News Saudi Boxing League, Run By TKO

[Mr.Maelstrom]

TKO has the inside track with ESPN … DAZN is not involved in this … at the moment .

Appreciate all your updates btw.

If ever there was a time when this type of massive revamp could be pulled off, it's probably now.

 

[Dr Fong]

The initial setup of this league poses absolutely no threat to established boxing promoters or boxers.

The threat comes from the language used by TKO and the Saudis which clearly indicates they ultimately have a much bigger goal in mind, which is the UFC-ification of boxing.

Boxing promoters would do well not to get sucked into complacency and should fight it at every turn.

 

[burningspear]

White's expertise, strangling competition and shafting fighters, awesome.

 

[burningspear]

 

[Hagler]

The one thing I used to enjoy about MMA was that it was keeping Dana White away from boxing.

 

[defjaam]

I don't get what Al Turki needs him for. Dana is a glorified high school goon type of guy with zero competence in the sport of boxing.
Publicly tearing down boxers and destroying careers is what he can do at best.

Apparently there are people who think he's a genius.

 

[wwkirk]

I don't get what Al Turki needs him for. Dana is a glorified high school goon type of guy with zero competence in the sport of boxing.
Publicly tearing down boxers and destroying careers is what he can do at best.

Apparently there are people who think he's a genius.

Thinking about it, here's what it could be.
(a) Turki has a relationship, a good one at that, with Dana. Business, politics, and tons of other stuff are often founded on that basis. Case in point, Dana and the Fertitas.
(b) Dana White, in terms of image and name recognition seems to be the biggest personality in combat sports, rivaling even many popular fighters. (I'm just guessing; I didn't look it up.)
(c) Turki apparently aims at revolutionizing at least part of the boxing industry, so in that respect an outsider like Dana is not a bad choice.

 

[defjaam]

Thinking about it, here's what it could be.
(a) Turki has a relationship, a good one at that, with Dana. Business, politics, and tons of other stuff are often founded on that basis. Case in point, Dana and the Fertitas.
(b) Dana White, in terms of image and name recognition seems to be the biggest personality in combat sports, rivaling even many popular fighters. (I'm just guessing; I didn't look it up.)
(c) Turki apparently aims at revolutionizing at least part of the boxing industry, so in that respect an outsider like Dana is not a bad choice.

(d) Dana talked Al Turki into it with his typical car salesman style.

It'll be interesting though to see if Hearn, Warren and the other promoters will get along with him.

 

[treelo]

they are going to try and snap up young talent, but the prospect of fighting for an org that is ran like the UFC is not going to cut it

White is talking about boxing like someone has a loss should just fight again against another great fighter, boxing is a lot more nuanced than MMA, there is less of a random element to things, generally fighters lose to other fighters because they werent good enough, not because of some magical hail mary punch or sub

 

[biomed190]

I don't see how this is going to work for the TKO unless they change their pay structure. Boxing isn't like MMA where there is a monopoly. They will have to compete against other promoters that will offer more than they are accustomed to paying. It might work if they go after mid-tier fighters that don't make that much. Just put the UFC logo on it and people will probably watch.

 

[David Street]

(d) Dana talked Al Turki into it with his typical car salesman style.

It'll be interesting though to see if Hearn, Warren and the other promoters will get along with him.

Dana has great relationship with the Brits Warren & Hearn. It's the US ones he has bad relationships with Bob Arum & Oscar De La Hoya.

Bob is looking to lose ESPN and fade from boxing what is he 92? and his son just came out admitting he had dealing with that drug lord so probably be banned from boxing, that would make Top Rank pretty well gone. Oscar trying to make peace with Dana and looks like Oscar has called for Joe Rogan to help create peace.

So this will start with younger boxers so Hearn, Bob, Oscar, Warren will not be bothered except for the 4 super fights per year where Dana will need to work with these guys.

 

[pugilistico]

The way the UFC can pay their fighters shit is by establishing a monopoly where the sport is synonymous with their brand. I can't imagine people saying, "I train TKO bro." They know it's boxing. If TKO can't do that and offer a product that is so much superior that people don't feel the need to watch other promotion's events, they can't establish a monopoly.
The only way they can do that is to pay their fighters better than anyone else.

But I could foresee a future where overtime they buy up all the fighters but slowly reduce pay once their competition has dried up. If that could happen.

 

[MMALOPEZ]

 

[MMALOPEZ]

 

[Dr Fong]

The way the UFC can pay their fighters shit is by establishing a monopoly where the sport is synonymous with their brand. I can't imagine people saying, "I train TKO bro." They know it's boxing. If TKO can't do that and offer a product that is so much superior that people don't feel the need to watch other promotion's events, they can't establish a monopoly.
The only way they can do that is to pay their fighters better than anyone else.

But I could foresee a future where overtime they buy up all the fighters but slowly reduce pay once their competition has dried up. If that could happen.

Yes, they will have to throw money around at first. That's what the Saudis are for.

Remember that this company also evolved from WWE and that's the model this attempt at monopoly will take, not U Fight Cheap's which came with a built-in brand monopoly since the beginning.

WWWF/WWF/WWE had a completely different experience. It was not synonymous with pro wrestling for a long time - it had to slowly eat its competition. And also had to throw money around during the Monday Night Wars vs WCW and nearly went out of business.

 

[MMALOPEZ]

 

[David R]

@David Street

Looking at the regulating sanctioning bodies WBA now uses FightFax for their top fighters list looks like Turki has control, WBC still uses BoxRec for rankings but their leader is involved in this with Dana as Mauricio Sulaimanov has been named as a sponsor. Ring Magaizine used to be a sanctioning body but Oscar bought it and it stopped being but it is back as one with Turki running it. That just leaves IBF and WBO who are US & Puerto Rico based meaning they under the sway of Trump administration.

 

[Darkavius]

The way the UFC can pay their fighters shit is by establishing a monopoly where the sport is synonymous with their brand. I can't imagine people saying, "I train TKO bro." They know it's boxing. If TKO can't do that and offer a product that is so much superior that people don't feel the need to watch other promotion's events, they can't establish a monopoly.
The only way they can do that is to pay their fighters better than anyone else.

But I could foresee a future where overtime they buy up all the fighters but slowly reduce pay once their competition has dried up. If that could happen.

The last sentence is the key and with guys like Canelo being okay with the new deal does not help. I don't see anything major in the short term but to your point the younger talent is what they are going after anyway. They have longer careers and will fight for less money. We don't know what is happening behind the scenes but the most notable boxing talent should be rallying against this but they probably will not. They will likely be just like Canelo and have the thinking of "I got mine. Sorry you can't get yours." Showing a complete lack of empathy for the generation behind him.

 

[MMALOPEZ]

 

[CobraCmndr6193]

As of now, TKO isn't allowed to control the belts unless the Ali Act goes away. That's the real fight and story here.