Eddie Hearn and Johnny Fisher go head-to-head after Dana White signs the British fighter to Zuffa Boxing.
Dana White, the famous UFC promoter, is getting more involved in boxing with his new company, Zuffa. At the same time, one of Eddie Hearn’s fighters has switched sides, stirring up a lot of buzz on social media.
Dana White and Eddie Hearn, two big names in fight promotions, are competing hard. Zuffa, backed by Saudi Arabia’s Turki Alalshikh, TKO Group Holdings, and Sela, has been signing fighters who used to be with Hearn’s Matchroom. They recently had a showdown when Zuffa signed British boxer Conor Benn. Tyson Fury was also rumored to be considering a move after he was spotted with Dana White at a UFC event.
But now, another British star, Johnny Fisher, has made the switch, which is a big deal for Hearn’s hold on the scene. Fisher, known as the ‘Romford Bull’ with a 14-1 record, announced he’ll fight on the Zuffa Boxing 11 card in September. This sparked a back-and-forth between Fisher and Hearn on social media.
Hearn told TalkSPORT Boxing that Fisher, after his first loss, wants easier fights to build confidence, which Matchroom can’t offer. He added that if he gave Fisher those kinds of fights on DAZN, he’d be laughed at because those matchups wouldn’t draw a crowd. Hearn said, “Johnny wants low-level fights to get back in the swing, but I can’t offer that because it wouldn’t work for our product.” He also said he’s happy that Fisher’s new deal will help him financially.
Fisher responded to Hearn’s comment on social media, saying, “Eddie is my friend, but I don’t even know who I’m fighting yet, so this can’t be true.” He defended himself by saying his value comes from his ability to sell out arenas. When a fan called his move “washed,” Fisher joked, “If that’s washed, I’m happy to be washed again!”
Fisher’s fight in September doesn’t have an opponent yet, but he’ll likely want to make a strong comeback after losing to Dave Allen in their rematch, which was part of the Usyk vs Fury undercard.