Minor League Fighters, Major League Hype<\/p>\n
White\u2019s new league will be seen by many casual boxing fans on Paramount and CBS. With the huge advertising money that the Saudis will pour into it, people will hear about the fights.<\/p>\n
Even if it involves obscure fighters and those lacking the talent to compete with fighters outside of Zuffa Boxing, fans will want to see these matches. However, transforming those fighters into stars will be difficult, if not impossible.<\/p>\n
Fans Can Spot Marginal Talent<\/p>\n
Unlike MMA, fans want to see elite fighters, and they can easily tell when someone is marginal. We saw a lot of that with the undercard that was packaged with the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford event. The only fighters that showed ability on the undercard were the Christian Mbilli vs. Lester Martinez fight. Those guys aren\u2019t prospects and won\u2019t be part of Dana\u2019s Zuffa league.<\/p>\n
Whether Dana White\u2019s league succeeds could come down to whether the Saudis are willing to fund it for 10 to 20 years, as it may take that long for it to catch on. Wiser minds might see it as an idea that was doomed from the start. With the Saudi\u2019s money, they don\u2019t need a league to put on great fights. They can work within the current system. A new boxing league sounds like a desperate, poorly thought-out idea. Surprisingly, the Saudis are going along with this.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think it [the Zuffa belt] means a royal beans in boxing. I think it devalues what you\u2019re trying to do because you\u2019re creating a brand-new Mickey Mouse belt out of nowhere that has no legacy, no history, and no standing within the game. Their argument is, \u2018Within time, that belt will be like the WBC.\u2019 I don\u2019t believe so,\u2019 said Hearn.<\/p>\n
Zuffa Boxing Doomed From the Start?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s going to be very hard for the New Zuffa league to succeed while promoters are putting on excellent cards with superior talent on DAZN and Amazon. Fans will see the fighters on the Zuffa Boxing League as minor league talents and will ignore them. Eventually, the Sauds could see this as a waste of money and forget about it.<\/p>\n
Hearn points out that fighters like Shakur Stevenson, Teofimo Lopez, and Jaron \u2018Boots\u2019 Ennis wouldn\u2019t go for the idea of giving up on fighting for their belts to compete for a Zuffa belt. He doesn\u2019t see them doing that unless Dana White pays them a huge amount of money. Hearn states that \u201cnever going to happen.\u201d It would defeat the purpose of the new league to do it on the cheap.<\/p>\n
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Olly Campbell has been covering boxing since 2010 and has written for Boxing News 24 since 2014. Based in the UK, he now reports on the worldwide boxing scene, delivering fight news, results, and features that connect fans to the sport\u2019s biggest stories.<\/p>\n
With a background in UK and European coverage, Olly has developed a style that blends sharp analysis with accessible writing, making his work valuable to both dedicated followers and casual fans. His reporting consistently highlights champions, contenders, and emerging prospects on the global stage.<\/p>\n