UFC 313 has already delivered plenty of intense moments for MMA fans to digest, with the most significant being Alex Pereira’s shocking loss. On top of that, Dana White has been dropping fresh updates about his new boxing league, leaving fans with one burning question: Will this new league be a replication of what the head honcho has been able to achieve with MMA? In addition, there’s the looming question about fighter pay—while some elite boxers earn more than UFC fighters, the majority of UFC athletes make significantly more than boxers, especially at the entry level.
Now that Dana White has teamed up with Turki Alalshikh to lead this boxing league, will it bring major, lucrative changes to the sport? Michael Bisping, the former 185lbs champion, certainly thinks so. In a recent episode of his YouTube podcast, Bisping offered some insight into how the new boxing league could see fighters making more money. He explained, “A lot of the up-and-coming fighters get paid very little in boxing; if they follow a UFC model, there will be a minimum payment. So they know straight away, listen, all I gotta do is make it to this league, and I’m going to get 12 and 12—say $24,000.
‘The Count’ further added, “A lot of boxers have never sniffed $24,000 in their life. And then, if you’re good enough to progress through that contract, and you’re exciting, you’ve got personality, charisma, a following, and you give people a reason to tune in, the money’s going to skyrocket.”
Last week in an interview with Sportico, White said: “When was the first boxing match? 1681? So think about this: 1681 to 2025. Tell me something that’s created trillions of dollars in revenue, and at the end of the day, there’s nothing there. By the time we’re done, this will be a league much like the UFC. You have the brand, and there’s all these ancillary things that are built off the brand—video games, gyms, merchandise, the list goes on and on. All of these things will create revenue that will also kick back to the fighters like the UFC does.” Sounds promising right?
Dana White, WWE President Nick Khan along with the Saudis are looking to establish a premier platform for both established and emerging boxers. One of the most revolutionary changes they plan to introduce is a UFC-style model designed to streamline boxing, aiming to fix the sport’s fragmented structure. White, outlining his vision for the new boxing league, explained, “You have to break the sport down and build it from the ground up,” Meanwhile, Khan added, “Boxing has been great maybe once every five years. The greatness of UFC is that it’s great at least once every four weeks. We’re at the starting line, but that’s what we’re aspiring to.”
Moreover, in an interview with Ring Magazine, White stated, “There’s zero speculation on a format. You know the format; everybody knows the format. The best fight the best, and you work your way up the rankings. Once somebody breaks into the top five, there is no question who the best five guys in the world are in each weight class. They fight it out, and once somebody holds that belt, you don’t need the three letters in front of the belt. Whoever has the belt is the best in the world in that weight class. It’s a very simple model.”
This UFC-style ranking system is a stark contrast to boxing’s current structure, which is much more fragmented. Boxing has several governing bodies—such as the WBC, WBA, IBF, and WBO—each with its own championship belt, creating confusion over who the true number one champion is. With Dana White now overseeing operations, this process will be streamlined, similar to the UFC’s successful model.
Michael Bisping seems to be on board with this change, particularly because it could lead to boxers receiving higher base salaries. To add to this, Canelo Alvarez recently signed a massive deal with Turki Alalshikh to fight under the Riyadh Season banner for four bouts, a deal that will certainly surpass the earnings of most UFC fighters. Recently, Canelo Alvarez expressed satisfaction with White’s involvement in the new boxing league.
Canelo Alvarez praises Dana White after partnership with Turki Alalshikh
While discussing his new boxing contract with His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, Canelo Alvarez praised Dana White’s new boxing initiative. He shared, “I think they are going to do the best for the fighters, and I’m pretty sure about that. I’m glad somebody is taking care of the fighters because there are a lot of promoters who don’t take fighters seriously. I think this is good for boxing, especially for the fighters.”
In response, White offered a thoughtful comment at the UFC 313 post-fight presser. “You know, to hear that some of the biggest stars are excited that we are getting into the sport is a good thing, not a bad thing. But like I said, and I’ll say it again, we’ve got a lot of work to do over the next couple of weeks.”
With TKO Holdings and Turki Alalshikh at the core of this new venture, there’s speculation that Dana White’s boxing league might host Canelo Alvarez’s September bout against Terence Crawford. The Mexican star added, “I need to take care of my May fight first, then we will see about September. That’s a possibility to fight in Las Vegas in September and be the first (to compete on TKO Boxing).”
Despite the excitement surrounding the league’s UFC-style rules and ranking system, there’s a major stipulation. As the new boxing league gains momentum, the question remains: what can we expect from this groundbreaking venture? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
The post Dana White’s Boxing Move Guarantees a ‘Minimum Payment’ for Pro-Boxers Claims UFC Hall-of-Famer appeared first on EssentiallySports.
