Dana White responds to Eddie Hearn’s challenge as pair lock horns over boxing league plans

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Dana White intends to monopolise boxing and Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn isn’t exactly welcoming the competition. White’s TKO Group Holdings signed a multi-year partnership to establish a new boxing league with financial backing from Saudi boxing promoter, Turki Alalshikh.GettyThe MMA mogul is preparing to breakdown the sport and rebuild it like he did with the UFC as he begins with Canelo vs Crawford[/caption]The two influential figures have teamed up to promote the blockbuster showdown between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford on September 13 in Las Vegas.White has huge plans to revolutionise the way that boxing works, after building up the UFC brand up to an estimated value of $11.3 billion.While members of the boxing fraternity may be riled up by the American’s latest move, he seems determined to make Zuffa Boxing a success.Matchroom Chairman, Hearn, for one has questioned White’s intentions for his venture. When speaking on The Stomping Ground, he said: “He wants to be the CEO of boxing?“Because they’re trying to get the Muhammad Ali Act changed.“Listen, what I will tell you is you’re not going to see me slagging off Dana White, not because I don’t want to upset him, because I respect him and I have a good relationship with him.”“Competition’s fantastic, but you’re not going to come into boxing and steamroll the game. It’s not going to happen. But we can get on, we can work together, but ultimately, it depends how they’re gonna maneuver.“Everybody is a competitor to us in the sport, but a lot of those competitors are friends and a lot of those competitors we work with for the benefit of our business, our fighters and the sport and that hopefully will be the same with Dana, but let’s see how it plays out…”During an interview with Jim Rome, White broke his silence on Hearn’s comments, saying: “My guy, Eddie Hearn, whom I love and I respect him and I saw him today.Hearn has learned the way of the boxing world after being brought into the scene by his father Barry HearnGetty“He’s out there talking smack, he’s like, Dana is wrong, he can’t do this…“I love this stuff. I look forward to it, too, Eddie. I can’t wait.”White and Hearn have met up in the past and the Matchroom Boxing kingpin has even attended UFC shows including UFC London.Hearn has even suggested on occasion that he wants to take lessons from the brand the UFC mastermind has built.What is Dana White’s involvement in Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford?White will promote the blockbuster undisputed title fight, which is considered by most as being boxing’s biggest event this year.It will be his first venture into the sport as one of the new promotion’s pay-per-view events, and he hopes that it will be a blockbuster launch to his plan to take over boxing.White wants to revolutionise boxing and his first stop is Canelo vs CrawfordGettyAs Crawford steps up two-weight classes to challenge Canelo’s undisputed super-middleweight titles, both men are putting their legacies on the line.The boxing’s pound-for-pound greats will face-off for The Ring Magazine belt that’s valued around $188k.The pair also stand to earn a a mammoth combined purse of $200 million.Crawford will also be chasing history as the undefeated challenger, who can become the only fighter to have ever held undisputed titles in three weight classes, should he taste victory in Sin City.