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Dana White takes aim at Hearn at Zuffa Boxing 07 as BOXXER sues

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Dana White used his post-fight press conference after Zuffa Boxing 07 in Bournemouth, England, on Saturday, June 6, 2026, to escalate his feud with Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn, hours after a rival promoter filed a lawsuit to block the card and as the promotion confirmed further expansion. The main attraction of the Zuffa Boxing gala on British soil was Chris Billam-Smith, who defeated Ryan Rozicki by technical knockout in the seventh round.

White renews his feud with Hearn

Much of the question-and-answer session focused on Hearn, who earlier this week said he intended to prevent UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall from competing until the fighter’s contract was renegotiated. Aspinall is represented by Hearn’s Matchroom talent agency.

“He said he wanted to [Aspinall] fired, right? Then release Bam Rodriguez. Sounds pretty stupid, right? “Congratulations Eddie, you sound stupid again,” White said, referring to Matchroom player Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez. Regarding the prospect of forcing the champion back into the cage, White added: “You can’t force anyone to fight. You have to want to fight.”

White also revisited Conor Benn’s departure from Matchroom. “Eddie Hearn is full of s***. He didn’t even pay his best friend Conor Benn,” White said. He continued: “Eddie, who apparently Benn was his best friend, was crying, literally crying for weeks. He didn’t even want to pay him, but he wants to pay my guy. He could pay his best friend and they could stay best friends.”

Benn left Matchroom for Zuffa Boxing earlier this year for $15 million. Hearn said he lent Benn money over the years, citing figures including £250,000 for a house and a £300,000 down payment towards his fight purse, which Benn disputes.

White further addressed the Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury negotiations, challenging reporters in comments captured by talkSPORT Boxing: “You think I would lie and look like a fucking idiot? Call Eddie Hearn now and ask who negotiated the AJ-Fury fight.” He did not elaborate on the nature of his role.

BOXXER seeks a court order

The press conference followed a legal complaint filed on the eve of the charter. BOXXER, the promotion company headed by Ben Shalom, is seeking an emergency injunction from the English courts against Zuffa Boxing and Sky Sports, maintaining that Billam-Smith and the inexperienced Sam Hickey remain bound by their contract with BOXXER.

“BOXXER can confirm that it is seeking an urgent injunction against Zuffa Boxing and Sky Sports in relation to the promotion and the proposed participation of fighters who remain subject to binding contractual obligations to BOXXER,” the company said in a statement. Zuffa Boxing does not accept the complaint and continues the event as planned, according to Yahoo Sports.

In April, Billam-Smith signed a multi-fight deal with Zuffa Boxing. He said that his contract with BOXXER expires at the end of 2025, while BOXXER claims that he has the right to match any offer made to him. BOXXER claims that when Hickey announced his move in May, he was under a long-term contract. BOXXER and Sky Sports had a four-year broadcasting deal which expired in June 2025; Sky Sports did not renew and instead signed deals with Zuffa Boxing and Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions.

The expansion continues

Zuffa Boxing confirmed further dates as the dispute unfolds. Her first gala in Ireland, announced as Zuffa Boxing 10, will take place on August 8 at the 3Arena in Dublin. White said the organization plans to stage at least five events a year in the UK under a multi-year deal with Sky Sports and its roster continues, with recent signings including junior welterweight champion Shakur Stevenson, a move Hearn confirmed, not a promotion.

Zuffa Boxing 07 aired on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland and streamed live on Paramount+ in the US and Canada.

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Moses Itauma Calls Out Next Opponent After Stunning Loss to Filip Hrgovic

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"Moses Itauma Calls Out Next Opponent After Stunning Loss to Filip Hrgovic"

Moses It will hurt suffered a surprising defeat to Filip Hrgovic on Saturday, and the 21-year-old has now revealed who he wants to face upon his return.

Itauma looked to be fulfilling his destiny and dominating his Croatian opponent during the opening rounds at the O2 Arena over the weekend, but his success soon turned to desperation when Hrgovic’s chin held up and his own stamina did not.

An exhausted Itauma eventually collapsed in round nine of the contestwith Hrgovic pulling off a remarkable upset to throw the heavyweight scene a huge curveball, hand Itauma a first career loss and get his hands on the IBF heavyweight world title.

In an interview with talkSPORT Boxingpromoter Frank Warren revealed that Itauma has already asked for a rematch with ‘El Animal’.

“In that last round, he was still firing back. He has got a firing heart, he is a very brave young man, very brave. It’s now about what he does, how he prepares, he is saying to me, ‘can we get the rematch on?’, which is a natural reaction.”

