In a recent sit-down with talkSPORT Boxing, UFC CEO Dana White delivered an evaluation of the promoters currently running the sport. Speaking ahead of Zuffa Boxing’s trip to the United Kingdom, White admitted he entered boxing expecting far more resistance than he has encountered so far.
“For some weird reason, I don’t know why I did this, but I gave the guys that are out there running the sport right now more credit than I should have,” White said. “I thought they’d be a little better than they were. I thought they’d be a little more, I don’t know. I expected more and I’m definitely disappointed in that regard.”
When the interviewer asked whether his frustration was mainly tied to talent acquisition, White made it clear the issue extended far beyond signing boxers.
“Everything. Everything in the sport,” he said. “I expected it to be tougher. I was expecting some countering and some, I was expecting more of a battle than it’s been.”
According to White, the lack of meaningful pushback has allowed Zuffa Boxing to move much faster than originally planned. By mid-May, the promotion had already staged seven boxing events in 2025, with White revealing that he is actively pursuing additional dates from Paramount before the end of the year.
“I’ve already done seven shows in boxing this year,” White said. “And if you look at the list of people that I have signed in this short amount of time, yeah, I’d say we’re moving quicker than we expected.”
White also drew a contrast between his long-term vision and what he believes has been the mentality of many established boxing promoters. In his view, too many promotions have operated like temporary cash grabs instead of sustainable businesses.
“Every time these guys put on a match, it was going out of business sale and they just tried to scoop up as much money and run as they could and then they’d pop up again a year or two later,” he said. “And that’s not how you build a real business.”
Rebuilding trust among fans and television networks has become one of White’s primary goals, particularly because he believes boxing’s reputation has been damaged over decades of inconsistent promotion.
“I think the boxing fans have lost a lot of faith in not just boxing fans but networks,” White explained. “I mean all the networks have lost faith in these guys who’ve been promoting the sport over the last 30 years, and it takes time to build that trust back.”
White said the UFC model remains the blueprint for how he intends to grow Zuffa Boxing. Instead of centering events exclusively around traditional hubs like Las Vegas or Atlantic City, he plans to expand into different cities while building hometown stars in front of local audiences.
As for boxing’s sanctioning bodies, White did not hide his feelings there either.
“The sanctioning organizations are one of the big problems in boxing,” White said, making it clear they hold little influence over his plans moving forward.
