Three of the biggest promoters in world sports are embroiled in a potential $1billion legal battle which could shape the future of boxing.
Queensberry, the UK promotions firm headed by Frank Warren, has sent “letters before action” to Saudi Arabia-backed sports events company Sela and U.S. combat sports giants TKO Group Holdings complaining of an alleged breach of contract.
According to The Telegraph, Warren’s company is seeking up to $1bn (£740m) in lost income after Sela and TKO formed Zuffa Boxing, a new promotional company which has vowed to “crush” its competitors and revolutionise the sport.
Queensberry is claiming it entered into an exclusive deal with Sela in September 2023, offering access to its boxing expertise as the Saudi firm looked to break into the sport. A month later, Sela put on former world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury’s clash with MMA fighter Francis Ngannou in Riyadh.
Queensberry is also claiming it signed a contract with TKO – the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and World Wrestling Entertainment – for access to its online data. That data included details of the contract with Sela.
TKO and Sela announced a five-year partnership in March 2025 and announced the formation of Zuffa Boxing three months later. Queensberry is claiming that this deal was done behind its back and breached the terms of the contracts it had signed with TKO and Sela, depriving it of up to $1bn in income it would have made had the deals been honoured.
Zuffa Boxing was co-founded by Dana White, the chief executive officer of UFC (which is owned by TKO) and a key ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, and Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of the government-funded Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority. Sela is owned by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, another government-backed entity. White and Alalshikh are the public faces of Zuffa Boxing, along with WWE President Nick Khan.
Zuffa has secured a media rights deal with Paramount+, which is reported to be worth $100m per annum and includes 12 fight cards a year.
Zuffa Boxing recently signed Conor Benn, who had previously been with another high-profile UK-based promoter, Matchroom Sport, and IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia. Many within the sport believing other high-profile names have been approached. They currently have 93 boxers on their roster, predominantly based in the US.
Zuffa Boxing is billed as a new disruptor in the market with White claiming it will take over the sport.
It intends to form a boxing league, create its own title and is lobbying for changes to both the Professional Boxer Health and Safety Act and the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act.
“I trust (that) this league, in a short time, will crush everything,” Alalshikh said in a video posted on his X account when announcing the TKO and Sela deal.
Warren, 73, has been promoting in the UK for 45 years as well as across the globe. His son, George, is CEO of Queensberry Promotions.
Queensberry Promotions declined to comment. A Sela spokesperson was contacted by The Athletic but offered no comment, instead referring to the statement it had offered to The Telegraph: “We are disappointed by the unfounded claims brought by Queensberry and Frank Warren. We reject them in their entirety and are confident that the facts will fully vindicate our position.”
TKO was also approached for comment but had not responded by the time of publication.