Dana White has promised that he will soon be entering the boxing world. The UFC CEO, of course, used to be a boxing instructor and came into combat sports as a boxing fan. But he was so fed up with the state of boxing in the late nineties, and early 2000s, that he moved on to MMA, determined to not repeat the mistakes he felt boxing was making. The result, of course, was the UFC becoming the biggest promotion in the entire combat sports world.
But now he seems to be coming full circle as he has floated a foray into boxing in the not-too-distant future via a new promotion people are calling ‘Zuffa Boxing’. While the exact contours of how the promotion are unknown at the moment, the fight world is pretty excited about this because of White’s track record. Among those excited for this is former heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury.
Fury joined former UFC champions Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo on the ‘Pound 4 Pound’ podcast where he first, profusely praised White’s achievements in the MMA sphere. “With Dana White coming into the [boxing] game, he’s done fantastic with the UFC. He’s took it from a small unknown company to one of the biggest companies in the world in the fight game,” he said.
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After which the Gypsy king speculated that only good things could come from a promoter of Dana White’s caliber stepping into the proverbial (and literal) ring.
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And I think it can only improve the boxing scene if he’s involved in it, and especially someone with the knowledge of promoting events and putting on fights in big cities like Las Vegas and Los Angeles all over the world. I think he’d only be an added extra to an already fantastic buzz of the boxing,” he added. And that buzz is indeed fantastic as Fury is set to star in one of the biggest rematches of this era.
Tyson Fury to face Oleksandr Usyk in a legacy-defining fight in December
Tyson Fury, of course, is gearing up to rematch reigning undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk on December 21 this year. The duo met in the ring for the first time this May, in the first heavyweight undisputed clash in almost years. Fury, after dominating the early rounds, got thoroughly outclassed by the Ukrainian in the later ones to lose a decision and his belt to Usyk.
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And now, the duo will meet again in the ring to script another chapter in the history of boxing and claim the title of the best heavyweight of their generation. Fury, of course, has scripted one of the greatest comebacks in combat sports history. After winning the heavyweight title for the first time back in 2015, his life would spiral as he fell into dr** addiction and ballooned up to 300 pounds.
After three years of inactivity, the Englishman would have a historic return and go on to have an electric fight with then-champ Deontay Wilder. ‘The Gypsy King’ would regain the title at his December 21 rematch with ‘The Bronze Bomber’, only to lose it to Usyk in Saudi Arabia earlier this year. That is why his upcoming rematch with Usyk is so important for Fury’s legacy. What do you think about Tyson Fury’s thoughts about Dana White entering the boxing business?
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Can Dana White's magic touch transform boxing like he did with the UFC?