Eddie Hearn Details Meeting With Dana White

Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn played down his recent meeting with UFC president Dana White.

Social media blew up last week when White posted a picture of himself alongside Hearn. Many thought it was a hint at a possible partnership, especially with White claiming to make his own boxing moves after the summer.

Speaking to FightHype.com though, Hearn explained they met by chance at the UFC Performance Institute. Danny Jacobs, promoted by Matchroom, was training there ahead of his fight with Canelo Alvarez this weekend.

However, he revealed his admiration for the UFC head honcho and claimed the Las Vegas-based promotion was a big influence for him.

“It’s blown up. Do you know what? All it was, was I went to the UFC training center because that’s where Danny’s [Jacobs] been training. Dana’s son was hitting the pads and Dana came out and started watching it.

“”I’m a massive Dana White fan. I don’t want to sound like a fanboy but I have massive respect for what the UFC have done. I’ll be honest, a lot of things we do are based around the success of what the UFC have done. So I went over, introduced myself to him, we spoke. He had the courtesy to take me to his other building across the road where they’re going to be doing live shows.

Hugely Motivational

Hearn continued to wax lyrical about White, stating how it’s always motivational for him to meet people and be around businesses like the UFC.

“”Listen, him and the UFC business is hugely motivational to what I do. I realize what we created is nowhere near yet at the level of that the UFC have created as a business. And it’s highly inspirational for me to be around people like that and be around a business like that to show me that we have a long way.

“When you think you’ve cracked it, we’re in the UK, we’re the biggest in the UK. You go and meet the UFC guys, and you look at that business, you’re like, ‘wow, we should be doing this, we should be doing that.’ And for me, as a business guy, not a fighter, that’s the kind of thing that motivates me. It was very kind of him to have the courtesy to show me that.”

So nothing about a boxing collaboration. At least yet.