Eddie Hearn set for imminent crunch talks with Dana White amid promotional dispute

Eddie Hearn isn’t willing to make peace with Dana White.

The British boxing promoter has been embroiled in a bitter feud with White ever since the UFC president entered his world with Zuffa Boxing late last year.

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Their feud came to a head in February when White poached one of Hearn’s biggest stars, Conor Benn, from right under his nose.

The situation then escalated further when White came out and claimed that he was the lead promoter for the upcoming all-British showdown between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.

His comments ruffled some feathers, with both Hearn and Frank Warren adamantly insisting that it is contractually impossible for White or anyone at Zuffa to be involved in the mega event.

Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh has since called for Zuffa and the rival promoters to come together to settle their differences in what he describes as ‘peace talks’.

But while Hearn is willing to attend the meeting, which is set to take place next week, he has no interest in breaking bread with White.

Hearn wages war

“Turki Alalshikh has asked to have a meeting with me and a few other members of the boxing community,” Hearn told talkSPORT’s White and Jordan on Thursday afternoon.

“He calls them peace talks, which we will definitely entertain out of respect, whether we co-operate or not depends on how I feel on the day and whether it is in the best interest of myself, Matchroom and AJ…

“The Dana stuff, I know you guys like it.

“But if Turki comes to me [about getting Dana White involved], it’s not a conversation I’m interested in…

“I don’t care who he is backed by; you’re as good as you are, and he isn’t anywhere near my league.

“All this talk about peace talks, I’ve got to be honest with you, I don’t want peace talks.

“I want war talks because I had 15 years of war, and it was the greatest time of my career.

“And now we are all playing nice. I’m glad we do because I like going out to dinner with Frank and George [Warren].

“But it’s boring, Jim. I know what you guys want. You guys want beef.

“You want the violence in and out of the ring. 

“So for me, when we have those meetings next week that Turki Alalshikh wants, it is not just a case of us having a photo with all our hands in the middle, I want to see who is the best.”

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