Eddie Hearn spoke about TKO Boxing, Dana White of the UFC coming to boxing and Shakur Stevenson leaving him and Matchroom Boxing below.
Times are changing in boxing and the new boxing league TKO Boxing being started by Turki Alalshikh and UFC boss Dana White shows much promise for the sport in 2025, fighters are moving to different companies all the time now.
Shakur Stevenson left Matchroom Boxing recently in a surprise bit of boxing news.
Speaking to leading MMA and combat sports broadcaster, Ariel Helwani, leading boxing promoter Eddie Hearn told Helwani on his podcast of TKO Boxing:
“Call me deluded, but TKO won’t lace my boots in boxing promotion. UFC’s business is unbelievable, but boxing’s different. You sleep with one eye open—nothing’s ever the same. Dana might say he did it in MMA and will again, but you can’t control boxing like MMA or pro wrestling. Turki’s involved with us and others, but you still face opposition. Me, Oscar De La Hoya, Bob Arum, Frank Warren—we won’t roll over for TKO. It’ll be interesting. They might create a league—young prospects, 50/50 fights. We had a B-side fighter, fourth on a card, say, “I’m not available; I signed with them.” That shows their approach. Dana doesn’t want overpriced fighters. He’ll do business his way.”
On Dana White giving his attention to boxing soon, Hearn added:
“Maybe MMA needs 100% focus. Diverting to boxing could let someone disrupt MMA. Dana’s intelligent; TKO won’t fail, but the scale of their success is the question. I don’t fear it. The Ali Act protects fighters. If there’s a strategy to alter it, fighters would question why. I don’t know the truth about that.”
On if TKO might be the reason Shakur Stevenson is leaving Hearn and Matchroom, Hearn commented:
“Maybe. He’s expensive—rightfully so, a two- or three-division champion at 27. TKO’s business model doesn’t align with paying one fighter, say, $5 million when another generates similar revenue for $1 million. They’re promoting Canelo-Crawford for Riyadh Season, a great start, but I don’t think they’ll go deep on fighter purses. That fight’s purses could be $120-$150 million. If it does 1.5 million buys, will UFC fighters get $100 million for similar buys? No.”
Very interesting from Hearn there on the business of boxing and where TKO, Dana White and Turki Alalshikh’s TKO venture soon in boxing fits into the sport.
Stevenson, one of the best fighters in the entire sport, literally only signed with Hearn and Matchroom not long ago.
So a lot is going on in boxing at the moment worldwide.
Alas, TKO Boxing can only be a good thing for boxing.
Expect rapid disruption, change and massive growth for the entire sport and industry of boxing worldwide in the months ahead and in 2025.
All great things and only more good news.