{"id":438410,"date":"2026-01-28T10:20:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T10:20:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/438410\/"},"modified":"2026-01-28T10:20:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T10:20:07","slug":"zuffa-boxing-says-it-will-save-the-sport-but-the-fine-print-shows-that-fighters-might-pay-the-price-boxing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/438410\/","title":{"rendered":"Zuffa Boxing says it will save the sport \u2013 but the fine print shows that fighters might pay the price | Boxing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Even Turki al-Sheikh<\/a>\u2019s most severe critics acknowledge that, under his guidance, the Saudi interests that have dominated professional boxing in recent years have paid generous purses to fighters. Now the Saudis have turned to TKO Group Holdings and Dana White to oversee Zuffa Boxing \u2013 a newly created vehicle designed to expand the footprint of its equity partners in the United States.<\/p>\n

Zuffa Boxing<\/a> is taking a far less generous approach toward fighters than Sheikh did. That\u2019s evidenced by the contract that many of the fighters being recruited by Zuffa are being asked to sign.<\/p>\n

Almost two dozen people have been interviewed for this article. Some of them asked that they not be mentioned by name out of concern that it could invite retaliation or damage professional relationships. Others had no such reservations. Let\u2019s put the matter in context.<\/p>\n

TKO Group Holdings is a sports and entertainment company whose vast portfolio includes UFC<\/a> and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). On 6 August of last year, TKO president and COO Mark Shapiro announced:<\/p>\n

(1) TKO was forming a boxing promotional company called Zuffa Boxing that would be a joint venture between TKO Holdings, the Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority, and Sela (a live-experiences and recreational company owned by Saudi Arabia\u2019s Public Investment Fund)<\/p>\n

(2) Zuffa Boxing would promote approximately 12 \u201cleague\u201d fight cards annually for a period of five years<\/p>\n

(3) TKO would also work with Sheikh to promote several super-fights (such as Canelo v Crawford<\/a>) each year. The league fights and super-fights would be separate businesses<\/p>\n

Sela owns 60% of Zuffa Boxing and TKO owns 40%.<\/p>\n

UFC president and CEO Dana White has been charged with overseeing Zuffa Boxing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI live in my own little bubble,\u201d White told Brian Campbell of CBS Sports. \u201cI\u2019m gonna do my own thing. I\u2019m not worried about what any of those [other promoters] are doing. Those guys don\u2019t think big enough. Those guys all think small. They don\u2019t think the way that I think. My goal is to rebuild boxing in the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unlike Riyadh Season\u2019s boxing program (which has been written in red ink), Zuffa Boxing is designed to run in the black.<\/p>\n

On 29 September, Zuffa Boxing and Paramount announced a media rights agreement that makes Paramount+ the \u201cexclusive home of Zuffa Boxing\u201d in the US, Canada and Latin America. \u201cBeginning in January 2026,\u201d the announcement read, \u201cParamount will exclusively distribute a full slate of Zuffa Boxing events starting with 12 action-packed cards with plans to grow that number in subsequent years. The bouts will be available via Paramount\u2019s direct-to-consumer streaming platform Paramount+, with the potential for select events to be simulcast on CBS and other Paramount platforms.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paramount is believed to be paying Zuffa Boxing $100m a year for these 12 fight cards.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s a potential stumbling block. Zuffa\u2019s boxing program as presently conceived runs afoul of the Professional Boxer Health and Safety Act and the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act (often referred to jointly and referred to herein as the Ali Act). Thus, Zuffa and its allies have launched a massive lobbying effort to change the law.<\/p>\n

The Ali Act was enacted to curb the power of promoters and others who were exploiting fighters and dominating boxing.<\/p>\n

The proposed legislation would water down several provisions of the act that currently protect fighters\u2019 interests. More specifically, it would allow for the creation of \u201cunified boxing organizations\u201d (UBOs) as an \u201calternative system for compliance with the requirements of the Act\u201d. Zuffa Boxing, by virtue of its capitalization and organization, could qualify as a UBO. Most promoters couldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

