Mike Tyson Desperate For Dana White To Enter Boxing – ‘The Best Thing To Happen’
Mike Tyson welcomed the possibility of Dana White entering the sport of boxing.
White has hinted at the idea ever since there was speculation that he would launch Zuffa Boxing in 2018. That came shortly after Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor in 2017. The Irishman would ultimately get stopped in the tenth round on his boxing debut. However, he earned many plaudits by going ten rounds with someone who is regarded as the best fighter of all time.
Boxing’s Growth
That event led to other crossover fights taking place as the UFC became a pioneer for other MMA fighters. MMA fighters such as Nate Diaz and Ben Askren entered the boxing ring. The boxing landscape has shifted significantly following the introduction of Saudis into the sport. They have held some of the biggest events, including Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk, while Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol will occur on October 12.
The increasing investment in the sport has led to calls for a restructure of the governing organizations. Reports indicate that the Saudis want to create a boxing league. There were suggestions that they wanted to buy a stake in Golden Boy Promotions and Matchroom Boxing in a deal worth $4-5 billion. That has not happened yet, but White has hinted that he will enter the sport, stating that an announcement was forthcoming.
This could see an organization develop that mirrors the UFC. The UFC is a centralized body that ensures that the best face each other. The only significant criticism of the UFC is that fighters are not paid enough. The current boxing model allows boxers to earn an unprecedented amount of money, especially if they are at the top end of the scale.
Tyson On White
Canelo Alvarez showed that in his last fight against Edgar Berlanga. The fight was criticized after the Mexican failed to fight David Benavidez. However, the PPV price of $89.99 did not deter boxing fans as it sold 650,000 buys. The live gate also produced $17 million, earning Canelo a reported $35 million in the fight. Those figures are unlikely to be generated in a UFC-style boxing league, but it does have the advantage of ensuring that no fighters duck each other. Tyson welcomed the possible introduction of White into the sport.
“That’s going to be the best thing to happen to boxing, just like UFC. If you’re in UFC, and if anybody’s booing the fight, you’re not going to see that guy. His next fight is going to be in South Dakota somewhere. Only good fights. If you don’t have a good fight, you ain’t never going to see that guy again. Not like boxing, ‘This guy’s going to fight next month again? We don’t want to see that.’ … if any fights stink, you’re not back in the UFC no more, you’re never going to see those guys again,” Tyson said
Tyson is getting ready to face Jake Paul on November 15. This will be his first professional fight since facing Kevin McBride in his 2005 loss. Tyson’s only experience in the ring since then was a 2020 exhibition against Roy Jones Jr. The Paul fight was first set to go ahead on July 20. However, Tyson pulled out with an inflamed ulcer, as there were serious reservations over whether the fight should proceed.
Tyson On Paul
Tyson will be 58 when he steps into the ring, while Paul is considerably younger at 27. Paul has been much more active, having had three fights since last December. He stopped Mike Perry in his last bout, dropping him three times on his way to a sixth-round knockout. Tyson had very little to say about what he thought about Paul.
“I don’t know. He’s improved since the first time he fought. I started him off, I started Jake off. I let him fight on my undercard four years ago, no one knew who the hell he was. So I started him and, most likely, it looks like I’m going to finish him,” Tyson stated
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