Zuffa Boxing
American boxing promotional company
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Zuffa Boxing is a professional boxing promotion company founded by CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Dana White, and Chairman of the Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority (GEA), Turki Al-Sheikh. The company is a joint venture between Sela and TKO Group Holdings (TKO), and is based in Las Vegas, Nevada.[4]
| Industry | Boxing promotion |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Zuffa, LLC |
| Founded | June 2025 |
| Founder | |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Key people |
|
| Owner | Sela (60%) TKO Group Holdings (40%)[2] |
| Parent | TKO Boxing Promotions, LLC[3] |
The promotion had its inaugural event, a fight between Canelo Álvarez and Terence Crawford, on September 13, 2025, at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada.[5]
History
In August 2017, following the high-profile boxing match between MMA fighter Conor McGregor and boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr., Dana White announced his intention to enter the world of professional boxing under the "Zuffa Boxing" brand.[6] White suggested that the existing boxing promotion landscape was "broken" and needed a centralized, promoter-driven model similar to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), of which White was then president. Despite media attention and the sale of branded merchandise, Zuffa Boxing's launch was repeatedly delayed.[7][8]
On June 18, 2025, Dana White officially announced that the UFC's parent company TKO Group Holdings (TKO) would enter the boxing industry under the Zuffa Boxing name, reviving the brand White had originally teased in 2017. The announcement was made public through an interview with Sports Business Journal in which White reiterated that Zuffa Boxing aimed to apply the UFC's promotional model to professional boxing.[9] The branding of TKO's boxing venture as "Zuffa Boxing" was confirmed by additional outlets the following day.[10][11]
Shortly after the announcement, it was revealed that TKO would be the lead promoter of the super middleweight fight between Canelo Álvarez and Terence Crawford, scheduled for September 13, 2025, at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada. The bout, which was streamed globally via Netflix, was organized in partnership with Saudi entertainment company Sela with the backing of Turki Al-Sheikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia. On June 23, 2025, The Ring Magazine formally announced that the Canelo vs. Crawford fight would serve as the inaugural event under the Zuffa Boxing banner.[12][5] On September 29, 2025, it was announced that Zuffa Boxing had signed a media rights agreement with Paramount Skydance for their events to air on the Paramount+ streaming service with selected events to be simulcast on CBS.[1]
Zuffa Boxing's first event under the Paramount Skydance partnership, Zuffa Boxing 01, took place on January 23, 2026 at the Meta Apex in the Las Vegas Valley, a day prior to UFC 324.[13] On February 26, it was announced by TKO president Mark Shapiro that Zuffa Boxing would promote the heavyweight boxing match between Tyson Fury and Arslanbek Makhmudov in London, England, which Netflix streamed on April 11, 2026.[14] In May 2026, the UFC announced that Zuffa Boxing 07 would be held at the Bournemouth International Centre in Bournemouth, Dorset, England on June 6, marking the first mainline "Numbered" Zuffa Boxing event to be held outside of the United States and outside of the Meta Apex.[15]
List of events
| No. | Event | Headline fight | Title(s) on the line | Date | Location | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1[a] | Álvarez vs. Crawford: Public Workout | Bek Nurmaganbet vs. Steven Sumpter | N/a | September 10, 2025 | Fontainebleau Las Vegas, Winchester, Nevada, U.S. | [17] |
| The Ring Presents: The Underdog | Anthony Olascuaga vs. Juan Carlos Camacho | WBO flyweight title | September 11, 2025 | Fontainebleau Las Vegas, Winchester, Nevada, U.S. | [18] | |
| Álvarez vs. Crawford: Once In A Lifetime | Canelo Álvarez vs. Terence Crawford | WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, WBO, The Ring and TBRB undisputed super middleweight titles | September 13, 2025 | Allegiant Stadium, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. | [12] | |
| 2 | Zuffa Boxing 01 | Callum Walsh vs. Carlos Ocampo | N/a | January 23, 2026 | Meta Apex, Enterprise, Nevada, U.S. | [13] |
| 3 | Zuffa Boxing 02 | José Valenzuela vs. Diego Torres | N/a | February 1, 2026 | Meta Apex, Enterprise, Nevada, U.S. | [19] |
| 4 | Zuffa Boxing 03 | Efe Ajagba vs. Charles Martin | N/a | February 15, 2026 | Meta Apex, Enterprise, Nevada, U.S. | [20] |
| 5 | Zuffa Boxing 04 | Jai Opetaia vs. Brandon Glanton | The Ring and inaugural Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight titles | March 8, 2026 | Meta Apex, Enterprise, Nevada, U.S. | [21] |
| 6 | Zuffa Boxing 05 | Andres Cortes vs. Eridson Garcia | N/a | April 5, 2026 | Meta Apex, Enterprise, Nevada, U.S. | [22] |
| 7[b] | Fury vs. Makhmudov | Tyson Fury vs. Arslanbek Makhmudov | N/a | April 11, 2026 | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, England, U.K. | [23] |
| 8 | Zuffa Boxing 06 | Shane Mosley Jr. vs. Serhii Bohachuk | N/a | May 10, 2026 | Meta Apex, Enterprise, Nevada, U.S. | [24] |
| 9 | Zuffa Boxing 07 | Chris Billam-Smith vs. Ryan Rozicki | N/a | June 6, 2026 | Bournemouth International Centre, Bournemouth, Dorset, England, U.K. | [15] |
| 10 | Zuffa Boxing 08 | Edwin De Los Santos vs. José Valenzuela | N/a | June 28, 2026 | Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. | [25] |
| 11 | Zuffa Boxing 09 | N/a | July 26, 2026 | Infosys Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | [26] | |
| 12 | Zuffa Boxing 10 | N/a | August 8, 2026 | 3Arena, Dublin, Ireland | [27] |
Controversies
Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act
The Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act was introduced in July 2025 by Representatives Brian Jack and Sharice Davids. The legislation was largely driven by TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of the Zuffa Boxing.[28] Central to the bill was the creation of Unified Boxing Organizations (UBOs), entities that would function outside the jurisdiction of the established sanctioning bodies, the WBC, WBA, WBO, and IBF and would be exempt from certain Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act requirements, including mandatory disclosure of event revenue to fighters.[29] The bill drew backing from Mike Tyson and Lonnie Ali, widow of Muhammad Ali, the latter describing it as a way to introduce greater competition into the sport's governance structure.[29] Opposition came from Oscar De La Hoya and Evander Holyfield, who warned that UBOs would hand TKO the same monopolistic grip over boxing that the UFC holds over mixed martial arts.[29] Nico Ali Walsh, a professional boxer and grandson of Muhammad Ali, also came out against the bill.[30]
The United States House Committee on Education and Workforce cleared the bill by a 30–4 margin in January 2026,[29] before the full House passed it through a voice vote on March 24, 2026, sending it to the Senate.[31] A hearing before the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation followed in April 2026, with TKO board member Nick Khan and ABC president Tim Shipman arguing for passage, while De La Hoya and Ali Walsh reiterated their opposition.[32]
See also
Notes
- Both Álvarez vs. Crawford: Public Workout and The Ring Presents: The Underdog were held as part of the three day undercard of Zuffa Boxing's inaugural event, Álvarez vs. Crawford: Once In A Lifetime.[16]