The Ali Act was intended to create, among other things, a firewall between ratings organizations, managers and promoters. The proposed amendment destroys that firewall for UBOs. If the Ali Act is amended, Zuffa Boxing will be able to assume the roles of sanctioning body, promoter, manager and ranking authority. This latter point is significant because Zuffa has indicated that it will tie fighters\u2019 purses directly to its own championships and rankings.<\/p>\n

The Ali Act requires that promoters make certain financial disclosures to fighters and governing athletic commissions. If the proposed changes become law, fighters would be in the dark as to how much revenue promoters are receiving in conjunction with their fights.<\/p>\n

The proposed amendments would also eliminate the Ali Act\u2019s protection against \u201ccoercive contracts\u201d imposed on fighters. UBOs could exclude boxers who have not signed a long-term contract with them from participating in any of their events.<\/p>\n

A number of arena operators representing venues such as Madison Square Garden and Crypto.com Arena are supporting the Ali Act amendments. So are various state athletic commission officials.<\/p>\n

\u201cTKO and Zuffa play hardball,\u201d one state regulator told the Guardian. \u201cAnd they generate so much revenue from WWE and UFC that no one wants to cross them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re very good at instilling fear,\u201d another official said.<\/p>\n

By and large, fighters are wary of the proposed changes. Muhammad Ali\u2019s widow, Lonnie Ali, has supported the amendments. But Ali\u2019s grandson, Nico Ali Walsh (a fighter with 15 pro bouts on his resum\u00e9), opposes them.<\/p>\n

Ireland\u2019s Callum Walsh, shown here with Dana White during last year\u2019s Canelo v Crawford card, was handpicked to headline Zuffa Boxing 01 earlier this month. Photograph: Steve Marcus\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Former WBO 140lb champion Chris Algieri spoke for his brethren when he stated, \u201cThe Muhammad Ali Act does need changing. But it needs to be expanded and tightening up, not weakened in a way that will harm those who actually fight. Fighters \u2013 and I speak from experience \u2013 get exploited enough as it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Evander Holyfield noted, \u201cThe loudest voices pushing for this rewrite aren\u2019t boxers but the promoters of mixed martial arts \u2013 the people who made \u2018business first, fighters last\u2019 a mega-sport.\u201d<\/p>\n

And Oscar De La Hoya declared, \u201cThe bill would allow promoter-controlled Unified Boxing Organizations to own rankings, titles and fighters essentially duplicating the UFC\u2019s single-entity model inside boxing. It would legalize the very conflicts of interest the original Ali Act was written to outlaw. The Ali Act was one of the few federal laws ever passed to protect athletes rather than corporations. The new legislation would gut that framework, and the open marketplace that keeps the sport honest would collapse into monopoly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Earlier, De La Hoya had been more blunt, saying, \u201cTKO has been begging for these changes so they can fuck fighters over with their new league.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dana White\u2019s response to that is to say Zuffa is giving fighters a great opportunity and, \u201cThe guys who want to fight under the Muhammad Ali Act exactly the way it is will have that opportunity to do that. Or you can bet on me and fight with me under our version of the Muhammad Ali Act.\u201d<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s the same as saying fighters had a choice to sign or nor sign with Don King prior to the Ali Act being passed. Economically, fighters are a particularly vulnerable group who need protection.<\/p>\n

Boxing\u2019s world sanctioning bodies have long been criticised, and appropriately so. High sanctioning fees, questionable rankings and other practices cry out for reform. White played on that theme earlier this year when he told Stephen A Smith, \u201cI\u2019m going to get rid of the sanctioning organizations.\u201d<\/p>\n

But will Zuffa Boxing be any better?<\/p>\n

\u201cZuffa will be a sanctioning body,\u201d one promoter says. \u201cThey might not call themselves a sanctioning body. But they\u2019ll be ranking fighters. They\u2019ll be giving out belts. They just won\u2019t take a sanctioning fee because they\u2019ll be making money off fighters in other ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

