Just when he’s about to showcase his promotional magic to English fans, Dana White and Zuffa Boxing are facing the bitter reality of a lawsuit that once again questions the practices that have put them at the center of the boxing world.

Promoter Ben Shalom claims White and the team used tactics that interfered with the contractual obligations of two former BOXXER fighters – Chris Billam-Smith and Sam Hickey – and featured them on Zuffa’s UK debut scheduled for tonight at Bournemouth International Centre in Dorset.

“BOXXER can confirm it is seeking urgent injunctive relief against Zuffa Boxing and Sky Sports concerning the promotion and proposed participation of fighters who remain subject to binding contractual obligations to BOXXER,” the promotion’s statement shared with Daily Mail read.

“BOXXER believes that all parties involved are fully aware of the contractual obligations owed to BOXXER by the fighters being promoted for Saturday’s event. Despite this, those fighters continue to be advertised and promoted without BOXXER’s consent. As a result of the conduct it has witnessed in recent months, BOXXER has been left with no option but to seek further relief from the English courts.”

“Its application seeks orders to prevent further interference with BOXXER’s contractual rights and business relationships and to prevent the use of fighters who remain under binding agreements with BOXXER until those contractual issues are resolved.”

Shalom’s frustration stems from the fact that he still held the matching right for Billam-Smith when Zuffa came forward with its offer. Coming off the loss to Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez two years ago, which pushed him back to contender territory, the English cruiserweight, who turns 36 this August, has been trying to get his career back on track.

While he won his next bout, against Brandon Glanton last April, his career has not really gained momentum since then. It was during that stretch when Zuffa arrived, eventually leading to Billam-Smith signing a multi-fight deal a month ago.

Shalom’s frustration regarding 26-year-old Hickey appears even stronger because he claimed the unbeaten Scottish middleweight was still under BOXXER contract before switching over to Zuffa last month and signing a long-term multi-fight promotional agreement.

More broadly, Shalom’s situation mirrors rival Eddie Hearn’s recent issues, with some of his prominent fighters, including Jai Opetaia and Conor Benn, leaving Matchroom Boxing to join Zuffa. 

Yet, unlike Hearn, who vented his frustration on White and Co. online, Shalom decided to pursue legal action.

“I think they see me and they think, ‘Oh, he’s a nice guy; he’s not going to do anything,'” said Shalom. “You can’t just go in and ignore that fighters are under contract and being paid by another promoter. Look, I know where in the world of Trump and in the world of this and the world of that, but there’s still some sort of business practice.”

“They ignored that we had a matching right on Chris Billam-Smith completely. Not just a matching right but an exclusive negotiation period. They’re ignoring that other fighters in that fight are actually completely under contract. What are you supposed to do? It’s crazy, to be honest. Thankfully, we live in a country where you can’t do those types of things.”

The dispute also draws attention to another lawsuit involving BOXXER from last year. The promoter reportedly secured an injunction against John Wischhusen, alleging that the executive collaborated with competitors during his employment to facilitate the poaching of their contracted fighters and staff as part of a rival venture.

There is also precedent for such disputes in British boxing. In 2014, Queensberry head Frank Warren filed a case against boxer Ricky Burns, suing the former world champion for approximately £2 million while alleging that Burns unlawfully broke his promotional agreement to sign a lucrative five-fight deal with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Sport.

Dana White’s boxing blueprint under scrutiny

Despite Shalom’s move, it could already be too late, with the show still set to unfold tonight as scheduled.

Still, the situation once again shifts the spotlight back onto Dana White and his team’s aggressive push to bring fighters under the Zuffa banner, a stance that closely aligns with their repeated comments that “everyone will be with Zuffa.”

Earlier, while discussing the plans for Zuffa, White explained how he and his team intended to take the boxing promotion to another level by creating UFC-style storylines leading into exciting fights and cards.

“When you start from the bottom up and you start to build your way up, you then have all these built-in storylines. And now you already have guys calling out other guys inside, you know, inside our universe here. And this is how it all works and how it all starts. And we want everybody; we want everybody to fight here,” he said at a Zuffa presser last month.

Against that backdrop, Eddie Hearn’s recent comments become difficult to ignore, especially after he claimed four-division champion Shakur Stevenson had already joined Zuffa amid ongoing rumors surrounding Devin Haney potentially following a similar path.