Dana White’s enthusiasm over Zuffa Boxing has waned considerably.
White has wanted to reenter the world of boxing for years. In fact, White got his start in the world of combat sports working for a boxing promoter. He would go on to link up with the Fertitta brothers to take over the UFC and the rest is history. Thanks to the efforts of White and the Fertitta brothers, MMA went from being “human cockfighting” to a widely accepted combat sport. Today, the UFC has a broadcast deal with ESPN.
Dana White Has Doubts On Starting Zuffa Boxing
White has teased Zuffa Boxing since the buildup to the Aug. 2017 showdown between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor. While White aimed to “fix” the boxing economy, things haven’t gone according to plan. He admitted to Kevin Iole that his boxing venture is in doubt (via Boxing Junkie).
“I hate speaking negatively about the sport of boxing,” White said, “other than the fact that it’s a mess – we all knows it’s a mess – and that it needs to be fixed, if it can be fixed.”
White continued: “I told you guys that I would have a press conference last October and announce all these things, but as I dove into this thing and started to look into the sport of boxing, the economics of boxing, that sport’s a mess. It’s a mess and it’s in big trouble. I don’t know. I don’t know if it can be fixed.”
White didn’t dive into exactly how the economics of boxing is a “mess” but it isn’t difficult to see why. White is used to having control over his fighters in the UFC. It’s something that boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has admitted he’s jealous of. In the sport of boxing, the boxers themselves have far more leverage than fighters do in MMA. This is why many have lobbied for the Ali Act to be implemented into MMA.
It’s an act that White would have to comply with for his boxing venture and that isn’t exactly ideal for him.
