Las Vegas — The biggest story in boxing right bow should be Tyson Fury versus Anthony Joshua, but instead, it’s been promoter Eddie Hearn versus Dana White.
White has insisted he’s both promoting and producing the heavyweight fight. Hearn, who represents Joshua, says their contract forbids his involvement. The back-and-forth has gone on for what seems like weeks now. Or years. Or eons. Neither man seems to have anything nice to say about the other.
Earlier on Tuesday, Hearn appeared on Ariel Helwani’s show, saying he didn’t really care if White produced the event and suggesting he was open to a meeting (though he reiterated it would be breach of contract) about the Netflix-backed event.
White, following Tuesday’s episode of the Contender Series, seemed tired of the entire debate.
“Who gives a sh*t? Have I been wrong in anything I’ve said? I am producing the fight. I am promoting the fight. I will be there at the fight. And then I’m flying right back to Vegas for the UFC fight,” an exasperated White exclaimed at the Meta Apex, speaking with media outlets including Cageside Press. “And all of my producers and guys that run production will be flying with me. We already had the meeting, the meeting was f*cking yesterday.”
“This is so f*cking silly now,” White bemoaned.
Pressed by the media about Hearn’s comments, White added “Why? Why am I the main topic? AJ and Fury are fighting. Those two are going to make a f*ck ton of money. The fight is finally happening. And everything I have said about my involvement in the fight is absolutely true.”
Hearn also told Helwani that he’s open to having White at the next press conference, if the pair could go toe-to-toe, verbally. “It would be like candy from a baby.”
White’s response? “It’s not about me and him. He can’t stop talking about this. It’s not about me and him. AJ and Fury is the fight. Who gives a sh*t about me and Eddie Hearn?”
Dana White was much more upbeat talking about UFC security guard Sal Everett, who knocked out Ozzy Martin in a welterweight fight to earn his own UFC contract.
“He earned his way here. That’s one of the many things that people respect about him: incredibly humble,” stated White. “It’s not like this guy’s some director over at the UFC. He’s a hard working guy that shows up every day, does what he’s supposed to do, and is completely humble about it.”
“He could not be a more humble, great human being,” added White, saying the entire company was happy for him.
As to people critical because Everett is, on the surface, a “Dana White guy,” White responded by saying that “people are gonna talk sh*t no matter what. That’s the last thing Sal needs to worry about. He went out there and earned that tonight.”
Plenty warned White that Sal was in for a tough fight on Tuesday, including matchmaker Sean Shelby. “All my Boston guys were blowing me up, that know the kid, [they] were saying ‘he’s a tough kid.’ Sal earned it. And even that shot, he hits [Martin] with that shot, then doesn’t try to jump on him. He knew. Couldn’t have had a more badass performance.”
Watch Dana White’s full post-fight press conference from DWCS Season 10 Week 9 above.