Zuffa Boxing’s stated goal of competing with Britain’s established promoters rests on a single problem: talent. In its analysis of the promotion’s UK prospects, iFL TV argued that the path to joining Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren at the top of British boxing runs through signings, and that Dana White’s company will likely have to outspend the market to get there. Zuffa already has one leading British name under contract and is reported to have added another, with a list of targets still tied to its rivals.

The roster question arrives as Zuffa stages its first cards in the region. The promotion makes its UK debut on June 6 in Bournemouth, where former WBO cruiserweight champion Chris Billam-Smith faces Canada’s Ryan Rozicki, and holds its first Irish event, Zuffa Boxing 10, at Dublin’s 3Arena on August 8.

The Signings and the Targets

The anchor is Conor Benn. He left Hearn’s Matchroom in February for a reported $15 million one-fight deal, beat Regis Prograis in Tottenham in April, then re-signed on a multi-fight contract that, according to ESPN, runs through 2028. “Our visions were aligned,” Benn said, adding that the goal remained a world title and the fights fans want.

iFL TV identified Chris Eubank Jr as the most plausible next target, reporting that his relationship with promoter Boxxer appears strained. A move to Zuffa would open the door to a third Benn fight after the pair met twice last year, a bout iFL TV said would carry stadium appeal at any weight above middleweight.

Beyond those two, the outlet noted that most of Britain’s leading fighters are committed elsewhere. Daniel Dubois, Dalton Smith, Jack Catterall and Fabio Wardley are signed to Warren or Hearn, as is heavyweight prospect Moses Itauma, who agreed a long-term deal with Queensberry around 18 months ago. iFL TV also pointed to light heavyweight Ben Whittaker, tied to Matchroom and set for a United States debut this month, as a fighter Zuffa could pursue once contracts lapse. White’s public feud with both promoters, the outlet added, complicates any cooperation. The broadcast split, the questions around Zuffa’s own belt and the response from Hearn and Warren are set out in BoxingInsider’s look at Zuffa’s wider UK plan.

At the elite level, Hearn said this week that junior welterweight champion Shakur Stevenson has signed with Zuffa. “Shakur signed with Zuffa, so that will be him moving forward,” Hearn told Fight Hub TV. The promotion has not formally announced the deal. Hearn, who promoted Stevenson as recently as January, questioned the spending behind such signings and said the model would not last.

The Irish Card

Zuffa’s Dublin show gives it a second route into the region’s talent. Cork’s Callum Walsh, who headlined the promotion’s debut in Las Vegas in January, is the expected headliner on August 8, according to The 42 and Irish Boxing. The same outlets report that Monaghan middleweight Aaron McKenna is in line to meet Italy’s Etinosa Oliha for the vacant IBF middleweight title on the card. The IBF ordered that bout after stripping Janibek Alimkhanuly following a failed drug test. Zuffa has confirmed the date but not the lineup.

For now, the roster is the measure of Zuffa’s ambition in British and Irish boxing. Bournemouth comes first, on June 6. Dublin follows on August 8.