Testing for the presence of banned performance enhancing drugs in a fighter\u2019s system is one of the most important issues facing boxing today. The Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (Vada) is widely recognised as the most reliable PED testing entity in boxing. Sheikh, to his credit, has been supportive of Vada and employed its services for most Riyadh Season events.<\/p>\n

Testifying before Congress in support of amending the Ali Act, UFC senior executive vice-president and chief operating officer Ike Lawrence Epstein referenced Zuffa\u2019s UFC PED-testing program and claimed, \u201cUFC maintains the most effective and progressive anti-doping program in professional sports.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Epstein\u2019s claim is subject to dispute. When asked about it, one state regulator countered, \u201cHow many times since UFC instituted its own PED-testing program has a UFC fight been pulled down or the result of a UFC fight been changed because of a positive test result? Zuffa doesn\u2019t even require that a positive test result be reported to the governing state athletic commission.\u201d<\/p>\n

In recent years, Jake Hurwitz has been the anti-doping compliance coordinator for UFC. He just left UFC to start his own PED-testing company (Global Sport Anti-Doping). His first client is Zuffa. That doesn\u2019t inspire confidence.<\/p>\n

Epstein also dropped a clue as to Zuffa Boxing\u2019s intentions during his testimony before Congress when he declared, \u201cThe UBO would solve the problem of boxing\u2019s historical lack of a centralized industry organization.\u201d<\/p>\n

In this instance, a \u201ccentralized industry organization\u201d sounds like monopolization.<\/p>\n

There are several positives in the proposed legislation. For example, the amendments would require that a fighter be paid at least $200 per scheduled round for each fight. But Congress could enact this minimum compensation and leave the rest of the Ali Act in place.<\/p>\n

On 4 December, the House of Representatives Subcommittee on Workforce Protections held a one-day hearing on the proposed legislation. On 21 January, the Education and Workforce Committee voted to send the bill to the House floor for a full vote. Passage in the House is a foregone conclusion. The Senate has yet to hold hearings. There\u2019s a small chance that the bill could be defeated in the Senate. But it\u2019s likely to pass because monied interests are behind it and there\u2019s no strong interest group in opposition.<\/p>\n

At the 4 December hearing, Andy Foster (executive officer for the California State Athletic Commission) testified, \u201cProfessional boxers need help to achieve labor equity. Another key positive aspect of this bill is that the UBO model shifts the nature of the industry and would be less exploitative to boxers signed to a UBO.\u201d<\/p>\n

But one of the ways that Zuffa Boxing plans to make money appears to be by lowering labor costs. When asked by the Guardian if he had read the contract that Zuffa is asking fighters to sign, Foster said that he had not.<\/p>\n

This writer has read the contract. There\u2019s no indication that Zuffa has shared it with members of Congress. But the representative of a fighter who\u2019s being recruited by Zuffa shared it with the Guardian.<\/p>\n

The first few pages of the contract reference the number of bouts the fighter would be contracting for, the length of the contract term, and the purse for each fight. That\u2019s followed by 31 pages of \u201cStandard Terms and Conditions\u201d.<\/p>\n

The purses paid by Zuffa will differ from fighter to fighter depending on who the fighter is and variables such as whether or not the fight is for a Zuffa Boxing championship. Some fighters will be guaranteed three fights a year; others two. Some of the standard terms and conditions may be negotiable. Others aren\u2019t.<\/p>\n

The Zuffa Boxing contracts are similar in some respects to the contracts used by other major boxing promoters. In other respects, they go further and make Don King\u2019s contracts of old look fighter-friendly. These contracts offer a window into how Zuffa will treat boxers if the proposed Ali Act amendments are enacted into law.<\/p>\n

The contract is between the fighter and Zuffa Boxing but envisions that an entity called TKO Boxing Promotions will be the promoter of record for most of the fights and that fighters will enter into bout agreements with TKO for each of their fights.<\/p>\n

