Tom Aspinall risks career stagnation as Eddie Hearn's boxing rhetoric draws scrutiny

Tom Aspinall, who turned 33 and holds the UFC heavyweight title with zero defenses, faces a potentially damaging career trajectory if his manager Eddie Hearn continues pursuing a boxing crossover. Aspinall is under a UFC contract for at least another two years, making a temporary boxing exit effectively impossible, while public disputes with UFC management risk sitting out his peak years without meaningful fights. The heavyweight division's top talents — Francis Ngannou, Jon Jones, and Aspinall — have combined for just four undisputed UFC title bouts over the past five years, a stark contrast to Ciryl Gane's three championship appearances in the same period.