Jun 29, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; UFC CEO and president Dana White during UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

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Turki Alalshikh And Dana White Join Forces To Form A New Boxing League!

Dana White and Turki Alalshikh remain at the forefront of the new boxing league that promises to revolutionise the sport!

Jun 29, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; UFC CEO and president Dana White during UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Boxing has seen its fair share of ups and downs over the decades. From the golden era of Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson to recent years where the sport struggled to maintain its widespread appeal. Boxing hasn’t seen a massive growth for quite some time now.

Meanwhile, UFC grew from an underground phenomenon to a global powerhouse. This was largely thanks to Dana White’s aggressive marketing and willingness to make the fights fans actually wanted to see. Now, these two worlds are colliding in what might be the biggest shake-up in combat sports in years.

Also Read: Jon Jones’ Legacy In Question As Tom Aspinall Prepares For Another Possible Opponent!

Dana White And Turki Alalshikh Combine Forces

In a move that has fans excited Dana White and Saudi Arabia’s Turki Alalshikh have announced a groundbreaking partnership to create a new boxing league. The multi-year deal between Alalshikh and TKO Group Holdings will bring together the promotional expertise of the UFC CEO and WWE President Nick Khan to revitalize the boxing landscape. Alalshikh didn’t mince words when handing over the reins.

“I am very happy today. I give the flag of boxing to the best man who can handle it. He have a tough job now, but I’m sure he will be delivering to the people and the fans a magnificent league and get boxing great again.”

BOOOOOOM!!!!! Boxing here we come pic.twitter.com/XBRBT5mr3P
— danawhite (@danawhite) March 5, 2025

Alalshikh has been making waves in boxing through his Riyadh Season initiatives. He has put together some huge cards featuring top talent. But even White has noted that while these events delivered excitement, they weren’t, always profitable. This new structured approach seems designed to address that issue. It will leverage White’s proven track record of turning fighting into big business.

What is Dana White’s Vision Of This League?

White’s vision for the new league sounds refreshingly straightforward. It will be a UFC-style format where the best fighters actually face each other. No more ducking opponents or waiting years for dream matchups that arrive too late. Winners will climb the rankings naturally, creating a clear path to title shots that fans can follow and invest in emotionally.

“People want to see great fights. Boxing has become this thing where you have to be undefeated for people to care about you. That’s all going to go away. There’s a lot of guys out there that we’re looking at that are going to be on this roster that have a lot of O’s. They’re all going to fight each other, and what people want to see is great fights. They want to know who the best is in the world.”

Dana White appeared on ESPN’s First Take and discussed how he plans to run the new TKO Boxing promotion that was announced Wednesday in partnership with Turki Alalshikh and WWE President Nick Khan.

[🎥 @FirstTake] pic.twitter.com/dpHvHU9ixy
— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) March 6, 2025

For fans, this could mean an end to the fragmented championship picture (WBO, WBC, WBA and IBF) and the political matchmaking that has frustrated boxing fans for years. Imagine a world where the best heavyweights actually fight each other when they are in their prime, not after years of negotiation breakdowns and mandatory challengers!

(Image Credit: Mark J. Rebilas – Imagn Images)

Dana White

Turki Alalshikh

Zaid Quraishi

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I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!