Saudi Boxing Chief Turki Alalshikh continues to shake up the boxing world, orchestrating blockbuster fights and ensuring the best face the best. His efforts have pushed the sport closer to reclaiming its former glory. Now, he’s teaming up with UFC President Dana White to launch a new boxing league that could reshape the sport’s landscape. Yet, despite this seismic shift, Eddie Hearn remains unfazed.

Discussions about a new boxing league have been circulating for over a year. It’s just now that Turki Alalshikh’s The Ring has officially joined forces with TKO Group—the powerhouse behind UFC and WWE—to bring the vision to life. Under this partnership, TKO will oversee the league, with Dana White playing a key role in its development. If Dana’s involved, it automatically might become a blockbuster partnership.

Some reports suggest it will also get rid of the numerous alphabet-sanctioning bodies to have just one champion per division. Regardless, this leaves Eddie Hearn and other bigwig promoters like him in a precarious position. Most people continue to wonder what exactly will happen to the existing promoters. Will they go bust? Boxing is going through a rather tedious time right now.

While that remains uncertain, Hearn’s latest statement regarding the issue suggests he remains unfazed!

During the partnership’s launch event, Alalshikh appeared in an interview with The Ring, where he spoke about the deals with White, noting, “I trust [that] this league, in short time, will crush everything.”

In a recent interview with Boxing King Media, Hearn was questioned about this statement, specifically whether it referred to him. And Eddie played the cards to perfection, some would say.

“I’ve had so many people phoning me up ‘Did you hear what they [Turki & Dana] said?! What are you going to do?!’” Hearn told the reporter. “I’m so chilled. Like, call it arrogance… call it delusion… I’m the best boxing promoter in the world bar none. So, I have no fear if they [Turki & Dana] want to try & crush me.” 

Eddie maintains his calm persona throughout the interview, showing the confidence that made him one of the world’s best boxing promoters.

Even though Hearn seemed ready for the challenge, he believes that’s far from the case. Meanwhile, Dana White has revealed big plans for his new boxing promotion.

Dana White’s high hopes for boxing promotion as Eddie Hearn remains unfazed

Dana White is taking his new boxing promotion global. The UFC President and CEO revealed that TKO’s upcoming boxing league won’t just be limited to traditional markets like Las Vegas and New York. “We’re going to go to Mexico, we’re going to go all over the United States,” White told Sports Business Journal.

He has high hopes for boxing, which certainly has its critics lately. Fans believe all the hyped-up events have become a snooze fest, with boxers not having the killer mentality these days. Thus, Dana is ready to revitalize the boxing competition. “We’re not just going to put on fights in Vegas, Atlantic City, and L.A. We’re going to travel around,” said Dana. Can’t wait for what Dana’s got in store for us!

Slated to launch in 2026, the promotion is currently selecting fighters from a pool of 150 boxers. It’s worth noting that these boxers aren’t the biggest names in the sport. White, alongside WWE President Nick Khan, continues to try to secure a solid media rights deal. “Depending on where we end up, we will cut a deal with one of these networks, and they will let us know what they need and want,” White explained. 

Even though the new boxing league will be in direct competition with the likes of Eddie Hearn, their pool of fighters is largely newcomers and not the established names boxing is known for. So it shouldn’t massively affect Hearn.

But in case it does, it would be interesting to see what they do next. What are your thoughts on the matter?