By now, it’s widely known that TKO Group—the parent company behind the UFC and WWE—is launching a new boxing league in partnership with Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority (GEA), with UFC president Dana White playing a key role in heading the league. However, recent reports suggest White won’t be the only figure leading the charge at the top of the TKO Boxing league’s hierarchy.
A veteran promoter from boxing will join White as a key figure leading the league to new heights. White is set to kick off his boxing promotional voyage with TKO Boxing on September 13th at the Allegiant Stadium with the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford super-fight live on Netflix. However, when White is done with the mega event, a promoter who has worked with the likes of Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko and Gennady Golovkin will join White at the top. Who?
If you haven’t figured it out yet, it’s none other than Tom Loeffler of 360 Promotions. Interestingly, he was the first mover when it comes to working with the UFC, having struck a deal with UFC Fight Pass in 2022 to stream his ‘Hollywood Fight Nights.’ While talking to The Ring, Loeffler reflected on his future position in TKO Boxing’s league, stating, “There are some big plans coming up in the future.” While the 78-year-old refused to divulge much information, he claimed all of his fighters will have a significant role in the upcoming league.
Credits: IMAGO
This includes Cain Sandoval, Umar Dzambekov, Roxy Verduzco, Callum Walsh, and others. “Callum Walsh will be a huge part of the future TKO plans moving forward. We’re really excited about that. Dana White is 100% committed to building boxing, and I support Dana 100%. The cross-promotion the fighters are going to get is tremendous,” Loeffler added. He even praised UFC’s blueprint used for their fights, highlighting that TKO Boxing will take a similar approach.
“When fans go to a UFC show, they know they are going to get some great fights. Sometimes the fans don’t know the undercard fighters, but they are in tremendous matchups. That’s what we’ve tried to model with our 360 Promotions shows,” he added. He seems to especially like that fighters in the UFC aren’t scared of losing because they can still build their career up, which will result in the best fights possible. “That’s the mantra Dana wants to bring for boxing,” Loeffler said.
While it’s unclear who all will appear in the TKO Boxing league, there’s one name Dana White seems to have taken a particular liking to. Can you guess who that is?
Dana White liked this boxer as soon as he was introduced to him
Irish junior middleweight contender Callum Walsh (13-0, 11 KOs) is a fast-growing name in the boxing scene, and White seems to have found his Jon Jones in Walsh. White personally attended his fights in Los Angeles and New York and went as far as to promote the Irishman in his homecoming event last year in Dublin. Unsurprisingly, Walsh also appears quite frequently in UFC and WWE events.
Credits: IMAGO
“I love Callum Walsh,” White told The Ring. “I love his style. I love the fact that he’s willing to take tough fights, and I just liked the kid personally as soon as I was introduced to him. Promoting him is fun for me, and I am having fun doing it.” Walsh has a fight coming up on Saturday against Elias Espadas at Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez, California, which will be live on UFC Fight Pass.
While it’s not confirmed that Walsh will be in TKO Boxing, his promoter, Tom Loeffler, claims he would love to see him on the league’s roster. “A lot of fighters want to get on that show, and if there is a way to get Callum and Serhii on the show, I’d love to do that,” said Loeffler. “But there isn’t anything that has been finalized yet.”
That being said, it appears Dana White will have Tom Loeffler by his side guiding into his journey into the intricate world of boxing. However, it’s yet to be seen how well this new venture works out for TKO Boxing, who have plans to host 12 events per year for the next five years. What do you make of Loeffler joining the TKO camp?
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