Not everyone is thrilled about Dana White’s move into the world of boxing.
Last month, the UFC CEO revealed that he would be teaming up with Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority in Saudi Arabia, to kickstart a new boxing organization. The news came with mixed reactions, some excited to see White bring his UFC model to a sport that has been plagued by widespread corruption and a lack of intriguing fights for some time.
“It’ll be like the UFC. The model is the model that we have [in UFC],” White told ESPN in March. “[The] WBC, IBF, WBA, etc., etc. They will deal with those traditional promoters that are out there that exist right now. We’re not going to do that.”
However, not everyone is happy with the changes White proposes to make.
Ex-Boxing Champion insists dana white will never control boxing
During a recent interview courtesy of cardplayer.com, former WBC cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew shared his concerns with White’s vision. In particular, the exclusion of titles from the four major organizations in favor of in-house belts and a single titleholder per weight class.
“You have to understand what Dana’s achieved with the UFC is nothing short of remarkable,” Bellew said. “But boxing has been going since the start of man. And one man will never completely control all of boxing, it’s true. And you can’t take away the belts either. And whoever is suggesting that is wrong for doing it. Don’t destroy the history and the heritage of my wonderful, amazing sports.
“The WBC, the IBF, and WBA, and the WBO have created something that youngsters look up to and want to be. If you’re trying to take away them belts, it’s just a disgrace. Boxing and the UFC are two completely different sports and they can’t be run the same. I appreciate what Dana’s doing and I’m sure it’ll gather momentum and it’ll gain numbers, but I just don’t think boxing can be run by one man.”
White has not yet announced an official launch date for his first foray into the sweet science.
