Dana White`s venture into the sport of boxing has not been universally welcomed by fans.
The UFC president revealed in March his plan to establish a new boxing league alongside Turki Alalshikh, a Saudi billionaire regarded as a highly influential figure in the sport, who has been instrumental in organizing major fights recently.
White intends to implement significant changes in boxing with his “revolutionary plan”, aiming to `disrupt` the sport in the near future.
His initial undertaking will be promoting the highly anticipated bout between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford scheduled for September 12.
Fans voice reactions to Dana White’s role in Canelo vs Crawford
Following his points victory over William Scull on Saturday night, which secured him the undisputed super middleweight title for a second time, Canelo Alvarez is now set for a major clash with Terence Crawford.
After the fight, the two prominent boxers met in the ring, and Alalshikh later confirmed the matchup officially via social media.
Alalshikh announced on X (formerly Twitter): “We will deliver the fight of the century with Riyadh Season on Sept. 12 at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium. The legend Canelo defends his Ring Magazine title vs. the great Terence Crawford. TV platform will be announced soon with big surprise. My brother Dana White will promote this first TKO boxing event with me. It will be something crazy.”
Although Alalshikh disabled comments on his post, fans found other ways to voice their strong opinions regarding White`s participation.
Fan reactions included comments like “Disgusting,” and another user exclaimed, “For goodness sake. Why bring Dana White into this? He`s unnecessary! Stick to the UFC.”
A third comment expressed frustration: “If this fight happens on a Friday just because there`s a UFC event on Saturday, I`ll be genuinely annoyed, no lie.”
Another person questioned, “Why are you getting that [expletive] Dana White involved?”
A fifth user on X remarked, “Dana White struggles to promote his own fighters in the UFC, yet he`s promoting the year`s biggest boxing match.”
An angered fan vented, directing their comment towards White: “Dana White, resign from the UFC; you clearly no longer care about our sport. If you want to pursue something new, just resign. No major UFC fights have been announced recently, and now you`re acting as a boxing promoter.”
Dana White’s vision for revolutionizing boxing
During a Callum Walsh fight in New York City last month, where Walsh secured a first-round knockout, White was questioned about his vision for `fixing boxing` and the necessary differences for TKO Boxing`s success.
“Ah, where do you even start?” he responded. “Likely, making sure the best fighters face the best. That would be my starting point.”
He elaborated: “Look, my approach is significantly different. Turki has certain commitments over the next 18 months… My aim is to dismantle this sport and rebuild it fundamentally, similar to what we did with the UFC. So, I`m pursuing a distinct course.”