The combat sports industry is experiencing an intense transition in its promotional leadership. After decades of historic rivalries between figures such as Don King and Bob Arum, the current scenario presents a new direct confrontation between the president of Matchroom Boxing, Eddie Hearn, and the CEO of Zuffa Boxing, Dana White.

The dispute gained strength after the card held this weekend in Bournemouth, where the UFC leader responded to questions from the press.

Subscribe to DAZN here and don't miss the best of BOXING

On that same day, Matchroom organized a simultaneous event in Sheffield, which showed the direct competition that both corporations maintain in the British market.

The controversy over the venue of the heavyweight clash

The main point of contention between promoters centers on the organization of the long-awaited fight between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury. While the representatives of Queensberry and Matchroom assure that the American businessman will not have participation in the event, Dana White claims to be the one who controls the negotiations and knows the location of the fight.

The Zuffa Boxing manager challenged the media to verify the veracity of the information directly with their counterpart. The promoter insisted that the contract was not designed by the British company and that the next few days will be decisive in confirming his version of the agreement.

"Have they announced where the fight will be? No. I know where it is. Watch what happens over the next 30 days. Do you think I would lie publicly and look like a complete idiot in front of everyone? Do you really believe that? Do you think I would? What would be the point? 'I was lying, people!' 'I got you, right?' What would be the point? Call Eddie right now and ask him if he knows where the fight is. Call Eddie and ask who “He negotiated the contract. It wasn't him,” said Dana White.

Contractual tensions over the future of Tom Aspinall

The friction between the promoters has also moved to the field of mixed martial arts. Hearn has begun representing UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall and has stated that he will not allow the athlete to fight under the terms of his current contract, a position that the UFC boss categorically dismissed.

The president of the MMA organization criticized Hearn's management regarding his clients, referring to the case of Conor Benn, who decided to join the ranks of Zuffa.

In his defense to ProBoxing Fans, Dana White accused his competitor of financial inconsistency by trying to demand improvements for athletes from other companies while neglecting his own clients.

"Let's see how it all plays out. I mean, if Eddie's not going to let his boxer fight, what are you going to do? You can't force anyone to fight. You can't force anyone to fight. You have to want to fight. So we'll see how it ends. Eddie, who apparently, you know, Benn was his best friend. Eddie's been crying, literally crying for weeks, 'Oh, you're my best friend.' He didn't even want to pay him, but he wants to pay my guy. He could have paid his best friend. They could have remained best friends… Eddie is talking a lot of nonsense,” Dana White asserted.

The expansion strategy and alliances in the market

The competition remains firm and the manager ruled out joining shared promotion formats such as the five-on-five scheme that other promoters evaluate. For the strategist, his company's position is independent and focuses on competing against the largest leagues in global sports entertainment.

When asked about the future of his boxing project, the promoter explained that the broadcast agreements with Sky Sports and Paramount will allow an increase in the number of annual events in both the United States and the United Kingdom.

Dana White explained that the restructuring of the sport will generate new cards and that Boxxer's demands regarding alleged irregularities in the signing of contracts will be formally clarified.

"When I think about my competition, those are the people I consider my competition these days. Over the next month, we will make whatever announcements we make and then, as I said, we will be judged on January 1, at the end of this year or early next year, based on our performance this year," the manager concluded.