Dana White “has no problems with it.” Tom Aspinall signing a business deal with Eddie Hearn and denying he ever questioned his champion’s eye injury.

UFC heavyweight champion Aspinall (15-3) has signed with Matchroom Talent Agency, a modern initiative run by boxing promoter Hearn.

Aspinall remains under contract to fight in the UFC, but can now count on professional advice from Hearn, who has emerged as a rival to White’s Zuffa Boxing.

Zuffa signed Conor Benn, who had spent his entire professional boxing career at Matchroom, leaving Hearn disappointed.

White reacted to Aspinall welcoming Hearn into his inner circle, saying at the UFC 326 press conference: “We have no issues with Eddie.

“They can hire whoever they want to represent them. Tito Ortiz [the ex-UFC fighter whom White feuded with] he represented the people and we managed to do that.”

Dana White denies questioning Tom Aspinall’s injury

Aspinall spent 14 months away from fighting in the hope of meeting Jon Jones, which never materialized.

His interim heavyweight title was elevated to full status outside the Octagon when Jones retired, but his return to fight Ciril Gane ended in disaster.

The fight was declared a no-contest when Aspinall was unable to continue due to accidental pokes to the eyes.

White has not spoken to Aspinall since he underwent surgery on both eyes last month, but he denied ever questioning the severity of his injuries.

“The company has talked to him. I haven’t talked to him. Tom and I clearly need to talk,” White told Piers Morgan Uncensored. “Tom recently came out, his dad did too. They felt like I was their s–t when I talked about his eye injury, which absolutely wasn’t the case.

“Tom Aspinall is a guy I respect. He’s great to work with. I never once questioned his injury or talked negatively about him. I said, ‘I think he’s OK, I think he’ll be fine.’ And they came out and said, “No, it’s not like that.” He said, “I haven’t talked to Dan, I don’t know why he said that.” But of course my medical team is talking to him. That’s what I thought.

“They thought I kicked him in some way, which I absolutely didn’t and wouldn’t do. I like him a lot and I respect him a lot. I’ve never had a problem with Tom Aspinall. I have. He’s still struggling with what’s going on with his eyes. In the last 30 years in this business, I’ve seen injuries where I doubted guys could come back. And I always have. Including the eye pokes.”

“If you ask me, ‘Do I think Tom Aspinall will fight again?’ I would say, “Yes.”

Aspinall has no timetable for his return. He has previously expressed interest in a rematch with Gane.

“My next fight will definitely be under a credible name, bigger than Jamaine Ortiz,” Keyshawn told Fight Hub TV.

Since stopping Jamaine Ortiz in the 12th round on January 31 at Madison Square Garden, Keyshawn has been openly calling for bigger fights. He has mentioned names from junior welterweights and welterweights in interviews and on social media, including Devin Haney, Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz, Richardson Hitchins, Lewis Crocker and Lamont Roach Jr.

These challenges followed a performance that Keyshawn pointed to as evidence that he was among the top contenders. He dropped and stopped Ortiz in a fight where several previous opponents had gone the distance against a hard-wearing opponent. Now Keyshawn says the next step will take him to a welterweight title shot.

“I think I’m on the rise,” Keyshawn said when asked about the importance of his next fight, confirming plans to compete at 147 pounds and indicating the fight will be for the world championship.

Keyshawn did not name his opponent, but hinted that the fight would be a step up from his last fight. He also said that discussions about this fight have already taken place and that his return could come sooner than many expect.

A move up to welterweight would place Keyshawn in one of boxing’s most competitive divisions, with several established fighters already competing for title opportunities and championship fights receiving constant attention.

One possible opponent at 147 pounds is IBF champion Lewis Crocker, who Keyshawn mentioned when discussing future fights. Keyshawn has previously said he would be willing to head to the UK to challenge Crocker if a title opportunity arises. No agreement has been announced, but a fight has emerged as one potential path if the fighter wins the welterweight title outright.

For now, Keyshawn says preparations for his return are already underway as talks continue for a world title fight.

Canelo Alvarez talked about how long he could stay in the sport before hanging up his gloves and opting for a decorated career.

The 35-year-old is already destined for a place in the Hall of Fame, as he became a four-division world champion, but he still wants to compete at the highest level.

Since his professional debut in 2005, the Mexican has made 68 appearances and has twice become the undisputed king of the 168-pound division, scoring notable victories over the likes of Callum Smith and Caleb Plant.

However, his most critical victory came in the middleweight division, where Alvarez made a very controversial decision by majority vote in a rematch with Gennady Golovkin in 2018.

More controversial was their first meeting a year earlier, when many felt Golovkin had done enough to claim a convincing victory and the Kazakhstan ended in a draw.

Still, Canelo received plenty of credit for his follow-up triumph before dethroning Sergei Kovalev to capture the WBO featherlight heavyweight title over a year later.

Alvarez’s second undisputed super middleweight reign came to an end last September when Terence Crawford moved up two weight classes and won a unanimous decision.

But Canelo explained anyway Froch About the fight that he can still compete for another two years, maybe even longer, depending on how often his opportunities come along.

“I don’t know. I think maybe two years. I don’t need it, [but] I still enjoy it. If I [fight] maybe once a year [I can go on] a little bit [longer].

“Once a year to rest my body, I think I can fight more [than two years]”

Although an official announcement has not yet been made, Canelo is scheduled to fight in Riyad, Saudi Arabia this September, and Turki Alalshikh has promised to fight for the world title.