Zuffa is given the exclusive unrestricted worldwide right to secure, promote and present all of the fighter\u2019s bouts and related activities during the term of the contract. During that time, the fighter is prohibited from participating in any other boxing, mixed martial arts, professional wrestling or other combat sport competition or exhibition.<\/p>\n

Zuffa has an obligation to offer a specified minimum number of bouts to the fighter during each year of the contract term. But unlike most promoter-boxer contracts which call for opponents to be mutually agreed upon, the Zuffa contract states, \u201cBout opponents are to be designated by Zuffa Boxing (subject to Fighter approval, which shall not be unreasonably withheld, delayed or conditioned).\u201d If the fighter declines to take a fight that Zuffa offers him, it counts against one of the fights that Zuffa is obliged to offer him that year.<\/p>\n

Worse, Zuffa\u2019s standard terms and conditions state, \u201cIf at any time during the Term, Fighter claims to be injured or temporarily disabled, Zuffa Boxing may, at its election, for each such injury or disability claimed by Fighter, declare that Zuffa Boxing has satisfied its obligation to offer one of the Bouts hereunder, without any compensation due to Fighter for said Bout.\u201d The proposed amendment to the Ali Act walks that back a bit and would require Zuffa to pay the fighter $2,000 unless the fighter was already collecting insurance money (for example, worker\u2019s compensation for an on-the-job injury).<\/p>\n

The Zuffa contract further provides that, if a fighter has an undercard bout and the main event is postponed or cancelled, Zuffa can pull the fighter\u2019s fight down without any payment obligation to the undercard fighter.<\/p>\n

The contract also gives Zuffa numerous \u201cancillary\u201d and \u201cmarketing\u201d rights, including the unrestricted worldwide right to use the fighter\u2019s \u201cidentity\u201d to promote \u201cZuffa Boxing, the Zuffa Boxing brand, Zuffa Boxing Content and each Zuffa Boxing Event\u201d and to \u201cpromote any product or service of a Zuffa Boxing affiliate, licensee, sponsor or content distributor\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cZuffa Boxing event\u201d is broadly defined to include the bouts, pre-bout events, post-bout events, promotional appearances, \u201cPersonal Data Capture Services\u201d, and other activities arising out of services performed by the fighter pursuant to the terms of the contract.<\/p>\n

\u201cZuffa boxing content\u201d extends to any element of the fighter\u2019s identity in connection with the Zuffa Boxing Events and any other programming produced or created by or on behalf of Zuffa Boxing from the effective date of the contract through the end of the term.<\/p>\n

Merchandise is divided into two categories:<\/p>\n

\u201cEvent Merchandise\u201d is any merchandise or other product derived from, created, used, or sold in conjunction with any Zuffa Bouts, Pre-Bout Events or Post-Bout Events<\/p>\n

\u201cMerchandise\u201d without the \u201cevent\u201d qualifier is all other merchandise<\/p>\n

Merchandise runs the gamut from apparel to banners, buttons, posters, jewellery, photographs, souvenirs, toys, collectibles, casino games, trading cards and memorabilia items.<\/p>\n

Depending on whether the item is event merchandise or other merchandise, the fighter will receive either 15% of gross revenue received by Zuffa or 30% of net revenue. \u201cGross revenue\u201d and \u201cnet revenue\u201d can become exponentially smaller when filtered through a maze of companies with common ownership.<\/p>\n

Try telling Peyton Manning or Patrick Mahomes that they\u2019ll receive only 15% of the gross revenue paid for their name on an endorsement deal with Nationwide or State Farm.<\/p>\n

The contract pays special attention to video games, giving Zuffa, in its sole discretion, the exclusive worldwide right to use the fighter\u2019s identity in connection with the creation, development, manufacture, distribution, marketing and sale of video games by Zuffa or licensed third parties. The fighter\u2019s identity includes, among other things, the fighter\u2019s \u201cmoves, acts, gestures, vocalizations or physical performance during a bout or when otherwise captured at Zuffa Boxing\u2019s reasonable request\u201d.<\/p>\n

