Till recently, Dana White had a touch-and-go relationship with boxing. But that line got blurred when he jumped the fence and joined the sport. After months of discussion, in partnership with Riyadh Season, TKO Holding, which owns both UFC and WWE brands, launched a new boxing promotion. And now the venture is onto its first test – the September 13 Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford showdown.
That said, Dana White and team may have put other boxing promoters on notice. And despite assurances of working together, fissures are plain. Already the Riyadh Season and Oscar De La Hoya-led Golden Boy Promotions appear to be at a crossroads. On the coming Saturday, De La Hoya will join Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions for their DAZN-streamed event in Anaheim. But on the same date, T-Mobile Arena will host Ilia Topuria-Charles Oliveira-headlined UFC 317. Under normal circumstances, a situation like this could worry a promoter. But not Dana White. Unfazed, he made it clear where he stands vis-à-vis others like De La Hoya and Eddie Hearn.
To begin with, White wasn’t even aware that the Jake Paul-Chavez Jr. fight is happening on the same day as UFC 317. “Oh, really? I didn’t even f**king know…. Who’s he fighting?” He asked when a reporter probed the event-date clash. Another one asked, “I knew when you were going to get into this game some of the existing promoters in boxing were probably going to get a little bit defensive about you entering boxing… De La Hoya is already out here saying this fight’s going to be at lunchtime and stuff like that. How excited are you to go?”
Credits: Imago
Calling De La Hoya a ‘douchebag’ and ‘lunatic,’ White mocked his claim about the Canelo-Crawford fight schedule. He made it clear: there is a ‘big difference’ between the equation he shares with De la Hoya and rivalry. Dana White explained, “I really like Eddie Hearn. Um, I like Frank Warren and a lot of the other guys that are in here, um, that are in the sport, and I think that they’re going to continue to do what they do, and we’ll do what we do.”
He doesn’t foresee any rivalry with people he has good relationships with. “I’m not looking at anybody as a rival, or we’re going to take this guy out, or any of that. I, you know, people don’t work too well in the boxing business, but, uh, I think those guys are going to continue to run their businesses and do what they do, and then we’ll do what we do,” he added.
White has had a contentious history with both De La Hoya and Bob Arum. And it’s clear his opinion about either hasn’t changed much.
The rocky road of Dana White and Oscar De La Hoya in boxing
Earlier this month, De La Hoya returned with a fresh episode of ‘Thursday Clap Back.‘ He kept one segment reserved for Dana White for ‘turning his back’ on MMA fans. Talking about the rumored timing of the Canelo-Crawford fight, he argued that White is prioritizing UFC by securing prime slots. Boxing is getting a raw deal.
FL: Oscar De La Hoya The Golden Boy HBO Documentary. DORAL, FL-JULY 21: Oscar De La Hoya is seen during Univision Despierta America to talk about the up coming documentary The Golden Boy on HBO on July 21, 2023 in Doral, Florida. Miami Florida United States of America NOxUSExINxGERMANY PUBLICATIONxINxALGxARGxAUTxBRNxBRAxCANxCHIxCHNxCOLxECUxEGYxGRExINDxIRIxIRQxISRxJORxKUWxLIBxLBAxMLTxMEXxMARxOMAxPERxQATxKSAxSUIxSYRxTUNxTURxUAExUKxVENxYEMxONLY Copyright: xAlbertoxE.xTamargox Editorial use only sipausa_47428273
So he asked, “Oh, and Dana, what now? You’re turning your back on the UFC. I mean, we all know you’ve been trying to get into boxing for years on your own, and you couldn’t do it. Remember Zuffa? Oh, but now that Daddy Turki negotiated a big fight and he paid for it, you’re seriously proud to be the trust fund kid presenting to be the face of this fight.”
Much earlier, he sounded quite offended when reports of the Dana White-Riyadh Season deal finally emerged. He made it clear that he wants to stay in ‘his lane’ and “do what I do for Golden Boy and DAZN and offer the fans the best fights possible, just as we’ve done for years.“
Fans should stay tuned. The White-De La Hoya back-and-forth isn’t going to end anytime soon.
What’s the take? Will the Canelo-Crawford fight set a benchmark, a blueprint for the future events to follow?
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