Zuffa Boxing to Sky Sports Deal Done

[Glass Joe]

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‘Beware, make sure you read the fine print’: Oscar De La Hoya warns boxers about signing with Zuffa

Oscar De La Hoya believes the Saudi money will dry up in boxing before you know it.



Golden Boy promoter Oscar De La Hoya takes aim at Zuffa Boxing and its Saudi financiers once again, noting their plans to withdraw funding into LIV golf as an early warning sign of what’s to come in the boxing business. In that respect, De La Hoya says it’s just a matter of time before the golden faucet gets turned off and fighters don’t want to be stuck in a Zuffa contract when it eventually does.

“Speaking of bleeding cash, I estimate the Saudis have spent at least a billion dollars since entering the boxing space, two years ago,” De La Hoya said. “I mean, how? They paid $100M for Canelo alone and just paid Conor f—kin’ Benn $15M. They also paid a lot of f—king money to buy The Ring Magazine which is a dead asset! Plus, all the other events they put on, and they’re fully funding the failed science experiment known as Zuffa Boxing. Actually, it could be way more than a billion bucks.

“And where are they recouping that investing? On ticket sales and PPVs? They don’t even sell tickets at the events in Saudi, and the PPVs are a tiny fraction of income. Again, the Saudis are fully funding Zuffa. So fighters beware and make sure you read the fine print because you may need to get out of your Zuffa contract in a few months. There might not be any money left.”

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[margaret thatcher]

i never get instagram, how does totally inactive brandun lee (legit talent btw to be fair), who was just mostly smaller shows even when he was televised and active, have like 200k followers? even on boxing forums you'll hardly see his name mentioned. seems like totally rando people have so many people following them. do they buy followers or something.

but this could be good news for his stagnated career, he's defo a fun one to watch

[Ruthless-RKO]

i never get instagram, how does totally inactive brandun lee (legit talent btw to be fair), who was just mostly smaller shows even when he was televised and active, have like 200k followers? even on boxing forums you'll hardly see his name mentioned. seems like totally rando people have so many people following them. do they buy followers or something.

but this could be good news for his stagnated career, he's defo a fun one to watch

You can buy followers yes. But don’t see the point in it.

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Derevyanchenko

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‘Boxing has become a European sport’: Dana White wants Zuffa to have foothold in the UK

Dana White shares his thoughts on the upcoming plans for Zuffa Boxing.

White on Zuffa Boxing heading to the UK
“We have an incredible Sky deal so we’re going to do a lot of fights in the UK. Realistically, over the last 15-20 years, boxing has become a European sport. It definitely doesn’t have the same power it had in the United States in the 90s and early 2000s.”

On rumors of Shakur Stevenson signing with Zuffa
“Did we announce that Shakur Stevenson…? No? [Smirks]. Possibly. Listen, at the end of the day I think everybody’s going to be here at Zuffa Boxing…I said judge us by our body of work heading into ‘27 so, yeah. I don’t know why I would say things that weren’t true. I mean, look at what we’ve done in just four months.”

On Roy Jones Jr criticizing their attempts to undermine the Ali Act and saying you have to suck up to get fights at Zuffa
“I think everybody’s going to have opinions, especially the traditional guys who came up the way that they did…I think if you were to ask any of the fighters, they would tell you that we treat them very well, treat them like professional athletes…I don’t know where that’s coming from but I do like Roy.

“When you come into a business and cause disruption, you’re going to ruffle some feathers. It’s going to happen.”

[forcefraser]

Zuffa have been a massive disappointment.

Turks will get sick of this pish soon. He wants the big fights and bright lights

Back with Brick Top, Fast Car and Grinning Hoya again soon

[Ruthless-RKO]

Zuffa have been a massive disappointment.

Turks will get sick of this pish soon. He wants the big fights and bright lights

Back with Brick Top, Fast Car and Grinning Hoya again soon

It’s only been 3 months.. they’re still signing boxers lol

[Perkin Warbeck]

I'd like to see Zuffa sign more heavyweights, and keep them fighting regularly.

Boxers like Brandon Moore, Viktor Vykhryst, Oleksandr Hrytsiv, Pryce Taylor, Oleksandr Zakhozhyi, Lenier Paro, Apti Davtaev, Vartan Arutyunyan, Andrii Novytskyi, and Artem Suslenkov.

Many boxing fans tend to pay more attention to heavyweights.

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Zuffa Boxing fighters free to reach for ‘The Ring’

While there has been some hung-up thinking that fighters belonging to the new Zuffa Boxing promotion are bound strictly to bouts staged by the Las Vegas-based organization, the truth is beginning to reveal itself.

Zuffa-linked fighters are free to fight for cards sponsored by Saudi Arabia boxing financier Turki Alalshikh’s The Ring, such as the one coming May 23 at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.

Respected trainer Brian “BoMac” McIntyre will corner Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight Jamar Talley, 6-0 (5 KOs), versus Egypt’s Basem Mamdouh on the undercard of the DAZN-streamed card topped by three-belt heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk’s defense against kickboxer Rico Verhoeven.

“They’ve already got a big push behind him,” McIntyre said of Zuffa placing Talley, 26, prominently on its Paramount+ card. “By letting him fight on these big ‘Ring’ cards, too, he’s going to look good and be seen… I think we’re going to mop this guy out.”

Talley debuted on Zuffa’s February 1 card, knocking out Devonte Williams in the second round.

Zuffa Boxing previously placed its unbeaten welterweight Conor Benn and Houston’s promising super-lightweight Breyon Gorham, 22-0 (17 KOs), on the April 11 The Ring card at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Netflix.

Benn defeated former 140lbs champion Regis Prograis and Gorham scored a fifth-round TKO.

