By BoxingNews.com,Turki Al

Copyright yardbarker

Dana White has revealed that he has ambitious plans for boxing.

White’s recent co-promotion of the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford fight was the first major event for TKO Boxing. The event was a success as the live gate of $47,231,887 made it the third-highest-grossing boxing gate in history. 70,482 people also attended the Allegiant Stadium, which was the largest audience at the stadium.

The success of the Crawford-Canelo fight, however, is just the beginning. White has plans to launch a “Contender Series” for boxing where undefeated prospects fight each other for the chance to secure a professional boxing contract. That has served him well in the UFC, but whether he can pull it off in boxing is another matter.

Possible Issues

Boxing is currently governed by numerous sanctioning bodies (WBC, WBO, IBF, WBA), each with its own champions and rankings, which often makes it difficult to make the biggest fights. White’s vision is to have a system with fewer weight classes and just “one belt,” with fighters earning their shot at a title by fighting their way up.

Another key aspect of White’s plan is to increase the value and exposure of the entire fight card, not just the main event. In traditional boxing, undercard fighters often receive minimal pay and little attention, fighting in relative obscurity. White has already taken a step to address this, as he offered $100,000 bonuses for “Performance of the Night” and “Fight of the Night” on the Canelo-Crawford undercard. This is a practice that has long been a staple of the UFC.

Finally, White’s partnership with Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, led by Turki Al-Sheikh, gives him the potential to stage more blockbuster events and offer unprecedented fighter purses. However, with so many competing promoters, White will have his work cut out.

White Reacts

“The Contender style, I think that I can add a lot of value to the sport and to a lot of these young up-and-comers. We did all the groundwork for this thing — television deal, arena deal, production — this is going to be the third biggest fight in history.

“And what I’m focused on is what we want to do in 2026, where we do my own thing with Turki Al-Sheikh, a Contender style series in boxing, where the top, undefeated fighters face each other, making the entire card exciting from the first fight to the last. I promise within a couple of years, you’ll have people tuning in to all the fights from start to finish consistently,” White said