Other rights given to Zuffa extend to the sale of virtual reality, augmented reality, hyper-reality, artificial intelligence, and enhanced reality games and experiences as well as motion pictures.<\/p>\n

Many of these rights, while not exclusive beyond the term of the contract, extend non-exclusively in perpetuity.<\/p>\n

The contract requires that fighters wear only equipment and the uniform approved by Zuffa during fights as well as at pre-bout and post-bout events. Zuffa shall have the right to include any logo, name, brand, advertising, or informational material of its choosing of the uniform and equipment. The fighter cannot incorporate any of these elements on his equipment or uniform without Zuffa\u2019s prior written approval (and at Zuffa\u2019s sole discretion).<\/p>\n

The fighter must make promotional appearances to help market the Zuffa brand, Zuffa events, and Zuffa merchandise including appearances at press conferences, interviews and other sponsorship and promotional activities \u201cas reasonably requested\u201d by Zuffa. The timing of these appearances is to be mutually agreed upon by the fighter and Zuffa with the fighter\u2019s consent \u201cnot to be unreasonably withheld\u201d. Zuffa will arrange and pay for round-trip air fare and hotel accommodations for the fighter and a per diem for meals in conjunction with these appearances. But it will not be required to pay the fighter for the appearance itself.<\/p>\n

Zuffa even gets a range of rights relating to any tattoos that the fighter may have on his body.<\/p>\n

The fighter must arrive on site for his bouts at a time designated by Zuffa (which can be as much as eight days before the bout) and depart the lodging provided by Zuffa prior to the designated checkout time on the day after the fight.<\/p>\n

The fighter will be provided with four tickets to each of his bouts. But if the fight is at the Meta Apex arena in Las Vegas, these tickets will only be good for his fight, not the entire card, unless the fighter is in the main event.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a long list of expensive medical tests that the fighter must undergo. However, the contract states in solid capital letters, \u201cALL COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE MEDICAL EXAMINATION AND TESTS SHALL BE PAID BY FIGHTER.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are also mechanisms by which Zuffa can extend the contract well past its original term.<\/p>\n

If a fighter is offered a bout against an opponent designated by Zuffa and does not accept that Bout \u201cbecause the Fighter is unwilling or unreasonably refuses to compete for any reason whatsoever\u201d, Zuffa may, at its election for each such declination, extend the contract term for \u201cthe length of time sufficient to find a new opponent to accept the Bout for up to a maximum of six months\u201d.<\/p>\n

If at any time during the contract term, a fighter is unable to compete (for example, if the fighter is \u201cdisabled, sick or injured; incarcerated; [his licence is] suspended or revoked by an Athletic Commission or anti-doping authority; or Fighter\u2019s ability to travel is restricted by a governmental agency\u201d), for each such period, the contract term shall automatically be extended for the longer of the period of time that fighter is unable to compete (as determined by Zuffa after consultation with fighter) or six months.<\/p>\n

If a fighter is scheduled to fight and the bout is postponed for any reason other than Zuffa\u2019s or TKO\u2019s non-performance (for example, if the opponent is injured), Zuffa may extend the term of the fighter\u2019s contract by the number of days between the date originally scheduled for the bout and the date on which the bout subsequently occurs.<\/p>\n

If the fighter is a Zuffa Boxing \u201cchampion\u201d at the end of the term, the term shall automatically be extended for one year or until the fighter has participated in three more Zuffa Boxing bouts (whichever eventuality occurs first).<\/p>\n

A recent change to the proposed Ali Act amendments in committee in the House provides that the contract term imposed on a fighter may not exceed six years. Six years is a long time for a fighter.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Zuffa\u2019s rights may be locked in. But the fighter has very little job security. Zuffa has the right to terminate the contract and any bout agreement in effect if any of the following occur:<\/p>\n

