By Gabriel F. Cordero
Following the long-awaited announcement of the alliance between Zuffa Boxing and TKO with Paramount, owners of CBS, to broadcast 12 boxing events on Paramount+ in 2026 and over the next five years, momentous changes are expected in this project of a new world order in boxing.
American Dana White and Arab Turki Alalshikh have formed an alliance through TKO Group (the parent company that owns UFC and WWE), creating Zuffa Boxing. Turki acquired The Ring brand and created the event promoter Sela to embark on this new path of organizing boxing events. They debuted with the Canelo-Crawford mega-fight, which ultimately proved to be a success both inside and outside the ring.
But together, both are pursuing a new boxing series that will only recognize the Zuffa and The Ring belts. They have openly and strongly confirmed that they will not recognize the championships of the regulatory bodies: WBC, IBF, WBA, and WBO. They are going further by seeking changes to ring size and regulations.
The new boxing series would be aimed at prospective or rising boxers who are expected to eventually make it to the Riyadh Season mega-events, in which existing promoters such as Top Rank, Golden Boy, PBC, and Matchroom Boxing, among others, will be able to continue participating. However, it is rumored that White’s desire for the future is a unified boxing model like the UFC and that he is not really interested in alliances with existing promoters.
But White goes beyond the UFC by seeking improvements or changes to the Muhammad Ali Act. At the same time, he claims that it’s not his intention to make changes to the Act. However, he insists that what he wants is for boxers to adapt to his new style of boxing events, or at least to be able to be contracted.
Many experts indicate that the Ali Act will not be repealed, but at White’s insistence, what they are seeking is to create a kind of extension to grant boxers the ability to decide which company they will enter the ring with.
However, this announcement implies that the new series seeks to have its own championships and establish its own internal rankings, something that is not included in the Ali Act and is clearly stated in support of the administration of boxing by the organizations. However, White has a close relationship with President Donald Trump and has lobbied heavily in the Congress, currently led by a Republican majority, and is confident in achieving his stated changes.
White has expressed that these traditional promoters are finished and that their ability to produce events has expired, while proclaiming himself the messiah of the sports world: “I am smarter and more creative than all of them combined. I am ready to lead the sport into a new world, and I have been on that path for some time.”
