Paulie Malignaggi isn’t buying the early push to crown Dana White as boxing’s next dominant promoter, saying there isn’t enough evidence yet to put him ahead of Eddie Hearn.
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The former two-weight world champion responded after Lou DiBella claimed that White was already the better promoter, pointing to White’s UFC record and financial backing as Zuffa Boxing begin to expand.
Malignaggi pushed back on that idea, arguing that White’s boxing record was still too limited to support the claim.
“We haven’t seen enough of Dana White in boxing,” Malignaggi told Boxingscene about Zuffa. “So far he’s pretty average.”
He added that while White has strong financial backing, that alone does not guarantee success in a sport that operates differently from mixed martial arts.
“There’s a big war chest, but he can still drop the whole bag and fail,” Malignaggi said.
Instead, Malignaggi pointed to Hearn’s track record, citing the number of champions developed under Matchroom Boxing and the company’s continued global presence.
“Right now, Eddie Hearn is the better promoter,” he said. “He created more champions. He does more.”
Trainer Stephen Edwards also questioned DiBella’s stance, noting that Zuffa Boxing is still in its early stages and has not yet produced enough results to warrant the comparison.
White has begun to assemble a roster that includes Jai Opetaia and Richardson Hitchins, but his long-term impact in boxing remains unproven.
Malignaggi’s point comes down to output. Zuffa have signed names such as Jai Opetaia and Conor Benn, but early performances have yet to compel the rest of the sport to respond.
There is no breakout event or autograph night attached to it. Hearn, by contrast, has spent years building champions and navigating the sanctioning bodies to make big fights. Until Zuffa delivers something on that level, the claims about its dominance are still ahead of what has actually been produced.
Last updated on 2026/05/01 at 13:02
