Eddie Hearn believes Zuffa Boxing has delivered too little for a promotion with substantial money, a broadcast contract, and access to Turki Alalshikh. His complaint is about the fights reaching fans, with the Matchroom promoter calling its first 10 months “absolutely abysmal.”
“With that money, with that contract, with those connections to Turki Alalshikh, the first 10 months have been absolutely abysmal,” Hearn told The Ariel Helwani Show.
Hearn identified July 26 as Zuffa’s last American show and questioned the lack of an announced U.S. return for the remainder of the year. Zuffa’s own results confirm that its July 26 New York event featured Edgar Berlanga against Steven Butler.
He pointed to Johnny Fisher against Pirotton and the upcoming Chris Billam-Smith–Chev Clarke fight as the promotion’s limited output during the following months. Billam-Smith and Clarke headline November 7 at London’s Copper Box Arena.
Billam-Smith against Clarke has competitive appeal, and Fisher has a following. But those are modest main events for a company whose resources invite expectations of something much bigger.
The American inactivity is the tougher part to explain. A promotion needs regular cards to give viewers a reason to keep watching. Signing recognizable fighters creates interest, but that interest can fade when there is no next date for fans to anticipate.
Shakur Stevenson’s situation adds to Hearn’s criticism. He claimed on X that Gary Antuanne Russell and Raymond Muratalla each want $3 million to face him, writing: “I would love to fight both them guys tho Zuffa gotta cough that 💰 up!”
Neither fight has been made. Shakur’s post does not establish that Zuffa refused to pay, but it identifies two opponents he wants and their asking prices, according to him. Signing Shakur gets Zuffa a recognizable name. Getting him into meaningful fights requires spending on the other side as well.
Hearn also took aim at White’s request to be judged over the next couple of years, describing it as a move away from an earlier 12-month timetable. That is Hearn’s interpretation, but it raises a fair question about how long Zuffa expects its launch period to last.
Hearn has an obvious commercial interest in making a rival look bad. Still, Zuffa needs an answer that comes through its schedule. More announcements could change the picture before December, but the money and connections only become useful to viewers when they produce fights worth watching.