(1) The fighter is \u201cnot declared the winner of any boxing bout by the athletic commission.\u201d In other words, if the fighter loses or draws or the bout is declared \u201cno contest\u201d, Zuffa can cut the fighter. So let\u2019s assume that Zuffa has a fighter it wants to cut. Zuffa can match him against an opponent who is way over the fighter\u2019s head. If the fighter, as expected, loses, Zuffa can cut him. And if he declines the fight, Zuffa can, without payment, count the declination against its contractual obligation to the fighter. Zuffa can also cut a fighter if the fighter makes two successive declinations.<\/p>\n

(2) Zuffa can cut a fighter if Zuffa Boxing is \u201cdissolved, ceases to operate, or discontinues the weight class or division that fighter participates in\u201d.<\/p>\n

(3) Zuffa can cut a fighter if the fighter is injured or disabled. Alternatively, if the fighter decides to retire or is permanently disabled at any time during the contract term, Zuffa may, at its election, suspend the contract term for the period of such retirement or disability (said suspension not to exceed four years). During the suspension period, Zuffa\u2019s merchandise rights would remain in effect.<\/p>\n

(4) Zuffa can cut a fighter if the fighter is charged with a felony or misdemeanor (other than a minor traffic offence); if the fighter\u2019s licence to participate in bouts is suspended or revoked by an athletic commission; if the fighter violates Zuffa\u2019s Athlete Conduct Policy; or if the fighter or any of the fighter\u2019s affiliates materially breaches or defaults on any provision of the contract.<\/p>\n

Dana White watches the undercard of last year\u2019s Canelo v Crawford card alongside Turki al-Sheikh. Photograph: Chris Unger\/TKO Worldwide LLC\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

The proposed Ali Act amendments that have been reported out of the House committee would specifically allow a fighter to begin negotiations with another UBO or promoter during the 30 days preceding expiration of the fighter\u2019s contract with Zuffa. But the Zuffa contract would give Zuffa six months to match the material financial terms of any competing offer for the fighter\u2019s services on the same financial terms as the competing offer or any later modified offer made to the fighter.<\/p>\n

UFC has been plagued by class actions in the past and, without admitting wrongdoing, recently paid $375m to settle an antitrust lawsuit<\/a> brought against it by UFC fighters who claimed that they were illegally exploited by the company.<\/p>\n

The Zuffa Boxing contract provides in part, \u201cTo the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the parties agree that no claims may be initiated or maintained on a class action, collective action, or representative action basis either in court or arbitration.\u201d<\/p>\n

The contract precludes the fighter from seeking any consequential, incidental, or punitive damages from Zuffa, nor shall the fighter have the right to seek an injunction or other equitable relief.<\/p>\n

It requires that the fighter relinquish the right to sue Zuffa in state or federal court and submit any claim he may have against Zuffa to binding arbitration in Clark County, Nevada.<\/p>\n

In the event that either side engages counsel \u201cin connection with the enforcement or interpretation\u201d of the contract, the prevailing party would be entitled to recover attorneys\u2019 fees and costs from the other party regardless of whether or not a legal action is filed.<\/p>\n

These provisions would make it impractical for a fighter to institute litigation against Zuffa.<\/p>\n

The fighter would have the right at his sole cost and expense to audit Zuffa\u2019s books to see if he\u2019s getting an honest accounting with regard to merchandise sold pursuant to the contract. But Zuffa must be given 30 days advance notice of the audit, which can only be conducted by \u201ca reputable licensed and certified public accounting firm approved by Zuffa Boxing\u201d.<\/p>\n

The contract also states, \u201cFighter additionally agrees that, if Fighter chooses to undertake any training activities or preparation for Bouts, such activities and\/or preparation for Bouts will not take place in California.\u201d<\/p>\n

