Dana White is already proving to be a polarizing figure in the boxing world.
White’s Zuffa Boxing promotion is not set to launch until 2026 but the UFC president has already become a prominent talking point in the sport.
Alongside Turki Alalshikh, White co-promoted Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford earlier this month, as the two battled it out at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium with undisputed super middleweight status on the line.
Crawford’s victory over the legendary Alvarez marked White’s return to boxing promotion eight years on from Conor McGregor’s high-profile crossover fight with Floyd Mayweather. This time around, the UFC chief is not going anywhere, and he has some bold plans lined up that have one legend worried.
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Roy Jones Jr. expresses concern over Dana White’s boxing goal
White has proposed wholescale changes to the boxing system, including controversial revisions to the Ali Act that would allow Zuffa Boxing to create its own titles and rankings separate from the sport’s traditional governing bodies.
Reacting to that approach during an interview with MMA Knockout, boxing icon Roy Jones Jr. gave a less than enthusiastic assessment of what White’s arrival in the sport will mean.
“So it’s very bad for the sport of boxing,” Jones Jr. said. “Because they’re trying to turn boxing kind of into MMA, and that’s not good.
“Boxing has too much history. Boxing came with those belts before they (UFC and MMA) got here.
“If you take that away from boxing, you’re killing a lot of their history. And a lot of people, like myself, are not going to be happy with that,” Jones Jr. continued. “So I don’t like it, no.
“I don’t think (White will) be a positive. If he found out a way to work with the sanctioning bodies and do everything else, he’d be positive because he’s done it with the UFC.”
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Daniel Cormier also has his doubts about Dana White’s boxing plan
When it comes to skepticism over how White plans to ‘save’ boxing, Jones Jr. is not alone.
Even a top UFC personality has his doubts, with Daniel Cormier questioning one aspect of White’s approach during a recent episode of his Good Guy/Bad Guy show on ESPN MMA’s YouTube channel.
“Dana White said he has plans to do a boxing version of the Contender Series in 2026,” Cormier said. “He said, ‘The best will fight the best, undefeated guys will fight undefeated guys, so I will build stars and I will put on great fights.’
“Does that work in boxing? … That, to me, sounds like he wants to change more. Because most boxers, especially the good ones, they don’t start seeing real competition until 18, 19, 20-0. Dana’s now saying, ‘I want these guys to fight each other and I want them to do it much sooner.’
“I don’t know, Chael (Sonnen). I don’t know if you can apply that to boxing,” Cormier continued. “Boxing is just different.”