Boxing has been rocked with major developments this week across the board.
Netflix are getting into boxing properly this year and earlier this week Saudi advisor Turki Alalshikh and UFC boss Dana White confirmed a game changing partnership to soon bring together a UFC type league and promotion of boxing.
Speaking to The Stomping Ground Hearn went into detail on the new Turki Alalshikh and Dana White soon to be UFC of boxing type promotion and league:
“About a year ago (was aware of it), probably, when the conversations started—particularly the last six months, three months. It wasn’t really a surprise to us. Look, when Turki does his interviews and announcements, he’s very bullish. Some of the things he says—whether you take him seriously or that’s his plan—probably ruffled a few feathers. My phone’s been red-hot with people saying, ‘We need to get together, we need to—’ I’m pretty chill about it. I think it’s amazing news, to be honest. If you’re comfortable with your business and believe in your ability, I think it’s brilliant.”
He added:
“It shows where boxing’s at when someone like Dana White, TKO, and Nick Khan want to make a play in boxing. The one thing I disagree with His Excellency and Dana White on is that boxing’s not broken. Boxing’s in the best place it’s ever been. It’s been hot for a long time. His Excellency has injected a new lease of life and, of course, a huge amount of money to make these big fights happen. I don’t think anyone’s going to ‘fix’ boxing, but can we improve it? Can we put better structures together, come up with leagues that work, find one champion, all that stuff? Yeah, we should always look to evolve.”
He further noted:
“I don’t necessarily agree with Dana saying, ‘We don’t need three letters before a belt.’ Those governing bodies and belts carry a huge amount of history and legacy. Fighters want to fight for those belts. Now, you’ve got the Ring belt, which, in my opinion—even before His Excellency took it over—is like the established number one in the division. I’ve talked about this ‘one champion’ thing before—it’s not new. But trust me, those belts have big value to the fighters and the heroes who’ve held them before.”
Hearn added:
“I don’t know too much about the format, to be honest. I read the press release, but we’ll see. I think it’s tremendous for boxing, I really do. From your and Frank’s standpoint, you’ve both said so many times that these fights and events wouldn’t have happened without the financial backing of Turki, of Riyadh Season. If that’s inflated the prices and they move away to do their own thing with this boxing league, does that put you and Frank in a stickier situation?”
On the market he said:
“No, I mean, everything has gotten more expensive, yeah. But the market—look, TKO knows how to run a business. They like their margins—we’ve seen that with the UFC. I don’t think they’re going to pay super-inflated purses. They’re going to run a great business and a good product. I don’t know the substance of that. For us, we’re the biggest promotional company in the world—hands down, quite frankly. I’m the best promoter in the world. I have huge TV contracts with broadcasters around the world, meaning I have to put on close to 35 shows a year. That’s without Saudi Arabia. But of course, we’ve thoroughly enjoyed the business with Saudi Arabia, and I expect it to flourish and go from strength to strength.”
He concluded on the subject:
“The league looks like it’s outside of Riyadh Season—the Ring Magazine events, the WBC Grand Prix—so more layers to what Turki Alalshikh is doing. I love working with His Excellency. It’s been some of the most fun parts of my career. If it ended tomorrow—which I don’t believe it will—I’d go back to my 35 shows a year around the world. But I believe there’s a long-standing partnership with His Excellency, maybe even Dana White—someone we get on with very well. We’ll have to see. I don’t really know the true substance of it yet, to be honest.”
Good insight from Hearn into the promotional and some of the business aspects of the sport.
Good to see him respectfully able to disagree on some things with White and Turki Alalshikh too, although, with respect to Hearn, what both have done in combat sports has been on a level Hearn maybe has never achieved.
Sure, Hearn got the big stadium fights in Europe going again and is vastly more experienced in boxing — but in a short period of time Turki Alalshikh has proven his ability to get the best fights boxing fans want to happen — to happen quickly.
Speed kills in the boxing game.
As for White, Dana White in the UFC built something bigger than anything organization-wise ever seen in combat sports history, that is undisputed.
Ultimately, Hearn touches on some interesting points and Dana White is going to be coming all guns blazing into this thing — you best believe that.
He who makes the best fights wins — ultimately — boxing wins.
