Showtime boxing boss Stephen Espinoza responds to derogatory comments from UFC CEO Dana White, suggesting his outburst may have a negative impact on his public image as the head of a publicly traded company.
Stephen Espinoza, the head of Showtime Boxing, recently took a leaf out of UFC CEO Dana White’s book but quickly used it to criticize him. Espinoza’s response came in light of White’s recent tirade against him. Espinoza feigned surprise at White’s behavior, warning that it could eventually land him in hot water, especially as the UFC boss is the face of a publicly-traded company. “I’m shocked by the comments,” Espinoza said to FightHype.com. The occasion was a press conference for the pay-per-view event featuring Canelo Alvarez and Jermell Charlo. Espinoza further added, “We’ve always known Dana to be so articulate and intelligent and witty with his comments. It’s so strange of him to lash out in anger. Who would have guessed that he would lash out in anger at somebody. We’ve never seen that before, right?”
White laid into Espinoza when asked on Tuesday about the rumored imminent demise of Showtime Boxing, which was apparently set to go under by the end of this year. White retorted dismissively, “it’s about time that sh**** product is off the air.” Espinoza, in return, downplayed the reports of Showtime Boxing’s end after a 37-year run and attributed White’s outbursts to their previous disagreements. The executives had sparred over the pay-per-view numbers from their jointly promoted mega-fight between Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather. Since then, White has taken every chance to launch attacks on Espinoza.
Espinoza went on to say about White’s grievances, “I think some of it is I didn’t go along with the misrepresentations that he wanted to say on the events that we did together,” speaking of White’s claim that ‘The Money Fight’ was the highest all-time grosser in pay-per-view buys (Espinoza insisted that it ranked second domestically behind the Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao match). Espinoza added, “I think it’s kind of obvious. I don’t have to articulate. People can put two and two together and see why he tends to single me out among most other people for that kind of idiotic abuse. If that’s the only way he can engage in some sort of dialogue, then more power to him. I hope he can someday elevate his vocabulary and learn how to speak more eloquently and articulately. I think it’s something that might be useful if you’re going to be a leader of a publicly-traded company.” During the press conference, Espinoza also took another dig at White by mentioning the anticipated $20 million gate for the Canelo vs. Charlo fight, to which White responded by calling him a “scumbag.”