded by Saudi Arabia in the future, but they aren’t leaving the sport entirely. Brown also pointed to Turki Alalshikh and his health, saying, “We all listened to what he said the other day, and it was heartbreaking, really.”
The Dec. 11 Fury vs. Joshua fight is coming up fast in Cardiff, but how much buzz will it actually generate when everyone’s still talking about the promoters? With Saudi Arabia’s future big-fight funding potentially cooling down, every single event feels high stakes right now, and this Hearn-White drama isn’t helping anyone keep their eyes on the prize.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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