UFC president Dana White provides an update on Zuffa Boxing, which isn’t much of one.
Last year, UFC president Dana White declared that he would be getting into the world of boxing promotion, forming “Zuffa Boxing.” Evidently, things haven’t gone according to plan, based on White’s own admission.
In an interview with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, White indicated that plans are still in place for Zuffa Boxing to get off the ground.
“I had a meeting in LA yesterday. We are continuing to move forward, and we will absolutely, positively be in the boxing business,” White said.
“Soon,” White replied when asked about a timeframe. “I just bought the building next door here. We’re building a $12 million facility. We’ll basically have our own arena. We’ll be able to put fights right here next door and air them live anywhere in the world. I can do MMA fights, I can do boxing, I can do kickboxing, I can do jiu-jitsu, I can do all kinds of different fights and tournaments. We’re going to do a lot of things.”
Okamoto brought up that former middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin is a network free agent due to the demise of HBO Boxing, and whether or not he’d like to work with him. White didn’t explicitly say he was interested, but he wants the top names and elite contenders under his roof.
“If you know how I run my business and what I like, yes I want all the best boxers in the world,” White said. “I want them all to fight each other and find out who the real champ is. That’s what we’re going to do.”
Well that’ll be easier said than done, unless he intends to co-promote or essentially run established boxing promoters out of town, or raid the Premier Boxing Champions cabinet that is currently filled with fighters unattached to promoters, but very much loyal to Al Haymon, who advises them. PBC’s top guys are also handsomely paid, arguably above market, and the same thing is happening with regards to those who are affiliated with DAZN.
Beyond those roadblocks, White has already announced his intentions not to work with any sanctioning bodies, and also said he wouldn’t work with Golden Boy Promotions, Top Rank, or Showtime Boxing.