Dana White softens Zuffa Boxing stance on sanctioning bodies

Dana White has walked back his war on boxing's major sanctioning bodies.

The Zuffa Boxing boss told reporters at Sunday's press conference that the promotion will work with the WBC, WBA, and IBF on a case-by-case basis to deliver the biggest matchups, according to MMA Mania. White previously said he had no interest in collaborating with the traditional alphabet groups and planned to crown Zuffa champions using his own belt system.

White shifts from conflict to collaboration with WBC, WBA, IBF

"All of this is a work in progress," White said, per the report. "My goal, and if you look at what Turki [Al-Sheikh] has done over the last several years of boxing, is to put on the biggest and the best fights that we can. Whatever it takes to achieve that, we'll try to do." White added that Zuffa would evaluate fighter goals individually and determine the necessary steps to make those bouts happen.

WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman had remained open to working with Zuffa despite White's earlier dismissal of the sanctioning landscape. Jake Paul, a frequent White critic, responded on social media by calling out the reversal. "They went from shitting on all of the boxing sanctioning bodies and how they need to get rid of them for the good of boxing to now this," Paul wrote. "Truth is, we need to further align promoters and the sanctioning bodies to create the biggest opportunities for boxers."

Zuffa Boxing returns Aug. 8 when Aaron McKenna faces Etinosa Oliha for a middleweight title at 3Arena in Dublin.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — Dana White quietly ends Zuffa’s war against boxing’s sanctioning bodies, Jake Paul reacts