Eddie Hearn did not hold back from taking a few jabs at Zuffa Boxing’s debut on Friday night, doing so in his typical, understated way.

Dana White stepped into the boxing world with his first major event at the Meta Apex, where Callum Walsh beat Carlos Ocampo in a quiet headliner. While the show itself was understated, fans praised both the Las Vegas venue and the overall broadcast.

Still, Hearn was not entirely sold. He pointed out that if he had promoted a similar event at that venue, he would’ve faced heavy criticism from boxing fans – even though he admitted he had not watched it himself due to not having access to Paramount.

Eddie Hearn holds back praise for Zuffa Boxing’s first event

Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images

Dana White was the first to admit that Zuffa Boxing has some work to do, and while many expected Eddie Hearn to pile on, he did not take the bait. Instead of adding fuel to any existing media tension, Hearn kept things relatively measured.

The 46-year-old spoke to IFL TV, claiming he did not catch the event live. Even so, his comments made it clear he was not overly impressed by what he had seen or heard about.

“I followed it on social through Zuffa and stuff like that. It was different, wasn’t it? I’ll say this, if I put on that card, I would get absolutely rinsed, I would get abused for a month, but they’re starting out and getting the ball rolling.

“These guys are long-term players, they don’t have to get results in the first three shows so I believe they’re going to be good for the sport… I’m more interested in the soap opera and the beef, they’re saying they’re not recognizing belts and now they’re main eventing a WBC world title fight.

“I think it’s really interesting but honestly, didn’t watch the show. I saw some highlights, Callum Walsh; Max Kellerman said he was fighting like Roy Jones Jr, so it must have been good.”

Eddie Hearn gets to world champion before Zuffa Boxing

There had been whispers that Zuffa Boxing might try to sign two-weight world champion Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez, but Matchroom already had a matching period built into his contract, giving them the chance to keep him.

According to Hearn, Matchroom matched the offer, which means they are set to retain Rodriguez.

“We’re in a good position with Bam. We’ll be moving forward with him and we’ll be announcing his next fight very soon,” he revealed.