On March 5, news broke that Turki Alalshikh, UFC president Dana White, and TKO Group Holdings (which is the parent company of the UFC and WWE) agreed to terms on a multi-year partnership to begin a new boxing promotion.
In a statement in the wake of this massive announcement, Dana White is quoted saying of his plans for this new boxing league:
“Everybody knows the format. The best fight the best. You work your way up the rankings and once somebody breaks into the top five, there’s no question who the top five guys are in each weight class and they fight it out. And once somebody holds that belt, you don’t need three letters in front of the belt. Whoever has the belt is the best in the world in that weight class. It’s a very simple model.”
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When it comes to the best fighting the best this year, the expected superfight between Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Terence Crawford (which Crawford asserted he’s waiting for in September) is the first bout that comes to mind. And during a March 5 episode of The Ariel Helwani Show, boxing insider Ariel Helwani conveyed not only that the Canelo vs. Crawford fight could be attached to this new fight league, but it could also be broadcast on a massive platform.
“Remember what [TKO Group Holdings COO Mark Shapiro] said on that call last week: In addition to… that league, as they’re calling it, we’re also going to be doing superfights. Two this year, two next year. Massive fights,” Helwani said.
“Don’t be surprised if the first one is Canelo Alvarez vs. Crawford. And don’t be surprised if that first one is on a platform like Netflix,” he continued.
Don't be surprised if the first super fight under TKO is Canelo x Crawford, and don't be surprised if that is on a platform like Netflix. Don't be surprised that this new league comes in and replaces Top Rank on ESPN. pic.twitter.com/SBuWRD83hZ
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) March 5, 2025
Helwani has a track record of only making these sorts of statements publicly if he knows something others do not.
Given that Helwani reported how Canelo didn’t want his now-failed fight agreement with Jake Paul to be broadcast on Netflix, it’s fascinating to hear that this new TKO boxing league could potentially make that happen with his Crawford fight.
