TORONTO, ON – JULY 12: UFC President Dana White speaks during the Floyd Mayweather Jr. v Conor McGregor World Press Tour at Budweiser Stage on July 12, 2017 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) | Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images
Zuffa Boxing could be over before it even started.
Dana White kept teasing making a power move in boxing for years. From talk of signing boxing stars, to revolutionizing the sport and not working with sanctioning bodies, to even printing out “Zuffa Boxing” shirts for media events, there’s been a lot of bold proclamations, but not much else.
If a top executive from the UFC’s parent company is to be believed, there really isn’t anything coming on that front.
The NY Post recently broke the news that the UFC will be taking out a $300 million dividend that will be paid to their owners and investors. There were many important business details and quotes that were included there, including an interesting little tidbit from Endeavor President Mark Shapiro about a possible boxing expansion.
As the report notes, Shapiro simply said “there are no plans to move into boxing.”
If that’s indeed a firm decision from Endeavor, then Zuffa Boxing really could be the combat sports equivalent of vaporware.
Interestingly enough, last December, White was still saying that he’s been dealing with “speed bumps” concerning Zuffa Boxing but claims it would still push through. As recently as January 2020, the UFC President was also talking about possibly getting involved in a potential Mayweather vs Pacquiao rematch.