Showtime boxing president Stephen Espinoza has fired back at UFC CEO Dana White.
Espinoza and White have been going back and forth with one another since Tuesday. It was reported this week that Showtime boxing wouldn’t be a thing after 2024, and White took that as an opportunity to share his thoughts on Espinoza.
Then, at the Canelo Alvarez vs. Jermell Charlo press conference, Espinoza blasted White and the UFC over their gates.
“The UFC has never done a gate of $20M in its entire history. We've done it 3 times since April.”
– Stephen Espinoza (president of Showtime Sports)
— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) September 28, 2023
“Not all combat sports is the same. No disrespect to anyone, but there are levels to this. This event will generate a gate (money from ticket sales) of over $20 million. Our third $20 million+ gate in the last six months. To put that in perspective – the UFC has never done a $20 million gate in its entire history. We’ve done it three times since April,” Stephen Espinoza said.
To no surprise, Dana White then took to his Instagram story to clap back at Stephen Espinoza.
“That’s exactly the type of response I would expect from that weasel Espinoza. That scumbag has absolutely nothing to do with the success of Canelo, Ryan Garcia and Terence Crawford. Those guys are mega stars and they are the ones responsible for driving the gates in their fights. For him to even try and take any credit at all shows you what an arrogant, delusional POS (piece of s**t) that guy is.
“For this guy to talk about ‘levels’ is hilarious. The production of the fights on Showtime is an embarrassment and I have been saying that FOREVER. He is a little guy with a big yap and is a complete phony. I’m not at all surprised this is the end for them. It should have come way sooner. Sorry to see you go, Weasel. Enjoy your retirement,” Dana White wrote.
🗣️”HE’S TRIED TO GET IN BOXING, HE’S REPEATEDLY FAILED” @StephenEspinoza responds to the comments made by @DanaWhite regarding the rumours that Showtime are leaving boxing!😳
Prepare for your next fight, camp or sparring session with the best… pic.twitter.com/RgpYzN6GDr
— Boxing Social (@boxing_social) September 29, 2023
Now, following Dana White’s latest comments, Stephen Espinoza was interviewed by BoxingSocial and once again had some choice words for the UFC CEO.
“We know Dana, the reality is he’s threatened when you tell the truth. That’s clear. I stated the facts, we’ve got three $20 million gates, I stated a fact that the UFC has never done one,” Espinoza said. “His response is to call me names, it’s not really an adult conversation when someone states facts and the response is to call you names. … It’s like a grade school type of debate.”
According to Stephen Espinoza, he pointed to the gate not as an insult to the UFC but rather point how well boxing is doing right now. But, it’s clear that Espinoza and White are still not seeing eye-to-eye.
