It was only a matter of time before Dana White branched out and entered the world of boxing. In many peoples’ eyes, it actually took much longer than expected. The UFC kingpin built one of the most successful sporting organizations in the entire world, and his ideas have a place in boxing, at least to some.
White has gotten a big helping hand from Turki Alalshikh, the Saudi Arabian promoter who has become a powerhouse in the sport by delivering massive fights over the past couple of years. Together, they want to create a new boxing league with a similar model to UFC. Backed by TKO Group, the parent company of UFC and WWE, and with White leading the charge, many eyes are on what could come of it.
What does TKO Group have to do with the Ali Act?
While everything gets ironed out before it truly goes mainstream, TKO Group Holdings is busy with other things. With boxing on their mind, the company is supporting a bill that’s aimed at “modernizing” the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act. Through the revision, one big promoting company would oversee what would essentially be a new sanctioning body: The Unified Boxing Organization (UBO).
Theoretically, this organization would co-exist with the current major sanctioning bodies in the industry: the WBO, WBC, WBA and IBF. But in the eyes of some industry insiders, this is a power play. Alan Dawson of Uncrowned reached out to several sources to get their feedback on the situation.
- “This is a power grab.”
- “UBO basically means they just get to be the UFC in boxing without having to abide by the Ali Act disclosures.”
- “If they don’t have to comply [with the Ali Act], then it’s an unfair advantage over every other promoter.”
There appear to be pros and cons to the move, but not everyone is on board.
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