You all thinking that maybe UFC’s Dana White is getting ready to put more than his big toe in the water and jump all in, finally entering the pugilism scene?
I say that because we saw and heard Bob Arum being asked, and then assessing White’s entry into the boxing game.
And now mega deal-maker Eddie Hearn — whose profile has exploded in the US in the last year and a half thanks to his alliance with DAZN, the OTT behemoth — was asked about White.
On The Luke Thomas Show, on Sirius, the host asked the Brit about White coming into the boxing space.
”I think Dana White’s a very intelligent man,” the promoter of Anthony Joshua said on Sirius, lauding the combustible lead-dog for his work in building up MMA.
“I think he’s going to find it very different in boxing [compared] to UFC. It’s not a sport you can dominate the fighters, control the fighters, get them to sign contracts to fight ultimately to fight whoever they’re told to fight, which is the UFC model. One of the reasons I think UFC does so well, is the fighters are told who they are fighting. That’s not the way in boxing, in boxing fighters tend to have much more control over their career.
“Of course, there are a number of promoters, there are a number of networks who are involved, so there’s a huge amount of politics in the sport. Which is frustrating sometimes, and I think that’s something that’s actually gonna frustrate Dana White.”
So would Hearn lobby Dana not to bother, to keep Zuffa Boxing in the incubator?
Nope — come in, the water’s nice, he said.
”I would love him to have a go at that, because the more promoters, the more investment, the more people making the effort to make this sport great, the better. So, he’s more than welcome, but I don’t think that he’ll have the same kind of model as [he does with] UFC.”
What’s your take? First off, when do you think White will stop teasing and come into this boxing sphere? And then, once in, how will he fare?
Will Arum’s and Hearn’s guesses on what could befall him come to fruition? Weigh in!