Stephen Espinoza trolls Dana White back on 'idiotic abuse,' tells UFC boss to shape up vocabulary

30/09/2023 15:00

Showtime boxing boss Stephen Espinoza first took a page from UFC CEO Dana White's playbook before whacking him over the head with it.

Responding to White's most recent tirade at him, Espinoza feigned "shock" at the UFC boss' behavior before cautioning that it could eventually get him in trouble as the public face of a publicly traded company.

"I'm shocked by the comments," Espinoza told after a press conference for the Canelo Alvarez vs. Jermell Charlo pay-per-view event. "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 on Tuesday was asked about a report of Showtime Boxing's imminent demise, with the cable channel's pugilistic operations set to go under by the end of this year. The UFC CEO cursed Espinoza and added "it's about time that s***** product is off the air."

Espinoza brushed off the report of Showtime Boxing's close after a 37-year-run and pointed back to his contentious relationship with White as the source of the recent outburst. The executives butted heads publicly over pay-per-view figures from their co-promoted mega-fight between Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather, and White has since then taken every opportunity to attack Espinoza.

"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," said Espinoza, referring to White's contention that "The Money Fight" was the all-time leader in pay-per-view buys (he said the event was the No. 2 draw domestically behind Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao). "I think it's kind of obvious. I don't have to articulate. I think 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 necessarily helpful if you're going to be a leader of a publicly traded company."

Espinoza fired another shot at White during the press conference when he touted the $20 million gate expected for Canelo vs. Charlo. White responded with another fiery diatribe, calling the Showtime exec a "scumbag."

Below is Espinoza's full interview on Canelo vs. Charlo and his ongoing feud with White.