On the eve of Zuffa Boxing’s first show in the UK, BOXXER has welcomed the upstart promotion with open arms — handing Dana White’s company its first legal battle on British soil.
Ben Shalom’s BOXXER is suing TKO’s Zuffa Boxing over the alleged unlawful poaching of two of its fighters, Chris Billam-Smith and Sam Hickey, who both will debut for White’s promotion on Saturday in Bournemouth, England.
BOXXER is asking for injunctive relief in the British courts against Zuffa and the broadcaster Sky Sports, which is showing Saturday’s card and previously had an exclusive media rights agreement with BOXXER.
BOXXER and Sky Sports inked a four-year broadcast deal in 2021, which expired in June 2025. Sky Sports did not renew the deal and instead struck multi-year pacts with Zuffa Boxing and Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions.
Billam-Smith claimed his deal with BOXXER expired at the end of 2025, however Shalom’s company says Billam-Smith was in an exclusive negotiating period with them and that BOXXER had a matching right on him following that.
As it pertains to Hickey, BOXXER claims the Scottish middleweight hope was in a long-term contract with them when he announced his deal with Zuffa Boxing in May.
Although not named in the legal action, BOXXER intends to argue that Jack Massey, who faces Cheavon Clarke in Saturday’s Zuffa co-feature, has at least one fight remaining with the UK-based promotion as well.
BOXXER also has an ongoing legal case against its former head of boxing, Josh Wischussen. It is being argued that Wischhusen undermined BOXXER’s efforts to secure a renewal with Sky Sports and spoke with the broadcaster about a rival venture while he was still tied to BOXXER.
Recently, Sky Sports and newbie promoter Shaa Wassmund were added as co-defendants in the case. Wassmund is understood to have helped Zuffa Boxing secure its deal with Sky, and is being accused by BOXXER of being involved in Wischussen’s alleged unlawful interference with its fighter, broadcaster and staff contracts.
