UFC CEO Dana White. has announced that he will be taking the leap into boxing with the Zuffa Boxing League.
The 56-year-old was involved with the historic showdown between Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez last month, which saw ‘Bud’ defeat the Mexican icon to capture the undisputed super-middleweight championship.
After conquering everything there is to achieve in the world of MMA, White sent shockwaves through boxing when he revealed that his Zuffa brand would not recognise the current major world title belts, and that they would instead implement their own titles and rankings.
WBC President Mauricio Sulaimanprovided White with somewhat of a history lesson after it was revealed that the UFC boss would be taking a different route to other boxing promoters and advisers.
“Welcome to boxing…. A sport like no other, with standards and protections that MMA fighters and fans can surely benefit from… The WBC wishes Zuffa success in our sport, which is the greatest one in the world.
Boxing is the sport of the poor of the world … a global sport with a huge platform including … many more international promoters and hundreds of regional ones.
Boxing has managers and advisors who negotiate the best [deals] for their fighters and that is how all boxers who step into the ring [have] their best interests protected.
Boxing is an open competition market for boxers to choose from the best options available, and therefor boxing has eradicated exploitation and abuse of power.
A boxer is a dignified human being, not merchandise to be used to enrich just a few.”
Sulaiman has been the President of the WBC since 2014, although he had worked for the company in different roles for a number of years prior.
The WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF have been the main four governing bodies within the sport for decades, with fans and analysts left wondering exactly what sort of impact White’s Zuffa Boxing League is going to have on boxing.
