Dana White, the UFC president, has revealed his plans to step into the boxing world. This move has quickly drawn attention, including a warning from Oscar De La Hoya.
At a recent press conference, White made his intentions clear. He said:
"There will be some big announcements soon. Let me tell you, if you know anything about me and look at anything I ever said, I never say anything that I don't do, ever. I've never said anything like that and we've been kicking the whole boxing thing around for a long time, but you've never heard me commit and say 'I'm in'. Well, I'm in."
White, who's 55, has played a big part in making MMA as popular as it is today. He's been talking about getting into boxing for a while now, and he thinks the time is right. He believes he can do things others haven't done yet, especially when it comes to television deals.
The UFC president has recently worked with Turki Alalshikh on UFC events, and it looks like this partnership might extend to his boxing venture. There are rumors that White might be involved in a Saudi-backed league format, using more UFC-style matchmaking.
White's plan to enter boxing isn't new, but it seems he's ready to make it happen now.
Oscar De La Hoya, the Hall of Fame fighter-turned-promoter, didn't waste time responding to White's announcement. In an interview with KO Artist Sports, De La Hoya said:
"Come on, Dana. Stay in your lane. You know, when I tried MMA – and it was successful with Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz – it was great. And then he f***ing [said] 'oh Oscar can't come into my [sport].' Okay, well I just tried it one time and I stayed in boxing. Dana, stay in your f***ing lane."
De La Hoya and White have had a long-standing feud, and this latest exchange adds fuel to the fire. It's worth noting that De La Hoya has dabbled in MMA promotion before.
Currently, De La Hoya is working with Riyadh Season (Turki Alalshikh) on a 'Latino Night' show. The main fight for this event will be a cruiserweight unification bout between Gilberto Ramirez and Chris Billam-Smith.
As White prepares to make his move into boxing, and with De La Hoya's warning ringing in his ears, the boxing world waits to see what changes this MMA mogul might bring to the sport.