As the Zuffa Boxing cards grow out of the Meta Apex in Las Vegas to destinations including London and The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, the promotion directed by Nick Khan and UFC CEO/President Dana White will offer its own title fights.

Its roster is actively and rapidly expanding with more high-profile signees, including recent champions and title contenders Jai Opetaia, Richardson Hitchins and Edgar Berlanga.

And while White has said he prefers to not work with other promoters and sanctioning bodies as Zuffa has lobbied for what it describes as an enhanced Ali Act allowing it to rank its own fighters, Alalshikh is invested in both Zuffa Boxing – reportedly as a 60% investor – while Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund owns a reported 10 per cent portion of DAZN.

Alalshikh fully owns The Ring Magazine.

The Ring has long awarded its own belt to the respective division’s lineal champion.

So there is real financial incentive to pursue bouts such as Benn versus Golden Boy Promotions’ WBC welterweight champion Ryan Garcia and former IBF champion Opetaia versus Premier Boxing Champions’ newly unified cruiserweight champion David Benavidez on “The Ring” cards.

It’s why Zuffa Boxing has been so strongly linked to recruiting champions like unbeaten four-division champion Shakur Stevenson and three-division welterweight champion Devin Haney – fighters who’ll secure major multi-fight contracts expecting to meet the best talent available.

And as the early bout placement proves, it’s not only about keeping the fighters restrained to the confines of Zuffa Boxing, but presenting opportunities worldwide to see who truly is the best in The Ring.

[forcefraser]

Zuffa have been a massive disappointment.

Turks will get sick of this pish soon. He wants the big fights and bright lights

Back with Brick Top, Fast Car and Grinning Hoya again soon

It’s only been 3 months.. they’re still signing boxers lol

Who have they signed of any real value? Benevidez called it "I aint fighting for no zuffa belt"

[Ruthless-RKO]

Zuffa Boxing name three latest signings, all from Britain

Sam Hickey, Leon Hughes, and Max MacMillan, all from Britain, are the lastest Zuffa Boxing signings. They will all next fight on the Chris Billam-Smith-Ryan Rozicki card in Bournemouth, England, on June 6.

Hickey will face an opponent to be named in an eight-rounder, MacMillan will step up against the durable Tyler Rivers, 6-3, in a six-rounder. Hughes, over the same distance, collides with Bulgaria’s Mario Vergiev, 8-4 (5 KOs).

Hickey, 4-0 (1 KO) was a decorated Scottish amateur. He won five national titles and captured gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games while earning Best Male Boxer honors. He turned pro under the guidance of Team GB Performance Director Rob McCracken, the former coach of Anthony Joshua and Carl Froch. Hughes, 4-0 (3 KOs), trains out of the Jennings Boxing Gym in Chorley, England, and turned pro in March 2025 after an amateur run that included multiple regional titles and a silver medal at the 2024 England Boxing National Championships.

Hailing from Morecambe, England, MacMillan, 3-0 (2 KOs), trains under Shane McGuigan at the McGuigan Gym in East London. He is stablemates with Billam-Smith and Cutler and has sparred with the likes of Chris Eubank Jnr.

Zuffa Boxing 07 will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland and will stream exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. and Canada.

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Eddie Hearn says Shakur Stevenson bound for Zuffa Boxing

Shakur Stevenson’s former promoter Eddie Hearn told reporters Monday the unbeaten four-division champion is headed to Zuffa Boxing.

While the union is not official, two individuals familiar with the talks indicated it’s on course with an announcement imminent.

Stevenson, a 2016 U.S. Olympic silver medalist from Newark, New Jersey, gives Zuffa Boxing its most decorated champion yet, a 28-year-old left-hander who’s won world titles from featherweight to super-lightweight.

In January, he convincingly out-pointed former two-division champion Teofimo Lopez at Madison Square Garden to improve to 25-0 with 11 knockouts.

Recently, Stevenson was jawing with WBC super-featherweight champion O’Shaquie Foster following Foster’s successful title defense versus Stevenson friend Raymond Ford Saturday night in Houston.

Stevenson has also been linked to welterweight fights against champions Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia.

Zuffa Boxing’s Dana White hinted at the most recent Zuffa Boxing event that signing Stevenson and Haney was possible.

“I just don’t know who they’re going to put him in with,” Hearn said on FightHubTV while appearing at his fighter Anthony Joshua’s news conference. “Zuffa are paying these guys five times more than anybody else is paying. Are you going to put Shakur in against O’Shaquie Foster and give him $15 million? Good luck to Shakur, but it’s a weird model, and it’s a model that’s not going to last very long.”

Similar sentiments were connected to Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing when it started its reach into the U.S. market with DAZN in late 2017, and earlier with Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions when it formed.

Zuffa has a lucrative streaming deal with Paramount+ and is connected to the powerful parent company TKO Group Holdings that includes White’s UFC and WWE, headed by Zuffa Boxing’s Nick Khan.

The promotion has its own cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia, recent IBF 140lbs champion Richardson Hitchins, WBC top-ranked welterweight Conor Benn and former super-middleweight title contender Edgar Berlanga in its stable while backed by Saudi Arabia financier Turki Alalshikh.

Representatives of Stevenson and Zuffa Boxing either failed to immediately return calls or declined comment on Hearn’s statement.

[golden_labrador]

they'll join Zufa for as long as the big oil money keeps dripping down. pro boxers want as much money as possible and probably to box as little as possible for £££. who here likes getting concussed? I understand it, but it's also annoying as a boxing fan. few sports that deplete you permanently as boxing does.

hopefully Zufa get Haney/Tank/whoever to feed to Shakur while the money is there

[Frostieballs]

It's going to be LIV Boxing.

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