The lights of UFC 315 weren’t just bright in the cage. They beamed right into the heart of boxing, too. As fists flew in the Octagon, a few verbal jabs were landed from behind the commentary desk, and the target wasn’t even in the building! It was none other than Canelo Alvarez, the pride of Mexico and a man with gold on his waist but doubt in the air around him.

But why would a UFC legend like Daniel Cormier take aim at boxing royalty? The answer may lie in the dull dance last week in Saudi Arabia when Alvarez took on William Scull in a fight that had fans yawning and critics howling. Yet, backed by Dana White and Saudi Arabia’s Turki Alalshikh, TKO Boxing made waves after the fight by announcing its first mega-event, Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford on September 12. As such, Cormier’s recent comments may have left the UFC boss scrambling for cover!

Dana White’s TKO ambitions come under fire at UFC 315 as Daniel Cormier blasts Canelo Alvarez

The comment by Cormier was shared on X by Jason Hagholm, who posted, “Canelo Alvarez fought last week and he just ran the whole time”-Daniel Cormier. TKO & Dana White will be promoting #CaneloCrawford for September 12th.”

The shade wasn’t subtle. And if you caught Alvarez’s fight against William Scull, you might understand why DC didn’t pull his punches. In Riyadh, Alvarez’s latest outing was a masterclass in minimalism. He landed a unanimous decision win but left fans groaning. Only 445 punches thrown in total. That’s not a stat, that’s a cure for insomnia.

In fact, it was the lowest total in CompuBox history for a 12-round fight, according to reports. Alvarez, with 152 punches, seemed content to cruise. Scull managed 293 but circled, flicked a few jabs, and fought like a man just trying not to lose. Canelo won as the judges scored the fight 115-113, 116-112, and 119-109 in favor of the Mexican despite the sluggish pace. But did he actually ‘fight’? That’s the million-dollar question.

And now, Alvarez will headline the first-ever TKO Boxing card on September 12 at the 64000-seater Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Dana White promised a revolution when he announced his foray into the world of boxing, yet the opening act for his first-ever venture stars a fighter many feel is playing it too safe. Cormier’s jab at the boxer wasn’t just an insult, it was a warning. In the UFC, timidity gets you punished. In boxing? It often gets rewarded.

And that, perhaps, is the real tension behind the former ‘champ-champ’s remark. But if Daniel Cormier’s jab at Canelo Alvarez was a warning, Eddie Hearn’s response to Dana White entering boxing? That was a cannon blast!

Eddie Hearns refuses to back down from White challenging his empire

As Dana White gears up to launch TKO Boxing with Saudi powerhouse Turki Alalshikh, Eddie Hearn stands tall like a gatekeeper of the old guard. And make no mistake, he’s not letting anyone walk through without a fight.

In a recent interview, Hearn put it bluntly as he stated, “Now, as a business, as an organization, as UFC, [they are] unbelievable, but this is different. When you go to sleep as a boxing promoter, when you wake up in the morning, nothing is the same. You have to sleep with one eye open every single night.”

Unlike the UFC’s closed structure, boxing is ruled by rival promoters, fragile egos, and networks playing chess at different speeds. He warned: this isn’t a system you fix, it’s a beast you battle. And the Matchroom Boxing head honcho wasn’t alone in his defiance. He name-dropped the other titans of the sport, Oscar De La Hoya, Bob Arum, Frank Warren, as if assembling the Avengers of boxing promotion.

He continued, “Oh, well, it’s been a great run, hasn’t it? TKO is here now.’ It’s not going to go down like that.” In the end, Daniel Cormier may have fired the first shot, calling out passivity in the ring. But it was Eddie Hearn who lit the fuse, challenging Dana White’s dream of conquering boxing like he did MMA. Suddenly, TKO Boxing isn’t just a new promotion, it’s a battlefield.

Will Dana White bulldoze his way through boxing’s tangled web, or will the old guard hold the line? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!