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NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - MAY 07: UFC President and CEO Dana White is seen on stage during the UFC 328 press conference at Prudential Center on May 07, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC)
Zuffa Boxing has only been staging fights for six months, but the growing promotion led by Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) CEO, Dana White, has already been hit with its first lawsuit.
According to a report by Yahoo Sports, Zuffa Boxing is being sued by Ben Shalom’s BOXXER over allegations of unlawful contractual interference involving European boxers Chris Billam-Smith and Sam Hickey. Both fighters will be in action this afternoon (Sat., June 6, 2026) at Zuffa Boxing 7 from Bournemouth, Dorset, England. It marks the promotion’s official debut on European soil and first event outside of UFC’s Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Nothing like an untimely lawsuit to spoil the fun.
According to Shalom, Billam-Smith was still in an exclusive negotiating period with BOXXER at the time of his Zuffa Boxing signing. Billam-Smith has previously stated that his contract with BOXXER expired at the end of 2025, but now it appears that may not be completely true. BOXXER claims they had the right to match any offer to Billam-Smith, which would have included the one made by Zuffa Boxing.
In Hickey’s case, BOXXER is claiming that the Scottish fighter was still under a long-term contract when he signed with Zuffa Boxing back in May. Hickey is just 4-0 as a professional boxer, but the 26-year-old has a lot of potential moving forward. If BOXXER is able to prove he was still under contract then that could cause some issues for Zuffa Boxing.
What do you think about all of this? Is Zuffa Boxing kicking in too many doors in pursuit of a boxing takeover? How will this lawsuit play out?
Let us know!
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