Zuffa Boxing and UFC boss Dana White is seemingly ducking a fight against promotional rival Eddie Hearn that could bank both executives an eight-figure payday each, and the Matchroom chairman has only one message for the Boston bruiser.<\/p>\n
Now who\u2019s the p****?<\/p>\n
The foul language is, of course, a call-back to the wording White reserved for Hearn<\/a> as he appeared to grow weary of the Brit\u2019s media rounds in the immediate aftermath of losing Conor Benn to Zuffa in a stunning $15 million, one-fight deal. The signing since re-upped to a 2.5-year, five-fight contract following Benn\u2019s lackadaisical decision win over near-retiree Regis Prograis<\/a>.<\/p>\n The only person Hearn publicly blamed for losing the talent was himself, conceding that the mistake he made was forgetting that boxing was boxing<\/a>. He then moved to fix other gaps in Matchroom\u2019s business, learning from that very mistake<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe only thing that can stop the fight happening is Dana White,\u201d Eddie Hearn told reporters following Benjamin Whittaker\u2019s win Saturday over Braian Suarez<\/a>.<\/p>\n Whittaker thrashed Suarez in the first round of the catchweight bout atop a Matchroom event DAZN aired from the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England.<\/p>\n But, following the fight, the attention at the post-event presser wasn\u2019t just on Whittaker\u2019s imminent future in the ring, but his promoter\u2019s.<\/p>\n \u201cReally the truth of the matter is \u2014 [Dana White is] backing out of the fight that he called on,\u201d Hearn told the media. <\/p>\n \u201cSo who\u2019s the p**** now? Where have your balls gone?\u201d <\/p>\n \u2014 Eddie Hearn, expressing concern over the whereabouts of Dana White\u2019s testicles<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t keep calling me a p**** when you call me out for a fight, and I accept the fight, and you say, \u2018We\u2019re bums\u2019 \u2014 what the f*** is that?\u201d<\/p>\n Hearn believes the bout is big business despite White\u2019s attempt to play it down as an insult to prelim fighters.<\/p>\n \u201cWe would main event and sell out a massive stadium, and if it\u2019s on DAZN \u2026 we\u2019d do [big numbers]. Do you not think we\u2019d sell out the O2 Arena and do a million pay-per-view buys, globally?\u201d<\/p>\n Hearn is not alone in his comments considering he said Kalle Sauerland made an eight-figure offer, before claiming he was holding out for $30 million, amid interest from other backers<\/a>. If White were paid the same, the purses alone would be $60 million.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t forget, he is a big name \u2014 some say bigger than me,\u201d he said, perhaps a nod to White\u2019s seat at the Meta boardroom and his prominent alliance with the United States President Donald Trump. <\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve got the American audience, you\u2019ve got the UK audience. Could you imagine how I would sell this show? Oh my God. Anyway.<\/p>\n \u201cI do think about it on every run, in bed every night. I\u2019ve picked my ring walk. I\u2019ve actually designed my robe. But it will probably just be fantasy because Dana White backed out of the fight.\u201d<\/p>\n