“BOOOOOOM!!!!! Boxing here we come,” Dana White roared on Instagram, and just like that, the combat sports world was put on notice. The UFC, Power Slap, and now boxing? Is the world of fighting entertainment slowly becoming a monopoly under one man? Or is White simply stepping in to fix what’s broken? Whether you’re a die-hard MMA fan or a boxing purist, you have to admit, this is huge. For years, boxing fans have had one major gripe. Why does the sport move at the speed of a snail on sedatives?
Promoters drag out negotiations, fights take years to materialize, and when they do? The exorbitant amount of fillers. Well, former UFC champ and analyst Michael Bisping believes that’s exactly what Dana White is here to fix. Bisping recently weighed in on White’s newest enterprise on his YouTube channel. “That is what Dana White is going to bring to the table, of course, with the parent company TKO and the financial backing of Turki Alalshikh,” Bisping said. “Turki Alalshikh has been spending a lot of money, but still, the sizzle of it isn’t there. The experience, I’ve seen a lot of people complaining about some of the events.”
It’s no secret that boxing’s pacing has frustrated fans for years. Long breaks, drawn-out concerts between fights, and endless talking have left audiences restless. Bisping noted, “You go to a boxing event, a lot of the pacing is terrible. As Dana said in an interview, they’re doing podcasts in between fights, having concerts in between fights, and the people in the stands who bought a ticket and flew all the way to Saudi Arabia? They just want action.”
And the UFC boss is ready to deliver. “That will be fixed,” Bisping assured. “The production will be absolutely tip-top, the pacing of the fights will be better for the people in the audience and, of course, for the viewer at home.”
MMA: UFC 300 – Pereira vs Hill Apr 13, 2024 Las Vegas, Nevada, USA UFC president Dana White in attendance during UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena. Las Vegas T-Mobile Arena Nevada USA.
Music has been intertwined with sports for well over a century, with the NFL’s spectacular halftime shows standing as a testament to this enduring relationship. Remember this year’s edition featuring Kendrick Lamar? Iconic is an understatement! In the boxing world, the late Cedric Kushner—who passed away in 2015—pioneered the integration of music as a fundamental element of fight night productions. Jim DiLorenzo, Kushner’s collaborator and the visionary behind boxing’s musical revolution, once recalled the genesis of this transformation.
“We started experimenting with music at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York in early 2000. It was an effort to create a club-party vibe. We had a DJ and invited the right people. We felt we were onto something. Then we launched Thunderbox, which joined live hip-hop music and boxing.”
Concurrent with these innovations, HBO launched KO Nation in mid-2000, a Saturday afternoon series that boldly merged hip-hop artists and dancers with traditional boxing presentations, further blurring the lines between sport and entertainment. Moreover, the genesis of pro wrestling’s biggest event ‘WrestleMania’ was a result of the intertwining of music and sports entertainment! Today, music has become an integral component of the boxing experience across events of all scales.
Beyond the iconic fighter ringwalks, music now fills the intervals between bouts and even the minute-long rest periods between rounds. However, as Bisping mentioned, there are always going to be sides! “Some people love it; some don’t,” Top Rank president Todd duBoef acknowledged. “I understand that. But when it’s done right, audio entertainment helps keep the crowd engaged. It’s another element, along with lighting and video, that creates an entertaining environment and enhances the in-arena experience. Let’s be realistic. If the arena is quiet, it feels less exciting.”
But is this really the death of boxing’s mini-music festivals or is the UFC boss just dangling another shiny object while slipping in the fine print?
Are we ready for Dana White’s power move in boxing?
Dana White has been teasing a move into boxing for years, but now it’s happening. And he’s not doing it alone. Enter Saudi Arabia’s biggest sports powerbroker, Turki Alalshikh, and TKO Group. Together, they’re on a mission to bring some order to the chaos of boxing. During an ESPN interview on The Pat McAfee Show, Alalshikh, never one to play it cool, couldn’t resist dropping a bombshell.
Hence, he hinted at a massive event coming this September, practically daring the UFC head honcho to spill the beans. “I want to tell you a secret. If he (Dana White) allows me, ask him which is the first event fight he will have in September,” Alalshikh teased while Dana nervously laughed.
And all the while, White, surprisingly playing coy, responded, “There’s a thing that we wanted to pump the brakes on and announce this. But my friend Turki gets too excited for us to go all out.” If that’s not a hint that something massive is brewing, we don’t know what is. And if you think this is just a side project, think again. Further, White has made it clear, this isn’t a one-time deal. “We will announce it soon… Today is day one… and we’re gonna start building this sport back up from ground zero.” And with Dana White in charge, you can bet that “ground zero” is about to be turned into the Las Vegas Strip of boxing.
But, if you thought this meant UFC fighters could waltz into the boxing ring, pump the brakes. White made it crystal clear. There will be no crossovers. “No, never,” he shut down the idea when asked about it. “I’m sure there are guys that want to box, but I literally don’t want to see any of that. We’ll keep the boxers in boxing, and the MMA guys in MMA.”
And that’s bad news for light heavyweight kingpin Alex Pereira, who had been practically begging for a shot at Oleksandr Usyk. White’s response? A big, fat nope. And just like that, Poatan’s dream of stepping into the boxing ring just got body-slammed into oblivion. So here we are! Dana White is officially in the boxing business. However, can he actually fix the mess?
What do you think? Will boxing promoters play nice, or will this turn into a combat sports civil war? And most importantly, will we finally get fights without waiting through a surprise halftime show? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
The post “They Are Having Concerts” – Dana White Gets UFC Legend’s Backing To Fix ‘Problem No. 1’ in Boxing appeared first on EssentiallySports.