A few weeks ago, a cold war was reignited when UFC kingpin Dana White formally entered the world of boxing with the help and backing of His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, declaring that they would crush everything. The declaration came as HE Alalshikh officially announced the partnership with TKO Holdings to launch a new boxing league, unofficially called TKO Boxing, to be headed by Dana White. Whispers quickly spread that this new boxing endeavor might kick off with the much anticipated Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford clash in September as their inaugural event.

The announcement unleashed a whirlwind of reactions—equal parts skepticism and excitement. However, this seismic shift definitely put the old guard of boxing on notice, particularly rattling Golden Boy head honcho Oscar De La Hoya, who has a long-running feud with the UFC president, who admitted being “offended” by White’s statement about boxing. Just 24 hours after making his feelings known, De La Hoya doubled down and dismissed the new partnership’s grand vision of changing the sport with a reality check.

Dana White doesn’t know boxing?

In a recent conversation with Fight Hub TV, De La Hoya said, “Dana White doesn’t know boxing,” in bold rebuke. The Olympic gold medalist further claimed that the UFC head honcho is not the first person trying to change the boxing landscape. “We’ve had interesting people come into the sport, trying to promote, manage, this-that over the years and try to do it their own way and try to change the sport of boxing,” he stated.

Interestingly, the former six-division world champion doesn’t seem completely opposed to White’s foray into boxing. In fact, he agrees with the UFC chief to grow the support and make it better. Yet, he’s deeply wary of how TKO Holdings plans to pull it off.

He immediately pivoted to a bigger concern: How TKO’s involvement in boxing can disrupt combat sports. He pointed out how boxers are paid quite handsomely in comparison to their UFC counterparts, getting the majority of PPV earnings. However, for UFC fighters, things are quite different as the organization keeps most of the revenue. So, “it’s going to be interesting how the UFC fighters are going to react when fighters are getting so much money in boxing and then Dana doesn’t pay the UFC fighter. So it’s going to be very interesting to see how it all unfolds,” stated De La Hoya in a sarcastic jibe.

Oscar De La Hoya is not the first person to criticize Dana White’s UFC pay model. In the past, UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has openly expressed dissatisfaction over his earnings and contractual limitations within the UFC. It was a major reason why he left the promotion and ventured into boxing and PFL. Jake Paul has been a long-time advocate for improving fighter pay in the UFC and has consistently challenged Dana White.

However, the UFC head honcho has always defended his pay model, claiming that it provides security and stability. And it looks like he has finally gotten support from another UFC legend.

UFC legend addresses ‘sad reality’ of boxing

A few days ago, former UFC Middleweight Champion Michael Bisping came forward to support his former employer on his YouTube channel. The Hall Of Famer dropped a reality check on boxing fans. “There’s a lot of people out there losing their minds, going, “Oh my God, this is terrible for boxing! The UFC fighters don’t get paid very much, boxers make real money. That’s bu****it,” said Bisping.

Bisping claimed that the notion of pay disparity between UFC fighters and boxers is a myth. “Don’t believe that. A lot of people in the UFC make a tremendous amount of money, and a lot of people in boxing make next to nothing. That’s just the sad reality,” he declared. He accepted that boxers like Floyd Mayweather, Canelo Alvarez, and Tyson Fury are outliers. “But for the most part, a lot of fighters on the undercard are making next to nothing. They’re not making a lot of money,” he claimed.

The UFC head honcho has claimed the same several times in the past, claiming that his business model pays everyone. Whereas in boxing, only the headliners get the majority of the pay. Furthermore, even Bisping believes that boxing needs a revival, and Dana White can make it happen. What do you think? Let us know your thoughts down below.