Apparently, California law would protect Zuffa\u2019s fighters in a manner that\u2019s not to Zuffa\u2019s liking. The Guardian reached out to Dana White for comment regarding the Zuffa Boxing contract but he was unavailable to respond on short notice.<\/p>\n

Originally, there was ambitious talk from Zuffa about a boxing \u201cleague\u201d that would divide 200 of the best male boxers in the world \u2013 women weren\u2019t included in the plan \u2013 into 12 weight classes. But the \u201cbest\u201d boxers in the world (as well as their promoters and managers) wouldn\u2019t commit to a plan that was clearly against their best interests.<\/p>\n

Thus, Zuffa shifted its focus from established stars to what it calls \u201cexciting young prospects\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m still not putting any of my fighters in it,\u201d Frank Warren, one of boxing\u2019s leading promoters, said. \u201cAnd if you\u2019re a responsible manager, you wouldn\u2019t put a young prospect in it. That\u2019s simply not how you build a prospect as an attraction or as a fighter. The people running this are very smart but they don\u2019t know boxing.\u201d<\/p>\n

On 23 January, Zuffa launched its Paramount+ series at the Meta Apex with a fight card denominated \u201cZuffa Boxing 01\u201d. The main commentating team consisted of blow-by-blow commentator Joe Tessitore with Max Kellerman and Andre Ward as analysts. Three fights were streamed during the main portion of the card. There was a lot of shilling and more sizzle than steak.<\/p>\n

Kellerman began his commentary with \u201cI\u2019ve waiting for this moment my whole life, since I was a little kid.\u201d But in truth, the show had no more to recommend it than an average club-fight card.<\/p>\n

The opening bout \u2013 Julian Rodriguez v Cain Sandoval \u2013 was a good one. The fighters were evenly matched. Rodriguez won a 99-91, 99-91, 98-92 decision but had to work hard for it.<\/p>\n

Then things fell apart.<\/p>\n

Dana White has said repeatedly that boxing fans are tired of A-side-v-B-side fights where the B-side is, in effect, a designated loser with virtually no chance to win. But the next two bouts were A-side-v-B-side fights.<\/p>\n

Misael Rodriguez was a 6-to-1 favourite over Austin Deanda in a fight that matched an Olympic bronze medalist from Mexico against a guy from Virginia who had no amateur fights before turning pro. After four dreary rounds, Deanda said he was suffering from double vision and the fight was stopped.<\/p>\n

The main event matched Callum Walsh against journeyman Carlos Ocampo. Ocampo had fought three step-up fights in his career and lost all of them, two by first-round knockout. Walsh (like Misael Rodriguez) was a 6-to-1 favourite.<\/p>\n

It was a painfully boring fight. Ocampo is a one-dimensional boxer and fought like it in a 10-round sparring session. In round six, he hit Walsh on the back of the shoulder; Walsh\u2019s left glove touched the canvas; and referee Allen Huggins called it a knockdown. Otherwise, Walsh won every minute of the fight. Neither fighter pushed the pace. Ocampo wasn\u2019t very good. And neither was Walsh, who won a 98-90, 98-90, 97-91 decision.<\/p>\n

At the post-event press conference, White declared, \u201cThe fights were great.\u201d (They weren\u2019t.) But in the next sentence, he acknowledged, \u201cWe got a lot of work to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for what comes next; Zuffa Boxing has announced that its second fight card will feature Jose Valenzuela v Diego Torres at the Meta Apex on 1 February. Valenzuela has lost three of his last five fights but opened as a 7-to-1 favourite. That will be followed by a 13 February card headlined by Efe Ajagba v Charles Martin. Martin, a 6-to-1 underdog, will be 40 years old in April and has won only two fights over the past six years. Ajagba, 31, lost his one step-up fight (against Frank Sanchez). These are not \u201cexciting young prospects\u201d.<\/p>\n

