Darshan Desai Uncrowned Thu, Oct 1, 2026 · 3 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dana White's Zuffa Boxing shocked the pugilistic world in February by poaching one of Britain's biggest stars, Conor Benn, away from Eddie Hearn's Matchroom. White followed it this summer by signing away another Hearn stalwart, Johnny Fisher, with Craig Richards and Cheavon Clarke becoming two other career Matchroom UK fighters who also made the switch.
Now, White — amid his escalating rivalry with Hearn — seems to have his eyes on another one of Matchroom's top stars: Ben Whittaker.
Whittaker returns Saturday in Birmingham against Conor Wallace in an IBF light heavyweight final eliminator — a fight that may also serve as an audition.
"I heard Dana might be in town to watch the fight, maybe," Whittaker told Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show" ahead of Saturday's bout.
"That's what I've heard. I just had a little inkling that he might be there, but I might be told otherwise."
"I've had numerous messages [from Zuffa], and my manager has had numerous messages," Whittaker continued. "Hopefully they've not put [White] in the nosebleeds because that would be very rude. We'll get him a nice little royalty seat. It's only right."
A Matchroom event would very much be enemy territory for White, whose entry into boxing earlier this year has sparked an intense civil war with Hearn. White is not expected to attend Saturday, though.
Whittaker declined to say how long remains on his promotional deal with Matchroom. Uncrowned understands, however, that he will not become a free agent after Saturday.
"I've been invited to many [Zuffa Boxing] shows, but I think if I go there I'll get in trouble, so they're coming to me by the looks of it," Whittaker said.
"What can I say? When you look this good, they all flirt with you, man."
"They're all hungry," he added. "It's like a pack of wolves out there, man. I'm just trying to keep them at bay with a stick. ... They're dive-bombing [into my DMs], man, head-first."
Whittaker's comments come at an interesting time in White's rivalry with Hearn. With White absent from Wednesday's launch press conference for Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua — and his involvement in the promotion of the fight increasingly uncertain — Hearn appears to have gained the upper hand in their latest rift.
The UFC CEO, however, may already be focusing on the next battle. Signing Whittaker once the Olympic silver medalist becomes available would represent another significant raid on Matchroom's British stable.
For now, Whittaker insists he remains happy with how Hearn's company has handled his career.
"I'm only messing," Whittaker joked when asked whether his repeated use of "right now" in describing his relationship with Matchroom was intended to hint at an eventual departure. "Eddie's good, Frank [Smith's] good, even Matty Lawless.
"They've done a lot for me. They're really good. Everything's going well. It's my fourth fight with them, and it's a final eliminator. So, for me, they're doing everything they can.
"They've kept me active. Even when [the Callum Smith vs. David Morrell main event] fell out [this past April], they still kept me on the show, so I can stay active. They're doing everything, and I'm just delivering for my part too."
Source: Sports
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