UFC president Dana White has made it clear how much he hates boxing. Despite his disdain of the inner workings of boxing, White tipped his hand at wanting to get involved with the sport in the future.
In an interview with the Sports Business Journal, White said he’s intending on launching a boxing promotion within the next 12-to-24 months. This comes hot off the heels of his criticisms directed toward the impending failure of negotiations surrounding an undisputed heavyweight title fight between champions Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.
White railed on the boxing establishment in the post-fight press conference for UFC 286 last weekend, priding the UFC’s ability to make big fights without frustrating delays:
“Is it shocking? Yes. Is it ‘shocking’? No. It’s just that is boxing, that’s the way that that sport always seems to play out, the big fights that should happen never happen. And when they do, it’s always late, and that’s the stuff that used to drive me crazy as a fan, and it’s literally part of how I designed this company to not be.”
White is busy with his day-to-day duties as UFC president and is also shilling his brutish Power Slap League, which has sharply declined since its January debut.
Dana White previously abandoned his boxing plans in 2020
White previously established Zuffa Boxing in 2017. The outfit was created in response to Conor McGregor’s one-time transition to boxing to fight Floyd Mayweather. In 2020, White dismissed the promotion altogether.
Whether or not this is actually going to happen is anyone’s guess. With the Power Slap League quickly turning into a failed project, White might feel the crunch to turn to boxing. The problem though is that White has drawn the ire of several major boxing promoters like Oscar De La Hoya and Bob Arum through the years.
If Zuffa Boxing becomes a thing, it would be some time before White gets any notable fighters on board. The inability to play nice with other boxing promoters and White’s dismissiveness of the sport could kill the project if it manages to get off the ground.
In boxing, White will have neither the control nor the influence necessary to run things the way he does in the UFC.
Should White wish to test the waters, we’ll be standing by with a floatie tube to toss in for him when he starts to drown.
