For years, Dana White has mocked boxing as a “dying sport,” a relic stumbling under the weight of politics, fractured titles, and slow-moving promoters. But when the biggest fight in years—Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford—lined up on the same night as UFC Noche, the spotlight swung back on him. Fans wondered: would this be White’s long-promised rebirth of Zuffa Boxing, or just another night where the UFC outshined the sweet science?

The stage was set. One card in Texas, one card in Las Vegas. Two sports fighting not just for revenue, but for relevance. And when the smoke cleared, the scorecard told a story no one could ignore.

Meanwhile, UFC Noche, headlined by Diego Lopes vs. Jean Silva, stole the buzz with chaos, energy, and matchmaking that kept fans glued to the action. By comparison, boxing’s mega-fight was slapped with the “boring” tag, and the UFC walked away with the momentum. That contrast has left many questioning Dana White’s actual influence on the boxing event he co-promoted with His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, putting pressure on him to prove his impact in the squared circle.

Boxing sees no innovation under Dana White’s watch

Yesterday, as Chin Su Yi and Brendan Schaub sat down on the Thiccc Boy YouTube channel, they broke down the UFC CEO’s role in promoting the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford title fight at Allegiant Stadium. That’s when they played a clip of Dana White taking pride in his involvement. “Boxing guys are out there. Don’t want to talk crap and talk all your smack. Three of the biggest fights in boxing history. Pacquiao-Mayweather, McGregor-Mayweather, and now Crawford-Canelo. I have been a part of two of the biggest three fights ever in the history of boxing. Su-k on that one, boys,” Dana White said. But the veteran MMA analyst didn’t take it well.

“He said it was a part of it, right? So a part of it,” Chin Su Yi replied. Brendan Schaub immediately followed up: “I would ask him what part he had in this Terence Crawford vs. Canelo Alvarez fight? Like it’s something between him during the press conference. There was not anything new.” He continued, “It was not like the countdown show, any of that sh-t. It wasn’t. It’s standard boxing protocol. So I didn’t see anything new. It’s weird to take credit for that.”

Chin Su Yi then added, “But I mean he’s not lying.” Still, Schaub couldn’t give Dana White full credit. “Mayweather-Conor I guess I would give you a little more grace because he did have the open mindset to allow Conor to do that and negotiate the deal. So the only one I give him credit for is Mayweather-McGregor.” To him, the other two didn’t make sense. Dana White didn’t have to convince any UFC fighters to step in, nor did he bring anything new to promote Canelo-Crawford. In reality, it was Turki Alalshikh handling most of the work, while White took the stage at press conferences and remained the face in front of cameras. By contrast, however, Dana White did plenty to shape UFC Noche.

That same night, UFC Noche produced a $3.5 million gate with 18,005 in attendance. In short, the scoreboard was clear: the UFC won the fans, while boxing won the money. The debate even spilled onto the Pound for Pound podcast, where Henry Cejudo praised Crawford’s achievement while pointing out the gap in fan experience.

“I mean, you know,” Cejudo said, “boxing tends to put on these big events, but they don’t deliver the way the UFC does. Other than that, Terence Crawford was able to make history, becoming a five-time, five-weight-class world champion.” Then he cut deeper. Years ago, Dana White called boxing a “dying sport,” and to Cejudo, the evidence is right there. The electricity of the Mike Tyson and Sugar Ray Leonard eras has faded, replaced by fractured titles, politics, and the rise of MMA stealing the spotlight. But if some believe Dana White hasn’t done anything for boxing this year, the word is he’s already planning something big for next year.

Dana White plans to match the best against the best

Back in 2020, Dana White didn’t hold back on boxing’s struggles. “I dove into this thing and started to look into the sport of boxing, the economics of boxing, that sport’s a mess. It’s a mess and it’s in big trouble,” he said on Zuffa Boxing Future. At the time, even White admitted he wasn’t sure if boxing “can be fixed.” Since then, though, he’s been quietly working behind the scenes. White has connected with young prospects like Irish standout Callum Walsh, building a network that could fuel his vision for the sport.

Earlier this year, he took a major step forward by signing with Saudi promoter Turki Alalshikh to “transform” boxing, with TKO officials and others set to play active roles. Dana White’s announced plan includes the launch of Zuffa Boxing, a project partly modeled after the UFC’s Contender Series format. The concept is designed to highlight matchups between undefeated fighters, with more focus placed on the early bouts rather than only the main event.

“Basically, in 2026,” Dana White explained, “I’m going to start my show, and what I’m going to do is basically like Contender Series. The best will fight the best, undefeated guys will fight undefeated guys, and what you will do is care about the first fight of the night, and not just the main event. So I will build stars, put on great fights, and then these guys will graduate and fight with Sheik Turki.”

Dana White’s vision is ambitious—reshaping boxing in the same mold that turned the UFC into a global powerhouse. But the questions remain: can the UFC CEO handle the pressures of the sport, especially if the Muhammad Ali Act doesn’t change to allow more flexible contracts? And will his new league truly give boxers the freedom and opportunities they’ve been waiting for?