WWE and UFC TKO merger tease 'big announcement' as Dana White and Co launch bid to revolutionise boxing
The WWE and UFC merger's parent company, TKO, are hoping to make their mark in the word of boxing very soon
TKO chief Nick Khan says that a 'big announcement' is coming soon as the WWE and UFC merger look to make their move into professional boxing.
The group was formed in 2023, with the UFC and WWE now falling under the TKO banner. And after their link up with Saudi Minister for Sport Turki Al-Sheikh - who has been responsible for funding and staging some of the biggest fights in boxing in the past two and a half years - TKO are now looking to launch their own boxing league that will see some of the best names in the sport face off against each other.
In an appearance on the Bill Simmons podcast, TKO director Khan insists plans are at an advanced stage ahead of their first boxing cards and that an announcement is due in the coming weeks.
He said: "Nothing to be acquired. We're going to grow it organically. If we're in mid-April now, I'd look for a big announcement on that in the next 4-6 weeks as to what our first card's going to be and who is going to be on that card.
"We want it to be UFC and WWE-like. But you'll see an announcement with more to come. I don't mean to intentionally be cryptic on the whole thing, but we have a plan."
TKO's proposal to start a boxing league would completely shake up the whole landscape of the sport. Professional boxers currently compete for world honours in the four major sanctioning bodies, the World Boxing Association (WBA), the World Boxing Council (WBC), the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and the World Boxing Organisation (WBO).
More lightly regarded titles around the world can be won under the banner of organisations such as the International Boxing Organisation (IBO) and the European Boxing Union (EBU).
But with the financial might of Al-Sheikh - who has brought mega stars including Anthony Joshua, Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury and Terence Crawford out to fight in the Middle East - TKO are now hoping to revolutionise the way the game is run.
However, last month WBO president Mauricio Sulaiman claimed he was not concerned about TKO's potential takoever and insists that added competition can only be good for boxing.
He told ESPN: "I have absolutely no concern or no negative views whatsoever [of TKO boxing].
"I think anything that comes into boxing is sensational. ... [Regarding a campaign],
I know a lot of people started speculating and finding conspiracy theories or whatever, but absolutely not.
"I think the WBC should make its position public, which is [TKO boxing] is a good opportunity because we have always supported any movement, any company, any tournaments that have been put together.
"I truly believe that with the multibillion joint venture that is supposed to be TKO and UFC and WWE and what His Excellency has done in just under two years, it should be a great thing for the sport."
Dana White has also recently told the same publication that he wants to see professional boxing recognise a single world champion in each weight class, much like the UFC.
"It's all going to go away," he stated. "There's going to be one belt. ... It'll be like the UFC.
"The model is the model that we have [in UFC]. ... WBC, IBF, WBA, etc., etc. They will deal with those traditional promoters that are out there that exist right now. We're not going to do that.
"We're going to have the basic weight classes that started everything. We will have one champion.
"And you know how you're going to know who the champion is because they're going to fight their way up through the gauntlet. And once you get into the top five, you know who the five baddest dudes in the heavyweight division are.
"And then you'll find out who the champion is. They will defend their titles and that's how it'll work."
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