Eddie Hearn, a prominent boxing promoter, quickly stepped in to set the record straight. He pointed out that the Mayweather-McGregor bout was more of an exhibition fight, not one of boxing's biggest historical matchups. As for the Canelo-Crawford event, Hearn clarified that it wasn't White's fight at all. The real architect behind that matchup was Turki Alalshikh, a Saudi advisor.
Hearn explained that White's role in these events was more of an invited guest rather than the primary promoter. He said:
"As I said, I don't think we're going to be going backwards and forwards. He also said he respects me and he likes me a lot, and the feeling is very mutual..."
Despite the disagreement, Hearn made it clear there's no bad blood between them.
White isn't backing down, though. He's got big plans for the future of boxing. In 2026, he aims to launch a new show called the "Contending Series." The UFC boss wants to shake things up in the boxing world. He explained:
"Basically, in 2026, I'm going to start my show, and what I'm going to do is basically like 'Contender Series.' The best will fight the best, undefeated guys will fight undefeated guys, and what you will do is you will care about the first fight of the night, and not just the main event. So I will build stars, put on great fights, and then these guys will graduate and fight with Sheik Turki... Listen, there's no ego or arrogance when I talk about getting into boxing and trying to 'fix it.' This is a busted sport."
White's goal is to create competitive, high-stakes matchups throughout each card, not just in the main event.
The boxing industry faces some tough challenges. There are deep-rooted promotional politics, fractured titles, and long-standing rivalries among governing bodies. Hearn thinks White's entry could add some excitement and competition to the sport. But he's skeptical about whether it can truly transform boxing's complex structure.
As the dust settles on this latest clash between MMA and boxing promoters, fans are left wondering what the future holds. Will Dana White's bold plans revolutionize boxing, or will the sport's established powers maintain their grip? Only time will tell.