TKO Boxing granted licenses for Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford; exec reveals 2026 plans
While TKO Boxing has for months expected to be the promoter for the upcoming Sept. 13 event headlined by Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford, the Nevada Athletic Commission made it official at a commission meeting Wednesday.
While Dana White has long publicly expressed disinterest in stadium shows, his first time being the lead man of a boxing event will come in the 65,000-seat Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders.
In conjunction with Saudi Arabia's Sela, White enters the boxing game with a massive show that's set to air on Netflix.
UFC executive Marc Ratner attended Wednesday's meeting in person and thanked the commission for their approvals, indicating TKO intends to hold multiple events in the state in 2026.
"We're thrilled to now be an official promoter," Ratner told MMA Junkie after the conclusion of the meeting. "... Our first event will be Sept. 13 with 'Bud' Crawford and Canelo, which is going to be the biggest fight in the history of the state of Nevada. Next year, we'll be doing a lot of fights here in a little smaller, obviously, basis.
"... We're planning on 12 to 15 fights (in 2026) with the majority here in Las Vegas. These will be smaller fights, more like the Contender (Series). We're looking for people just in the beginning of their careers and building them up. So it'll be much smaller than that. This will be good for the boxers."
It's unclear exactly what impact White and TKO's entry into boxing will have on the sport as a whole. However, the Nevada license comes the same day that a TKO-backed Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act was introduced by U.S. representatives Brian Jack (R-Ga.) and Sharice Davids (D-Kan.).
The Ali Act entered into federal law in 2000 as an effort to protect boxers from exploitative practices. It does not apply to MMA fighters or other combat sports athletes.
The major change being sought in the amendment is the allowance of Unified Boxing Organizations (UBOs), as opposed to the current sanctioning organizations. Should the UBO system be implemented, it would run parallel to the current system.
The legislation would likely open the door for boxing promotions to follow a UFC-like model, with promotions granting their own titles and running their own events.
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