Derek Chisora accuses Dana White of operating "like a slave owner"

Dana White is under major fire for his operational tactics. The accusations are quite intense this time.

Derek Chisora Calls Dana White’s Way of Operating “Bullish”

Dana White is currently one of the biggest names in the sports-entertainment industry. He is widely credited with helping build UFC and bringing martial arts to the mainstream.  

Despite being considered a pioneering figure by many, many also have their set of grievances against him. Derek Chisora definitely belongs to the second group.

The former heavyweight boxer spoke to the media after Wednesday’s Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua press conference. When asked about the Eddie Hearn and Dana White feud, he had some heated words to deliver.

“Dana White is not my cup of tea, to be honest with you. Because the way he operates is just- he operates like a slave owner, man," he said to Fight Hub TV.

🚨DEREK CHISORA UNLOADS ON DANA WHITE: “HE OPERATES LIKE A SLAVE OWNER” 😳

🗣️Derek Chisora: “Dana White, he’s not my cup of tea, to be honest with you, because the way he operates he operates like a slave owner.”

🗣️”Fighters want to fight on his platform, he tells them, ‘You’re…

— FightLuck (@FightluckBet) October 1, 2026

He continued by saying fighters who crave to be on that platform are often dismissed by him.

“He tells them, 'You're not good enough for me, so go away.' What is a fighter going to do? What is he going to do after that? That's not right."

“His way of operating is just bullish, and I don’t like it.” He ultimately stated.

Now, allegations of mismanagement against Dana White aren’t new. Fighters like Paulo Costa have publicly challenged the promotion over unfulfilled title opportunities and contract limits.

The timing and the context of Chisora’s comments, however, add another layer to the already intense Hearn-White situation.

Dana White says that Eddie Hearn is “trying to win some kind of PR battle” 

As the Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua bout day comes closer, the verbal feud between Dana White and Eddie Hearn also intensifies.

For months leading up to this matchup actually coming to fruition, White was credited as a co-promoter for this fight. This was constantly challenged by Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn, who claimed, contractually, that was impossible.

White, like clockwork, has pushed back on that narrative from the beginning.

However, Dana White’s absence at the first Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua press conference made the situation messier. Eddie Hearn didn’t even break a sweat talking about Dana White’s shortcomings. He claimed White had "lost" and "cannot be involved in this fight".

Dana quickly addressed the situation with strong words.

"I think the answer between me and Eddie is that Eddie is trying to win some kind of PR battle or whatever the f*ck,".

"Eddie likes to see himself on interviews. He likes to talk a lot. Talking a lot will get you in a lot of f*cking trouble,” he continued.

“Like I said, judge me at the end of the year. Let's see how this whole thing looks in a couple of years. The writing is on the wall. Whatever f*cking little p*ssy game he thinks he won, he's out of his mind. He's incredibly delusional. He knows what's going on. They all know what's going on."

The debate over White’s involvement still persists. Thursday, the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) listed Queensberry, Matchroom, and Sela as the promoters, according to BoxingScene. Sponsors of the event include Alalshikh and Saudi Arabia. Whatever involvement White might have in the event is an extension of support from that party.