UFC Could Enter Boxing – ‘Dana Has A Plan’
Ari Emanuel, the CEO of Endeavor, has confirmed his interest in entering into the sport of boxing.
Ari’s comments arrive at the back end of speculation that Dana White will make a foray. The CEO of the UFC has constantly been linked with the sport since he put on Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor in 2017. The fight sold over 4 million PPVs, making it one of the biggest-grossing events ever. White was connected with launching Zuffa Boxing in 2018. However, those plans never went ahead. During this period, he had tension with Golden Boy Promoter Oscar De La Hoya. The latter disapproved of Mayweather vs. McGregor, only to then call for Canelo Alvarez to get that fight.
The UFC currently works very closely with the Saudis. They have invested big money into boxing and MMA. Riyadh Season sponsored UFC 306 at The Sphere, which Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili headlined. It was the first combat sports event at the arena. The UFC has also held two events in Saudi, showing their close relationship with them.
Will It Happen?
Recent reports indicated that TKO Group Holdings and the Saudis could create a boxing league. This would be owned by a subsidiary of the Saudi Public Investment Fund called Sela. Under the terms, TKO Group Holdings would be a “managing partner.” They would get some revenue and equity in return. White is on record praising the Saudis for how they have managed to reinvigorate the sport. If something can be worked out, White could implement the UFC model in boxing.
“When you look at what Turki Alalshikh has done, it took Saudi Arabian money to make fights you never thought would be made. This is the first guy that is reinvesting back into the sport of boxing. Everybody else takes. It’s like a going-out-of-business sale every time they put on an event. ‘Let’s grab as much money as we can and run.’ He’s actually reinvesting in the sport, and I find it interesting,” White said
UFC’s Plans
The UFC brand has been praised for making the best possible match-ups. It has also built a sustainable company that continues to grow while rewarding its best fighters. While there are concerns that fighters at the lower end of the spectrum do not get bigger paydays, the increased exposure by continued activity does make up for that. The UFC’s increasing yearly revenue is evidence of that, as fighters can only benefit. Ari has continued to remain confident that there could be an entry in boxing.
“We’re starting to talk about boxing. We’re kind of looking at that right now. I think you’ve got the Ali Act that hurts it. Hopefully, who knows what’s going to happen with the Ali Act, and then Dana has a plan for boxing. We’ll see. There’s a lot of work. A lot of wood needs to be chopped there, but we’re looking at it pretty seriously,” Ari Emanuel stated
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