Dana White is best known as the man who turned the UFC into a global, household name. But what many may not realize is that he’s also a massive boxing fan. On several occasions, the UFC boss has expressed his love for the sport. He most famously told ESPN back in 2014, “I am a boxing guy at heart. I am not the f— enemy.” However, despite his passion for boxing, there are also many issues within the sport that he has openly criticized.  

The UFC CEO has often pointed out issues he believes are holding boxing back. And that’s why — after establishing the UFC as the pinnacle destination for mixed martial arts — he teamed up with His Excellency Turki Alalshikh to launch a boxing promotion under TKO Group, the parent company of UFC and WWE. Naturally, many expect him to be the man who can fix the sport’s biggest problems. But that raises the question — what exactly are those problems? 

Dana White’s long-standing issues with Boxing  

Although boxing is Dana’s first love, he couldn’t ignore the flaws he saw in the business and promotional side of the sport. He has openly criticized the model, even calling it broken. In an interview with Kevin Iole, he blasted promoters for dumping “s—loads of f— money” into fighters to create flashy spectacles that, in his view, often leave organizers with massive financial losses—going as far as to label boxing the “most f—ed up business.” But that’s not all.

The UFC CEO has also aimed at the quality of live boxing events. During an ESPN First Take interview in March, White shared a personal story about his son attending the Gervonta Davis vs. Lamont Roach fight, saying, “My son just went to that show (Tank vs. Roach), and he said the live event was terrible and disorganized.” White has since promised that future events under his watch will be more streamlined and organized to ensure a better fan experience.

So yes, Dana White clearly has strong concerns with how boxing is being run today — and he’s determined to fix them. One major issue he’s also highlighted is matchmaking, which he believes could be improved by adapting the model of his highly successful Dana White’s Contender Series.  

Why UFC CEO thinks the Contender Series model will revive boxing  

Fans love combat sports because of the thrill of true competition. They want to see the best fighters go up against the best, and that has always been the key to capturing an audience’s attention. Yet, too often organizers focus on pairing the biggest names, even if it means the rightful contender never gets a shot at the champion. On top of that, many cards end up being top-heavy, leaving the undercard to slip under the radar.

Dana White sees this as a major issue with the current boxing scene, and it’s one he has decided to address head-on. White told Vegas PBS, “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 you will 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.”  

From time to time, the UFC has also taken the route of giving a champion a fight against someone other than the actual number-one contender. One example is Sean O’Malley facing Marlon Vera at UFC 299 instead of Merab Dvalishvili. However, it must be acknowledged that White has built a system where the entire card gets attention, not just the main event. The Dana White’s Contender Series has also been instrumental in creating stars from the ground up.

DWCS is designed to develop fighters under the promotion’s guidance, giving them tough competition from the start to earn a contract and eventually step into the UFC. Boxing differs because its regulations are far more fragmented. But if it takes the form of a structured “league,” as White and His Excellency Turki Alalshikh are aiming for, that same model could introduce a fresh approach to the sport. Of course, achieving this vision will require overcoming significant hurdles.  

Is the Ali Revival Act the key to restructuring boxing?  

The Muhammad Ali Boxing Act, which regulates anti-competitive business practices in the sport, has been one of the biggest obstacles to Dana White’s entry into boxing. The law restricts promoters’ involvement in controlling rankings and requires financial transparency. To navigate this, TKO Group requested an amendment to the act, calling it the “Ali Revival Act.” But why would the UFC CEO and his company push for changes to such a significant law?

Currently, professional boxing operates under four sanctioning bodies: WBA, WBC, WBO, and IBF. If the Ali Revival Act is passed, TKO would have the authority to create a new regulatory body, called the UBO, which could maintain its own rankings and regulate fighters under its own rules. This would allow Dana White to structure boxing more like the UFC, with a single champion per weight division and one belt. That’s why this bill is so important for them.

However, as of now, the bill has not passed. According to Bad Left Hook, CSAC (California State Athletic Commission) withdrew support for the law after facing backlash from fans, rather than creating a committee to properly analyze it. This represents a significant legal hurdle for Dana White and his team as they attempt to restructure the sport in their vision.

With that said, whether Dana White will ultimately “make boxing great again” remains to be seen. What is clear, however, is that he has the experience, vision, and determination to potentially develop the sport into something bigger, more organized, and more exciting for fans. Now, let us know what you think about the UFC CEO’s role in reshaping boxing in the comments section below.