Eddie Hearn calls Mike Coppinger a Zuffa ‘company man’ in heated row

Eddie Hearn accused boxing reporter Mike Coppinger of being a Zuffa “company man” during a heated exchange about Dana White’s promotion on DAZN’s Inside The Ring.

Hearn repeatedly pressed Coppinger to name what Zuffa Boxing has achieved in its first year. Coppinger called it “early days” and argued the company should be judged over three to five years, not 12 months.

The clip, uploaded on Thursday, spread quickly online.

Eddie Hearn: ‘You’re a company man’

The row started when the panel turned to Zuffa’s first year in boxing. Hearn believes White promised a lot and has not delivered.

“Do you know what you are? You’re a company man, right?” Hearn told Coppinger. “Tell me what Zuffa have done this year.”

After several interruptions, Coppinger accepted that White had talked about being judged after 12 months, but argued for a longer timetable, Boxing247 reported.

He also hit back. According to DAZN, Coppinger reminded Hearn how Matchroom’s own push into America had begun.

Who is Mike Coppinger?

Coppinger is The Ring’s senior insider and appears on Inside The Ring alongside host Mario Lopez.

He has also worked on Zuffa’s broadcasts. Reports of the promotion’s first show in January listed him among the analysts.

Hearn and White’s war of words

Hearn’s criticism of Zuffa is not new. Last month he claimed the company “might be finished already”, and he has called Zuffa’s first ten months “absolutely abysmal” given the money, broadcast deal and connections behind it.

White sees it very differently. Speaking after his latest show, he said: “I’m happy with our first year,” and pointed out that Zuffa is still only eight or nine months into its boxing venture.

The Fury vs Joshua undercard

The row comes as both promoters share the Fury vs Joshua card in Cardiff. Joshua is Hearn’s fighter, but White has put fights on the undercard, including Jai Opetaia against Deontay Wilder and Da’Mazion Vanhouter against Michael Essomba. We covered that in Dana White wants Vanhouter in Cardiff.

Asked who is deciding the undercard, White kept it brief: “Well, we made some fights on the undercard… I’m not going to get into this stuff.”

Fury vs Joshua takes place at the Principality Stadium on 11 December. The latest confirmed fights are in our Fury vs Joshua fight centre.