The rivalry between Eddie Hearn and Dana White is at risk of overshadowing the Dec. 11 mega-fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
It isn't Hearn and White who will get in the ring in Cardiff, but their promotional war has been a focal point of the build-up to the fight — and in general in the boxing world since White's Zuffa Boxing entered the sport in January.
Spencer Brown, the manager of Tyson Fury, gave his thoughts on the bitter feud on Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show" Tuesday.
"I think Eddie's winning the war of words, but they're two completely different characters," Brown said. "[White’s] a hardened bulldog who's a great businessman who's took stuff from nowhere.
"I remember the first UFC. .... To bring it from where it was — he's basically made the sport. He's created a sport on its own. All credit to him.
"Eddie Hearn's picked the boxing up from his dad, ran with it, and been unbelievably successful."
Although Brown — and many in the boxing world — are enjoying seeing two behemoths of combat sports promotion battle it out, Brown acknowledged that he would like to see them get along and work together moving forward for Fury vs. Joshua.
Hearn and White were formerly cordial with one another, to the point where they’d even make appearances at each other's events, but that friendship was terminated as soon as TKO entered the boxing space.
"You've got two men there — I can't see why they can't [be amicable]," Brown said. "Does it have to be bitter and nasty all the time? I don't think so.
"I've seen Eddie Hearn at one of the UFC fights in Vegas [the Sphere in September 2024], and he was invited there, and they were getting on well. Zuffa's introduction to boxing, obviously, they'll both be very territorial, won't they? Especially Eddie."
In March, White went on “The Piers Morgan Show” and called out Hearn for a boxing match — an invitation that Hearn swiftly grabbed with both hands. KSI's Misfits Boxing has offered a $20 million pot for the promoter battle, though White has since dismissed the possibility of it happening.
"I think if Dana catches him on the jaw, he goes," Brown said, joking about the potential matchup. "If Eddie keeps him at long range and keeps him on the jab, I think he beats him."
But Brown's interest in the build-up to Fury vs. Joshua extends far beyond the Hearn-White feud. His company, Goldstar, has been central to Saudi Arabia's investment in boxing, and though he believes whipsers of the country’s potential exit from boxing are overblown, he does acknowledge that the Dec. 11 fight could be among the last events the kingdom funds on this scale.
"I don't think [their involvement in boxing] is going anywhere yet," Brown insisted. "Everything has to calm down. The money has to go down because nobody can keep paying that sort of money.
"I think [Fury-Joshua] is one of the last of the big fights we're going to see [Saudi Arabia do]. I think you might get one or two big fights a year in the future, but I don't think they're going to leave the sport. I don't think they've got any thoughts about leaving the sport.
"Obviously, it's all down to Turki Alalshikh and how he gets on and how his health is. We all listened to what he said the other day, and it was heartbreaking, really."
Alalshikh has been a big driving force behind the kingdom's investment in boxing over the past several years. He has spent a significant amount of money funding major events and the ecosystem of the sport — which he says is his passion — since he learned that his time on Earth may be limited due to cancer and a brain tumor.
With the formation of Zuffa Boxing and the slowing down of Saudi events occurring around the same time, industry insiders have speculated that the Saudis' drastic spending in boxing will be sharply reduced, and replaced by a more economically feasible investment over time via TKO's Zuffa Boxing.