Simon Jordan’s prescient warning to Eddie Hearn during a talkSPORT broadcast in September 2024 has proven remarkably accurate.
The former Crystal Palace chairman cautioned that Saudi Arabia’s growing influence in boxing could render traditional promoters obsolete.
That prediction has now become reality with the launch of Zuffa Boxing, a Saudi-backed promotional venture led by Dana White with apparent ambitions to dominate the sport.
Jordan and Hearn clashed over whether promoters remained essential following the rise of Turki Alalshikh and Riyadh Season events.
Simon Jordan already warned Eddie Hearn over his predicament in boxing
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The former businessman suggested the Saudis might eventually bypass established figures entirely and stage their own shows.
Jordan’s remarks from more than a year ago now appear strikingly prophetic. “When you replace the establishment, you become the establishment,” he observed whilst Hearn maintained close ties with Saudi interests.
He questioned the long-term value of traditional promoters in blunt terms: “It does make me wonder if the end game for the Saudis is to say, ‘What do we need these guys for? They are glorified agents; we can own the fighters.'”
Jordan posed a pointed challenge: “If I were the money in the room, unless there was a bloody good reason, why would I deal with Hearn and Warren. If I’ve got the ability to turn out their lights economically, what do I need them for?”
Eddie Hearn has already been bitten after losing star fighter Conor Benn to Zuffa Boxing | GETTYZuffa Boxing’s financial muscle was demonstrated emphatically when Conor Benn departed Matchroom last week.
The British welterweight abandoned Hearn’s stable for a single £11.1 million contest, representing one of the most significant defections in recent promotional history.
Benn will face former super lightweight champion Regis Prograis on the undercard of Tyson Fury’s bout against Arslanbek Makhmudov on 11 April.
For Hearn, the loss struck particularly hard. The Matchroom chief acknowledged that Benn’s departure ranked among “one of the lowest points of his career.”
The fighter had been one of Matchroom’s most commercially valuable assets before Zuffa’s intervention.
Frank Warren’s response to Zuffa Boxing’s emergence has been considerably more combative than Hearn’s.
Dana White has teamed up with Turki Alalshikh at Zuffa Boxing, which threatens to turn the boxing world upside down | GETTYThe veteran promoter reportedly dispatched legal correspondence to Sela and TKO earlier this week, signalling his intention to pursue litigation.
Warren is seeking $1 billion in damages, alleging both companies violated contractual agreements when establishing Zuffa Boxing.
Queensberry maintains it secured an exclusive arrangement with Sela in September 2023 to deliver boxing services as Saudi interests entered the sport. The British outfit also claims TKO gained access to confidential online data, including details of the Sela partnership.
A Sela spokesperson rejected the allegations: “We are disappointed by the unfounded claims brought by Queensberry and Frank Warren. We reject them in their entirety and are confident that the facts will fully vindicate our position.”