Following UFC CEO Dana White’s recent admission that he is finally going to take his promoter talents to the boxing world in a big way, he has the backing of former undisputed heavyweight champion, Mike Tyson.
Dana White recently brought a big boxing event to the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland, headlined by the prospect he has been closely working with for years, Callum Walsh.
A day prior to the event, the UFC boss took part in a media Q&A, where he told reporters he’s now finally ‘in’ on boxing and will have some big announcements to come.
Mike Tyson claims Dana White will be the ‘best thing to happen to boxing’
In recent years, boxing has been saved by Turki Alalsheikh and after Riyadh Season sponsored UFC 306 at the Sphere a few weeks ago, White may be looking at working more closely with Turki in a boxing capacity.
The UFC boss has previously teased entering the boxing world with Zuffa Boxing, Zuffa being the UFC’s old parent company, and it is unclear whether his new venture will adopt the same name.
Although White may not have the backing of everyone, former undisputed heavyweight champion, Mike Tyson has claimed that White will be the ‘best thing to happen to boxing’.
“Is he really in boxing now?” Tyson asked hopefully on the It Is What It Is Podcast.
“Well listen, that’s going to be the best thing to ever happen to boxing, just like the UFC… If you’re in the UFC and if anyone is booing your fight, you’re not gonna see that guy again, his next fight is gonna be in South Dakota somewhere.
“If you don’t have a good fight, you’re never gonna see that guy again, not like boxing, ‘Oh this guy is gonna fight next month again,’ I don’t wanna see that. If any fights stink, you’re not back in the UFC anymore, you’re never going to see those guys again,” Tyson explained.
- $1M OFFER: Sean O’Malley offers former world champion boxer $1m to fight him in MMA as he sounds off on boxers
Mike Tyson recently revealed his reason for fighting Jake Paul
With ‘Iron’ Mike set for his controversial boxing fight against Jake Paul in November, White is hopeful that the 58-year-old will put an end to the internet sensation’s stint in the sport.
The closer the fight gets, the more controversial it seemingly becomes, and Tyson recently admitted that it’s ‘hard to walk right now’, raising the eyebrows of the combat sports community.
Despite the majority of the world believing that Tyson has accepted the fight against Paul for the huge payday it comes with, the former heavyweight champion stated that the fight will not financially change his life, and he is doing it to see what he is really made of and to perform in front of the world one last time.