Dana White’s New Vision for Boxing: Help or Harm?

UFC President and CEO Dana White has shifted his sights to boxing. This shift follows a groundbreaking announcement of a multi-year partnership between TKO Group Holdings Inc. and Sela, made by him and Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority.

In the viral announcement video, Dana White makes a statement: “The model is proven to deliver the fights that fans want to see. The best will fight the best, and the fighters will continue to move up the rankings and become world champions.”

BOOOOOOM!!!!! Boxing here we come pic.twitter.com/XBRBT5mr3P

— danawhite (@danawhite) March 5, 2025

About White and his new role, Alalshikh told TNT Sports, “We have the same vision. I trust that. This league, in a short time, will crush everything.”

White’s Vision for the League

White plays an executive leadership role in TKO boxing. He works alongside WWE President and TKO Board Member Nick Khan. Together, they provide day-to-day operational expertise, management, and oversight.

After UFC 313, media members asked White about his plans. They wanted to know if he would work with other boxing promoters in this new venture. He replied, “I think that the sport of boxing is so broken. It needs to be built from the ground up again. That’s what I’m going to focus on doing.”

The league’s most recent development is the number of weight classes and recognized world titles. The league will have eight weight classes: Flyweight, Bantamweight, Featherweight, Lightweight, Welterweight, Middleweight, Light Heavyweight, and Heavyweight.

To add to that, on March 6, Turki Alalshikh instructed Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez not to display his WBC world title to the cameras. This was ahead of his undisputed super middleweight championship bout against William Scull. Instead, Alalshikh proudly brandished the Ring Magazine belt, which caught the eyes of many. Alalshikh now owns Ring Magazine, and it is unclear whether he plans on recognizing the main governing bodies of boxing.

WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman quickly addressed the speculation surrounding the documented sequence. He told ESPN, “I have absolutely no concern or negative views whatsoever (of TKO boxing).”

Good or Bad News?

As of right now, it is unclear if White’s presence in boxing will help the sport’s progress or hinder it. For many years, the consensus complaint with boxing was about the unnecessary titles due to multiple governing bodies.

Another problem has been the small gaps in weight divisions that have watered down the substance of these titles. White and Alalshikh are addressing these general complaints directly to tighten up the sport’s management.

*spits water out* 🤣 pic.twitter.com/p0G24DKA5G

— J. Torres (@joeygamebred) March 11, 2025

Conversely, many MMA fans have grown familiar with White and his UFC business model. They understand the potential shift in fighter pay that may leak to TKO Boxing. Die-hard boxing fans will argue that White has no place in the sport for reasons like this. White has been asked about the looming worries regarding fighter pay as he enters boxing.

Talking to Sportico, White claimed, “By the time we’re done, this will be a league much like the UFC. You have the brand, and all these ancillary things are built around the brand—video games, gyms, merchandise, etc. The list goes on and on. All of these things will kick back revenue that will also kick back to the fighters like UFC does.”

Mixed Reactions to the News

In an interview with FightHubTV, Golden Boy Promotions CEO and Chairman Oscar De La Hoya gave an emotional response: “Well, I did hear that he [Turki Alalshikh] passed over the reigns of boxing to Dana White. Well, that comment made me feel a little offended because I’ve been boxing all my life. And I’ve been promoting twenty-some-odd years. So what I’m going to do is stay in my lane and do what I do for Golden Boy and with DAZN. And give the fight fans the best fights that can possibly be made, just the way we have been doing for years.”

“Working with Turki Alalshikh and Riyadh Season and sprinkling these big championship events. Yeah, it is an honor for me to do that. But, I have my own business that I’m going to take care of as well. And nobody’s going to touch me there. So I’m going to stick in my lane and work with Turki Alalshikh because it has been very positive.”

Matchroom Boxing’s figurehead and Chairman Eddie Hearn disagreed with White’s “broken” view on the state of boxing. He told The Stomping Ground, “The one thing I disagree with His Excellency and Dana White over is that boxing is not broken. Boxing is in the best place it has ever been in. Riyadh Season and His Excellency have injected that new lease of life and, of course, a huge amount of money as well to make these big fights happen. So, I don’t think anyone’s going to fix boxing, but can we improve it? Can we put better structures together? Can we come up with leagues that are gonna work and find one champion and all this kind of stuff? Yeah, I think we should always look to evolve.”

Happy

0 0 %

Sad

0 0 %

Excited

0 0 %

Sleepy

0 0 %

Angry

0 0 %

Surprise

0 0 %

About Post Author

Dawson Carrell

Dawson Carrell is a Combat Sports Writer with over two years of experience covering MMA, Boxing, and the broader fight game. Known for his in-depth analysis and sharp insight, Dawson enjoys breaking down the tactics, techniques, and personalities that shape the fight game.

See author's posts