Despite the 21-year-old’s desire to take on Hrgovic for a second time, it seems as though the latter will be made to face Cuba’s Frank Sanchez, who agreed to a step-aside deal to allow Itauma and Hrgovic to fight for the IBF title under the condition that he would face the winner.

Continuing, Warren seemed to confirm that a scrap between Hrgovic and Sanchez will be next, advising Itauma to take some time off before rushing into a second shot at the heavyweight throne.

“I told him, ‘you have got to just switch off from boxing, go and chill out, go and spend some time with your family and then come back, recharge your batteries and then we will get to work again,’

“The landscape is what it is, he is a a part of it, he has shown that he belongs at that level and provided that we learn and he learns some lessons from the fight, I think that he can go on and do some great things.”

In his post-fight interview, newly-crowned IBF champion Hrgovic spoke of his desire for a bout on home soil in Croatia; where he has not fought since 2019.

As a result, Warren may next target Zagreb for a clash between Hrgovic and Sanchez, which should take place within the next six months.

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Shawn Porter Expects a Dazzling Comeback from Canelo Against Explosive Prospect Mbilli

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"Shawn Porter Expects a Dazzling Comeback from Canelo Against Explosive Prospect Mbilli"

Canelo Alvarez is hoping to regain one of his former super-middleweight titles at the first time of asking when he makes his comeback this October against WBC champion Christian Mbilli. Two-time welterweight ruler Shawn Porter has revealed his prediction for the fight.

Alvarez lost all four of his belts at 168lbs to Terence Crawford last September and has since been sidelined due to an elbow injuryas Crawford’s retirement saw the coronation of four new world champions.

One of those beneficiaries was Mbilli, who had been in possession of the WBC Interim crown when ‘Bud’ decided to hang up the glovesallowing him to be elevated to full champion and then lined up for a showdown with Canelo.

Canelo’s remaining quality at the age of 36 is an ongoing debate amongst fans and analysts, leading many to predict an intriguing and potentially even fight. Yet, speaking on The PorterWay Podcast‘Showtime’ said that Alvarez will look like an ‘A++ fighter’ come fight night.

“Canelo truly does have that fast twitch; he is explosive, but he is explosive with speed and quickness and that fast twitch is going to get Canelo to that mark a little bit quicker.

“Yeah, I think [he can still do it] at 36. If you think about it, even though Canelo is not that ‘A++’ fighter that he used to be, he is still a solid ‘A’ and that solid ‘A’ will beat a solid ‘B’ [in Mbilli].

“That solid ‘B’ will make a solid ‘A’ look like an ‘A++’, so I think that he is going to look ‘A++’.”

Canelo-Mbilli takes place on Saturday, October 31, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The super-middleweight duo will top a ‘Mexico vs. The World’ themed bill, which could feature a bantamweight title unification between WBA champion and pound-for-pound sensation Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez and WBO titleholder Christian Medina.

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Undefeated KO Artist Moves Closer to Canelo Fight After Latest Stoppage: Its Going to Happen

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"Undefeated KO Artist Moves Closer to Canelo Fight After Latest Stoppage: 'It’s Going to Happen'"

Canelo Alvarez could be ordered to enter an immediate title defence if he emerges victorious against Christian Mbilli on October 31.

The Mexican has not fought since September 2025, when he was relieved of his undisputed super-middleweight crown after losing a unanimous decision to Terence Crawford.

On that same card, Mbilli retained his WBC ‘interim’ strap following a 10-round draw against Lester Martinezmaintaining his position as one of the top contenders at 168lbs.

The Frenchman was then upgraded to full world champion in December, with Crawford having relinquished his four major titles and announced his retirement as a three-division undisputed king.

Canelo will therefore have the opportunity to reclaim one of his old belts in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with Mbilli making a first defence of his WBC title.

The winner of their showdown may then be ordered to face Martinez, as the unbeaten mandatory challenger comes off two successful defences of his WBC ‘interim’ strap.

Most recently, the 30-year-old scored a 10th-round stoppage of Luka Plantic last weekend, which followed his unanimous decision victory over Immanuwel Aleem in March.

Speaking at the post-fight presser following his win against Plantic, Martinez said through a translator that he expects to eventually face both Canelo and Mbilli.

“No, look, at the end of the day, I’ve said it before: the second fight [with Mbilli] will happen, possibly next year or the year after. But either one of those fights makes sense for us.

“We know the eyes of the world are going to be on [Mbilli-Canelo]and because we’re going to be there, we’re going to take advantage of all of that. But both fights are going to happen.”

Having already created the “blueprint” to defeat Canelo, Crawford trainer Brian ‘BoMac’ McIntyre said afterwards that he is supremely confident in guiding Martinez to victory against either Alvarez or Mbilli.

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