Boxing: Eddie Hearn on Dana White’s new boxing league
Eddie Hearn denied “boxing break” after UFC president Dana White struck a deal with Saudi Arabian investors Create a new boxing league.
The details of the league are not clear, with White announced in some interviews that they will rebuild boxing from the ground up and have their own world champions, while others say the league will focus on young talent.
Hearn, one of the world’s largest boxing promoters, told White that boxing has broken the problem.
“I think it’s very good for boxing,” said Matchroom’s Hearn 5 Live boxing with the Steve Bunce podcast.
“One thing I disagree with is that boxing is not broken.
“Boxing is in a great place, always so. We always have a way to improve it, but the fact that these guys want to play in a boxing show.”
White will work with Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the Saudi Arabia General Entertainment Bureau, who has pioneered Saudi investment in the past two years.
The new outfit will belong to the TKO banner with UFC and WWE. UFC uses the Alliance system in MMA, signs fighters with long-term exclusive deals and has its own promotional world champion.
TKO is expected to take over the operation of some of Saudi Arabia’s major boxing matches, including a super fight between Saul’Canelo’Alvarez and Terence Crawford in September in Las Vegas.
However, the US MMA is not subject to the 2000 ALI Act of 1996 and the Professional Boxing Safety Act, which is a legal norm that can set contracts and restrictions as a time to sign promotion.
TKO President Mark Shapiro recently made a statement against the Ali bill, and Hearn is not sure if the UFC model can thrive in boxing.
“I think Dana has a great place in MMA where you can control fighters, ads, everything. You have to do what you tell you,” he said.
“It’s not really working in boxing. Fighters pay a lot in boxing and MMAs have different profit margins, so it’s going to be fun.”
