On the inaugural episode of “What’s Your Story? With Steph McMahon,” UFC President and CEO Dana White shared a little-known fact about his family’s athletic heritage: his uncle was a highly accomplished boxer who trained with the U.S. Olympic team.
During the interview, White referenced a historic photograph that showed a young Mike Tyson, Mickey Ward (in a yellow shirt), and White’s uncle, David Gauvin, who appears in the image alongside other boxing luminaries. The photo was taken during their time at the Olympic training center in Colorado Springs.
“He ended up with like a bronze in the training, but didn’t make it to the Olympics, but it was like a big deal,” White explained. “I was born in ’89. That’s when he stopped. So growing up, it was like we’d watch videos and stuff of him, but I’d never actually saw him box.”
White’s uncle made such an impact in their hometown that his accomplishments were publicly celebrated.
“There was like a billboard that said, ‘Welcome to Fall River, home of the US Olympic boxer, David Gauvin,’ which was really cool. ‘Cause it was not the greatest city and that kind of gave him a little hope,” White recalled.
This boxing connection runs deep in White’s career trajectory.
“I wouldn’t be sitting here right now if it wasn’t for boxing,”
he admitted. White revealed that he and his business partner Lorenzo Fertitta initially planned to promote boxing before taking jiu-jitsu classes and eventually developing the UFC.
The photograph White referenced holds special significance, as the group of fighters recently recreated the image.
“They did a remake of this photo, which I don’t have, but it’s the same group of guys all doing this like four years ago. They look very different now,” White noted.
This family connection to boxing helps explain White’s lifelong passion for combat sports and provides insight into the influences that shaped his career as one of the most successful combat sports promoters in history.
