Away from the ring, there has been a fair amount of back and forth between White and Matchroom’s Hearn since Zuffa Boxing held its first card in January.
Heated online rants have even led to the two jokingly suggesting a fight in separate interviews.
An online rivalry has also developed into the two making some moves within the business of their respective sporting arenas.
After White signed Benn and Opetaia from Hearn’s stable, the Briton responded by signing UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall to his newly formed talent agency.
Hearn has even recently called for White to release Aspinall from his UFC contract after saying the heavyweight champion is not being paid his worth.
Billam-Smith was previously signed to Hearn’s stable, but moved to Boxxer and finally achieved his dream of fighting in Bournemouth for the first time in 2022.
He competed a further three times in his hometown and went on to win the WBO world title at AFC Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium in 2023.
“Eddie never saw the vision of us fighting down here which is what we always wanted to do, Dana’s now doing it off the back of the previous shows,” Billam-Smith said.
Many have tried to compete with Frank Warren and Hearn over the years, but very few have enjoyed the same kind of long-term success that they have enjoyed.
White, though, has a history of entering a sport and emerging on top – growing the UFC from obscurity to a market leader surpassing and eventually buying out rival promotions Strikeforce and Pride.
Saturday is Zuffa Boxing’s moment to plant its flag on these shores, as White attempts to establish the promotion as one of the major players in British boxing.
