(Zuffa Boxing)
The battle lines have been drawn, and Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing – the outfit that has Turki Alalshikh’s backing – is ready to take on anyone in its quest to rule the sport.
When one considers White’s friends in high places – Donald Trump is another fan of the UFC boss – alongside the money that’s believed to be at his disposal, he would likely be made favorite to win, too. But the ‘old guard’ – promotional powerhouses like Matchroom, Top Rank, Queensberry and Golden Boy – are getting increasingly insistent that they will not be moved.
Emotions are high. Egos are on show.
Arguably the most influential of that old guard, Eddie Hearn, even pulled his pants down this week and proudly entered the dick-swinging contest by signing UFC star Tom Aspinall on an advisory basis in response to White snatching Conor Benn from Matchroom a fortnight ago.
This is uncharted territory in boxing, we’re told. But Zuffa’s not the first organization or promoter to come along with promises of reform. Don King did so; Frank Warren did so; Oscar De La Hoya did so; Hearn did so. Furthermore, every promoter who came along with cash on the hip, or means to produce it, did so while driving the existing hierarchy bonkers. But in many ways, each of them, though fueled by ambition and hopes of a new and improved sport, merely facilitated existing bad habits in the long run. If Zuffa is to implement palpable improvements, and not just add an extra belt or a tweak to the rules, then it will have to prove it’s better than what came before. In turn, those who came before must prove that what exists is better than what might be coming.
Thus, this battle is far from over.
The biggest headline of the last fortnight was Zuffa’s signing of Benn. Though it was certainly a shock, given Benn’s supposedly unbreakable relationship with Matchroom, further context is required when evaluating its true significance. Benn is indeed highly marketable, but he’s far from proven at world level, and victory over the shop-worn Regis Prograis on April 11 will do little to change that. When, or if, he is stepped up to elite level, there is every chance he loses. Whatever happens, Benn is certainly not going to be the catalyst for a new and improved sport. What he should be, however, is an indicator of Zuffa’s ability to seduce talent away from leading promotional rivals.
But when one looks across the entire sport, it can be…
2026-03-07 10:00:00
