UFC president Dana White says boxing world ‘needs to be fixed – if it can be’ after stalling Zuffa Boxing ventures

White says announcements for UFC’s new boxing organisation have been delayed because ‘the sport is a mess’

Everyone on the UFC fight roster ‘will make money’ this year despite coronavirus pandemic, he says

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Retired boxing legend Floyd Mayweather with UFC president Dana White at an NBA game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Boston Celtics last year. Photo: Instagram

Published: 10:42am, 26 Mar 2020Updated: 10:31pm, 29 Mar 2020

UFC president Dana White says the sport of boxing is “in big trouble” after dabbling in his own ventures over the past year.

White, who had announced at the start of 2020 that the UFC would roll out its own Zuffa Boxing promotion arm later this year, was taken aback by what happens behind the scenes in the boxing world.

“I hate speaking negatively about the sport of boxing, other than the fact that it’s a mess and it needs to be fixed – if it can be fixed,” said White to Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin Iole from self-isolation in his Las Vegas home.

The Zuffa Boxing venture was warmly welcomed by the promotion’s biggest star, Conor McGregor, who said he was “in negotiations”before making an MMA comeback in January. White also said he reached a “verbal agreement” with legendary boxer Floyd Mayweather for “something special” later this year. Talks have presumably stalled due to the coronavirus pandemic and White’s lack of confidence in the boxing world.

“I told you guys that I would have a press conference last October and announce these things, but as I dove into these things and started looking into the sport and economics of boxing, that sport is a mess. It’s a mess and it’s in big trouble. I don’t know if it can be fixed,” he said, adding that he believed the demographic for boxing fans is “much older and much more European”.

However, whatever White was alluding to may not translate in the same way to the professional fighters. In February, legendary Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao signed for the same management company as Irishman McGregor – fuelling rumours of a potential boxing bout with an MMA fighter under Zuffa Boxing.