Eddie Hearn calls on Dana White to release Tom Aspinall from UFC

Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn wants UFC president Dana White to release heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall from his contract, claiming the Manchester fighter is underpaid and unhappy.

Hearn, who brought Aspinall into his talent agency through a commercial and advisory deal in March, told the BBC he would guarantee the 33-year-old at least triple his current UFC earnings. "I will put in writing that Tom Aspinall will make a minimum of three times more than he will under his current contract," Hearn said, per the BBC's report.

Hearn offers legal swap to free Aspinall

The Matchroom chairman sweetened his pitch with a legal trade: drop Aspinall, and he'll walk away from planned litigation over Conor Benn's departure to White's Zuffa Boxing. "I'll walk away from all their problems they've got on the Conor Benn legal situation if they release Tom Aspinall," Hearn said. He previously called Benn's exit a "dagger in the heart."

Aspinall remains under UFC contract and is one of the promotion's biggest draws at heavyweight, with seven of his eight wins ending in the first round. He's been sidelined since last October, when repeated eye pokes forced a stoppage in his title fight against Ciryl Gane. He underwent double eye surgery in February, and his return date is uncertain.

Hearn framed the proposal as a matter of fighter welfare. "I would like to propose that Dana White should be happy for Tom Aspinall, who is extremely unhappy, and he should release him of his obligations with the UFC," he said. There's no sign the UFC would entertain the idea. Aspinall's next move hinges on medical clearance and contract negotiations that now sit in the middle of Hearn and White's escalating public feud.

Source: bbc.com