“DANA WHITE’S Zuffa Boxing has been accused of denying stars the chance to achieve their world title dreams – while using “bully” tactics. The UFC boss launched his boxing promotion this year with the backing of the TKO Group that also owns the WWE and Saudi financier Turki Alalshikh. Sign up for the Sport newsletter”, — write: www.thesun.co.uk
The UFC boss launched his boxing promotion this year with the backing of the TKO Group that also owns the WWE and Saudi financier Turki Alalshikh.
Thank you!
Boxer Callum Walsh with UFC boss Dana White And White wants to use the UFC model with Zuffa Boxing – refusing to recognise the traditional belts or organisations like the WBC.
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman wrote an open letter calling for unity within the sport – hitting back at White and Zuffa.
And Sulaiman told SunSport: “My open letter is to tell everyone in the boxing industry that everything will be OK.
“That attitude of coming in like a bully, saying they’re gonna finish everything and do their own way, blah blah blah, that is not appropriate.
“There’s not one entity, one league, one group, one person, one champion bigger than boxing. Boxing is a great sport. It’s a worldwide sport.
“And it will continue to be one of the most important ones in the whole world. So the strategy that Zuffa, Dana White, TKO, UFC have taken to proclaim themselves as the saviours of boxing is simply not accurate, and we’re gonna defend the fighters all the way.
“We’re here only for the boxers and we’re happy. We wish them luck in their league but if they wanna alienate themselves from the world, that’s their own decision, but that’s not the way we should address situations now we need unity and positiveness for the sport.”
Irishman Callum Walsh, 24, headlined Zuffa Boxing’s inaugural event in January with victory over Carlos Ocampo, 30, at the UFC’s Apex Center which holds just 1,000.
There’s a massive year of boxing ahead!
Tyson Fury will make his return in April against Arslanbek Makhmudov, Conor Benn is closing in on a world title shot and Fabio Wardley will defend his newly won heavyweight crown.
Canelo Alvarez will be hoping to return after his defeat to Terence Crawford and heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk will also need to defend his straps.
Derek Chisora will fight for the 50th and (perhaps) final time against Deontay Wilder, while Daniel Dubois is also on the comeback trail.
A whole bunch of British stars could also take a leap into superstardom, with the likes of Moses Itauma, Hamzah Sheeraz and Adam Azim ready to join the very top of the sport.
Here’s all the big fights coming up…
February
- Sat 7 – Nick Ball vs Brandon Figueroa – WBA featherweight title – DAZN
- Sat 21 – Ryan Garcia vs Mario Barrios – WBC welterweight title – DAZN PPV
- Sat 21 – Leigh Wood vs Josh Warrington – DAZN
- Sun 22 – Claressa Shields vs Franchon Crews-Dezurn – heavyweight unification – DAZN
- Sat 28 – Emanuel Navarrete vs Eduardo Nunez – super-featherweight unification – DAZN
March
- Sat 14 – Jazza Dickens vs Anthony Cacace – WBA super-featherweight title – DAZN
- Sat 28 – Moses Itauma vs Jermaine Franklin – DAZN
- Sat 28 – Sebastian Fundora vs Keith Thurman – Amazon Prime PPV
April
- Sat 4 – Derek Chisora vs Deontay Wilder – DAZN PPV
- Sat 11 – Tyson Fury vs Arslanbek Makhmudov – Netflix
BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS
And he was forced to move up from 154lb to 160lb as Zuffa recognise only the eight “traditional” weight classes in a snub to the “light” and “super” divisions.
Walsh had held trinket WBC honours in his bid to earn a world title shot – which no longer looks to be on the cards with Zuffa to unveil their own belt.
And Sulaiman added: “I’m heartbroken for Callum Walsh. I met him years ago. He’s a great kid from Ireland. His dream was always to be WBC champion.
“He won the WBC US title, then the WBC Continental Americas. He slept with his belt. He carried it all over the place.
“His social media is full of videos of him saying how proud he is of the WBC, etc, etc.
“Now he comes to Zuffa, who does not have super-welterweight divisions, so they make him fight in middleweight and he had a very mediocre outing.
“He’s such a nice kid, he deserves support. But now he has to fight in middleweight and now he cannot try to make his dream a reality of winning a world championship, but that’s just one example.
“Of course there’s gonna be kids that need the money and will fight and it is good that they have activity.
Walsh is now promoted by WhiteCredit: Getty
Walsh won trinket WBC beltsCredit: Sportsfile “What is bad is that they come in and they say we will not work with anybody and everybody can go.
“That is not good for the sport and what they have in their contracts. Why change the law? Just come in, be a promoter and interact.
“They have a great, great, platform in Paramount. They could do so many great things.
“I think they will realise and they will realign their strategy and the WBC welcomes them to the industry.”
White vowed to rid of the classic WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO belts but appeared to go back on his word after signing cruiserweight Jai Opetaia.
Opetaia – Australia’s IBF champ – boasted of heading towards unification bouts after signing with White and Zuffa.
Jai Opetaia facing off with Noel MikaelianCredit: Instagram And White even suggested he would allow Opetaia, 30, to continue collecting the titles.
Opetaia also faced off with WBC champ Noel Mikaelian, 35, in Las Vegas but Sulaiman claimed he was none the wiser to the talks.
He said: “I only saw what was on the news, but that’s exactly what I mean. It’s a huge mixed message.
“They say, ‘No, we will not work with organisations.’ And next thing they sign the IBF champion, and next day they show a picture between the IBF champion and WBC champion.
“So if they’re going to, promote championships, perfect. They’re more than welcome but they have to do it within the industry parameters and rules.”
Zuffa Boxing are also restricting personal sponsors, with all boxers wearing company-provided ring attire, like in the UFC.
It comes with the UFC in the midst of class action lawsuits brought against them by former fighters from 2017 to the present day.
They are seeking damages and a change to the UFC’s business practices, including the contracts they insist on.
The antitrust lawsuits had sought up to $1.6bn (£1.25bn) in damages as of 2025 – with the latest hearing playing out this week with White testfying.
Sulaiman added: “My message is, there’s a great industry, there’s a great sport, we should all be united and Zuffa can come into the sport.
“If they do good for the boxers, it’s great. But if they do bad for the boxers, we will not entertain and will not just sit down and watch it.”
SunSport has reached out to Zuffa Boxing for comment.
WBC president Mauricio Saulaman, pictured in 2015Credit: Mark Robinson – The Sun