Eddie Hearn Questions Zuffa Boxing Hype After Bournemouth Card

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 reaction to Dana White’s promotion and argued that one successful night is not enough to judge 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 as the standout fights of the evening, Hearn suggested the overall card didn’t justify some 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 decent fight?” said Hearn to iFL TV. “Ben Shalom shows are another level to Zuffa.

“In boxing, they don’t know what they’re talking about. They have absolutely no clue about the sport, but they’re powerful, and they come around,” said Hearn.

Hearn was responding after being told about 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 sport.

The Bournemouth card produced two widely praised fights in Billam-Smith-Rozicki and Clarke-Massey, but it also featured several quick stoppages and one-sided contests that left some fans divided over the overall quality of the event.

“We are all looking forward to judging the body of work in a couple of months’ time because guess what? Soon it’s July.

“Wait till you see the body of work as it extends through the year.

“Like, it’s just lies, lies, lies, lies, lies, lies. That’s all it is,” said Hearn.