Dana White updates on boxing venture: ‘we will absolutely, positively be in the boxing business’

UFC President Dana White has previously hinted that he hopes to get into the boxing business. That being said, we’ve yet to see the UFC boss make any meaningful progress on this longstanding mission.

Speaking to ESPN this week, White updated on these ‘Zuffa Boxing’ plans. Apparently, the wheels are still in motion.

“I had a meeting in LA yesterday. We are continuing to move forward, and we will absolutely, positively be in the boxing business,” Dana White said (transcript via BloodyElbow).

When pushed for a timeframe for the creation of Zuffa Boxing, however, White couldn’t get specific.

“Soon,” Dana White said. “I just bought the building next door [to UFC headquarters in Las Vegas]. We’re building a $12 million facility. We’ll basically have our own arena. We’ll be able to put fights right here next door and air them live anywhere in the world. I can do MMA fights, I can do boxing, I can do kickboxing, I can do jiu-jitsu, I can do all kinds of different fights and tournaments. We’re going to do a lot of things.”

White also assured that, when Zuffa Boxing does eventually get off the ground, it will be buoyed by many of the world’s top boxers. All of them, as a matter of fact.

“If you know how I run my business and what I like, yes I want all the best boxers in the world,” he explained. “I want them all to fight each other and find out who the real champ is. That’s what we’re going to do.”

Given that many of the world’s top boxers are tied up with different promotions and broadcasters, that’s going to be a lot easier said than done. That being said, Dana White could be the man for the job. The UFC President is widely credited with MMA’s evolution from gory fringe-sport to mainstream attraction, so maybe he can do the seemingly impossible and unite the world’s best boxers too.

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 10/26/2018.