Sheikh set a high standard for the quality of Riyadh Season and Ring fight cards. These fights fall short of that standard.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you realize what a bad look this is,\u201d asks a promoter who does business with Sheikh. \u201cMax Kellerman calls Dana White the greatest combat sports promoter of his lifetime and [WWE president] Nick Khan the most effective executive he\u2019s ever known and says that boxing was saved the day Turki al-Sheikh<\/a> was born. And then, for its launch, Zuffa Boxing has Callum Walsh against Carlos Ocampo as the main event with Diego Torres against Jose Valenzuela and Efe Ajagba against Charles Martin after that. Come on!\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, there are signs that the relationship between White and Sheikh is fraying.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis Excellency and Dana White both have big egos,\u201d a promoter who knows both men says. \u201cThose egos aren\u2019t getting any smaller. And they\u2019re clashing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Be that as it may, White insists Zuffa Boxing is in this for the long run. He has a substantial war chest and believes that fans who support UFC will support the Zuffa Boxing brand once the proposed amendments to the Ali Act become law.<\/p>\n

And the same promoter warns, \u201cThe Saudis have a substantial equity interest in Dazn and substantial influence over what it does. Most of the major promoters have been pushed to Dazn and are now dependent on it. What happens to these promoters if Dazn exits from boxing and isn\u2019t there for them? Most if not all of these promoters will be out of business and it will be just Zuffa. Dana has built UFC at the expense of the fighters. And once Zuffa has control, he\u2019ll do the same thing here. Anybody who thinks differently, doesn\u2019t have a clue. It\u2019s UFC 2.0. That\u2019s the plan. You can see it.\u201d<\/p>\n

With that in mind, another promoter who has done business with Sheikh says: \u201cI don\u2019t like what Zuffa is doing. They\u2019re throwing the baby out with the bath water. They might change a few things for the better. But what they\u2019re planning will destroy the best parts of boxing culture and wipe out some of boxing\u2019s best traditions. And there\u2019s another thing that bothers me. Competition is good. I like that Zuffa is bringing competition to change the business. The problem is, once Zuffa changes the business, it will want to kill all the competitors.\u201d<\/p>\n

And once the competitors are gone, fighters\u2019 purses are likely to get smaller.<\/p>\n

Zuffa currently pays 17% to 20% of its revenue to UFC combatants. In the NFL and NBA, the players receive 50%. In boxing at the elite level, the number is often in the neighbourhood of 80%, although that percentage is diminished by the share paid to a fighter\u2019s manager and trainer, sanctioning-body fees and other costs. Also, there are far more poorly paid club fighters than there are well paid elite ones.<\/p>\n

That said, the long-term outlook for boxers under a Zuffa Boxing regime isn\u2019t good.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrust me,\u201d an executive who has done business with TKO says. \u201cThe boxers will be treated the same as UFC fighters when it comes to the financial split. Anybody who thinks differently doesn\u2019t know what they\u2019re thinking about. Zuffa\u2019s main business is UFC. And Dana isn\u2019t about to jeopardize the UFC business model that made them all rich.\u201d<\/p>\n

As noted above, without admitting wrongdoing, UFC recently paid $375m to settle an antitrust class action brought against it by fighters who alleged that they had been illegally exploited by the company. A second class action that raises similar issues is pending. That, coupled with the proposed Zuffa Boxing contract, doesn\u2019t sound like an organization that puts fighters first.<\/p>\n

During the past year, the dominant political forces in the US have systematically enriched their wealthy patrons by tearing apart the safety nets that protect vulnerable Americans. If the proposed boxing legislation currently before Congress is enacted, the next beneficiaries of this largesse will be TKO Group Holdings and its equity partners. The long-term victims are likely to be boxing fans, other promoters and professional boxers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Even Turki al-Sheikh\u2019s most severe critics acknowledge that, under his guidance, the Saudi interests that have dominated professional…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":438411,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[447],"tags":[703,49,48,82],"class_list":["post-438410","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-boxing","tag-boxing","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/438410","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=438410"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/438410\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/438411"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=438410"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=438410"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=438410"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}