Matchroom chairman says Dana White’s promotion has not yet done enough to justify the praise following its first UK event
Eddie Hearn has pushed back against the praise surrounding Zuffa Boxing’s first UK event in Bournemouth. The Matchroom chairman questioned the response to Dana White’s promotion and argued that one successful night is just not enough to evaluate its long-term impact on boxing.
While many fans praised Chris Billam-Smith’s stoppage win over Ryan Rozicki and Cheavon Clarke’s victory over Jack Massey because the standout fights of the evening, Hearn suggested the general card didn’t justify a number of the hype surrounding Zuffa Boxing’s arrival in Britain.
“I heard Chev Clarke won. Billam-Smith, the guy [Rozicki] retired on his stool. Was it a good fight?” said Hearn to iFL TV. “Ben Shalom shows are one other level to Zuffa.
“In boxing, they don’t know what they’re talking about. They’ve absolutely no clue concerning the sport, but they’re powerful, and so they come around,” said Hearn.
Hearn was responding after being told concerning the comments White made during his post-fight press conference. The Matchroom chairman questioned whether one successful night was enough to support the claims being made about Zuffa Boxing’s future in the game.
The Bournemouth card produced two widely praised fights in Billam-Smith-Rozicki and Clarke-Massey, nevertheless it also featured several quick stoppages and one-sided contests that left some fans divided over the general quality of the event.
“We’re all looking forward to judging the body of labor in a few months’ time because guess what? Soon it’s July.
“Wait till you see the body of labor because it extends through the yr.
“Like, it’s just lies, lies, lies, lies, lies, lies. That’s all it’s,” said Hearn.
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Last Updated on 2026/06/07 at 3:02 AM