Dana White Calls Eddie Hearn a 'Nepo Baby' Amid Boxing Promoter Feud

UFC President Dana White has escalated his ongoing public dispute with boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, labeling him a "nepo baby" and suggesting he relies heavily on his father's established career.

White, who also oversees Zuffa Boxing alongside Saudi Arabia's Turki Al-Sheikh, has been a central figure in the promotion of the anticipated £150 million boxing match between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. The dispute between the two promoters has intensified over recent weeks, touching on topics ranging from Conor Benn's boxing future to the details of the Fury-Joshua bout.

Initially, White advocated for the Fury-Joshua fight to take place in New York City. However, Hearn, representing Matchroom Boxing, has since asserted control over the fight's location, moving it to Cardiff. Hearn has also claimed that the contract signed by Joshua prohibits White's involvement in the contest and has threatened discussions with broadcaster Netflix over White's attendance at a recent press conference in London.

White, speaking on the "Diary of a CEO" podcast, directly addressed Hearn's position: "Eddie's not the guy, Eddie's dad is the guy. And I'm not saying this to s*** on Eddie - I'm just being honest. I don't dislike Eddie. But he's not the guy; his dad's the guy."

Barry Hearn, Eddie's father, has a long history as a sports promoter since the 1970s, significantly influencing sports like boxing, darts, and snooker. White implied that despite Eddie Hearn's current role, he remains overshadowed by his father's legacy.

White also commented on Frank Warren, another prominent promoter, stating, "Frank Warren's the real guy. I just saw this interview with him; I was like, 'Fing love it… all this fing talking and all this fing bulls, let's f***ing fight.'"

The involvement of White in the Fury-Joshua fight has been a point of contention, leading to uncertainty about the December 11 bout. At a recent press conference, White described the situation as a "sshow" and admitted he was unsure if the fight would proceed. "I don't know. The guy who is supposed to be helping the fight has been hurting the fight the entire time," White said, referring to Hearn. "He hasn't done the fight any favors. I don't know anybody who is more full of s than Eddie Hearn."

When questioned about stepping aside, White responded, "That's not up to me. I'm involved in the fing fight. If Eddie Hearn really cared about this fing fight — first of all the fight would've happened a fing long time ago, one. Number two, he could finance the thing himself. Listen, this whole thing's a sshow right now. We'll all know a lot more in the next three, four days, see how this thing plays out."

This public exchange follows an earlier controversy when Conor Benn left Hearn's Matchroom promotion to join Zuffa.

Hearn recently stated his perspective, saying, "At this point, (White's) completely cooked. What he actually said was, 'We're doing the TV production.' Which, again, in the contract, is prohibited. After that video (of White saying he was producing the fight), I spoke to Sela (the Saudi entertainment company listed as promoters of the event). I said, 'Have you seen this video?' They said, in writing, 'Yes, and it's completely untrue.' (White) cannot do that under the contract. They want me to meet them in LA next week, which I probably will."

It remains uncertain whether White will ultimately have any role in the promotion of the Fury-Joshua fight.