Earlier this week, UFC CEO Dana White made waves when he retracted his longstanding criticism of boxing and took a bold step by personally promoting the Callum Walsh vs. Przemyslaw boxing match through the UFC’s PR machine. To the surprise of many, White even attended the press conference in Berlin, where he dropped a bombshell—hinting at the creation of a new boxing promotion. “We’ve been kicking the whole boxing thing around for a long time,” White stated, alluding to a potential series similar to his successful Dana White’s Contender Series.

Fans are now buzzing with speculation about White’s sudden shift in attitude. Many believe it stems from the financial success of UFC 306, a “one-and-done” event that benefited from the involvement of Saudi boxing magnate Turki Alalshikh. But the burning question on everyone’s mind is whether White can juggle the demands of promoting both UFC and this potential new boxing venture through the same PR team.

Big John McCarthy underlines Dana White’s handicap in boxing promotion

Dana White has been one of the owners of the UFC, along with the Zuffa brothers, since 2001 until its sale to WME-ImG, which aimed for a lucrative $4 billion deal. However, this sale reduced White’s ownership stake to approximately 9% to 10%. His primary role has been as CEO, overseeing day to day operations. Emphasizing these facts, Big John McCarthy discussed Dana White’s promotional abilities on his YouTube podcast, ‘Weighing-in’, alongside his co-host.

McCarthy stated, “I’ve said it too many times, he’s the best combat sports promoter there’s eve been.” His co-host chimed in,” I would say that, but then I’d also say his PR team does a phenomenal job.” McCarthy then recalled some troubling aspect that came with the $4 billion deal for Dana White, claiming, “But he’s going to have to create team. He can’t just rely on the UFC’s. I mean, he has it, you can’t…You know, he’s going to have to create a separate entity for that. But let’s not pretend he owns the UFC. He doesn’t own it.”

As UFC’s boss, White has a sizable staff, but running a boxing promotion could require an entirely new team, especially with Alalshikh in the picture. After all, White doesn’t own the UFC outright, so will he need to recruit additional personnel to handle this new venture? While we don’t have all the answers yet, it’s clear that White is playing a high-stakes game, and the possibility of a boxing empire is closer than ever.

Even now, its uncertain whether Dana White is establishing a new boxing promotion or it he will work alongside DAZN to promote boxing fights sponsored by his friend and business partner, Turki Alalshikh. However, support for White in the boxing business is already at its peak, a sentiment recently echoed by renowned boxing trainer and commentator Teddy Atlas.

Teddy Atlas welcomed Dana White’s boxing initiative

Way back when Saudi Arabia’s boxing supremo,Turki Alalshikh, jumped into the boxing scene, many fans backlashed this decision to host the event, labeling it “sports-washing” from the Saudis. However, with his success in boxing, Alalshikh changed everyone’s perception of what he has done for the sport. Now, similar sentiments are echoed by Teddy Atlas regarding UFC head honcho Dana White, who has been in the news recently for his potential boxing partnership with Alalshikh, claiming to save boxing.

In a candid interview, former Hall-of-Famer stated, “I know it’s one guy in charge and people call him a dictator, but if a dictator ain’t chopping heads off and he’s getting things done, sometimes maybe you could learn a little something. Maybe if the two of them join together and if Dana White brings his model to boxing to have the infrastructure, to have the rules, the enforcement of rules to have the kind of fights that people want, Teddy would say ‘Hey Dana, come on in this way.”

What are your thoughts on Big John McCarthy’s statement? While Dana White may not be the owner of the UFC, he still holds a substantial equity stake in the promotion, a detail that has never been disclosed by either the TKO group or White himself. Drop your opinion below?