Boxing
Dana White slams MGM for ‘disrespecting’ UFC over September 14 fight
Published
6 months agoon
By
J. HumzaTwo titans of the martial arts, Canelo Alvarez and Dana White, will face off on September 14 in Las Vegas in a uncommon scheduling conflict between top boxing and MMA events.
Mexico’s Alvarez, boxing’s biggest star, defends his unified super middleweight title against Edgar Berlanga at MGM’s T-Mobile Arena. Two miles away, UFC will host the first live sporting event at the revolutionary Sphere venue, UFC 306.
Sean O’Malley defends his UFC bantamweight title against Merab Dvalishvili in the main event of Riyadh Season Noche UFC as the MMA promotion plants its flag on Mexican Independence Day weekend, a established day for boxing’s biggest stars.
“Canelo is one of those guys I respect and hey, good job [PBC’s Al] Haymon,” UFC president White told ESPN on Friday. “Haymon ripped that date right off the bat. The guys at MGM have done nothing but disrespect me and the UFC for 20 years. That’s it. Here we go.”
UFC has held four pay-per-view events at T-Mobile Arena in the past two years. And MGM controlled all the live sporting event venues on the Strip until Madison Square Garden opened the Sphere in September.
That paved the way for White and the UFC to hold the major event on September 14, even after PBC and Canelo booked the date with MGM Resorts International. White beat Canelo to it last year and held the first iteration of Noche UFC (a Fight Night event at T-Mobile Arena) after the MMA promotion booked the date.
Instead, Alvarez fought two weeks later at the T-Mobile Arena and secured a victory over Jermel Charlo.
“PBC is excited to continue the 20-plus year tradition of bringing boxing to Las Vegas on Mexican Independence Day weekend with our friends and partners, MGM Resorts and T-Mobile Arena,” a PBC spokesperson told ESPN on Friday.
“This year it’s even more special as Canelo Alvarez, the biggest star in boxing, will face Edgar Berlanga on September 14th, marking the sixth time the Mexican icon will celebrate the holiday weekend in Las Vegas. We wish our friends at UFC the best of luck with their event.”
A spokesman for MGM Resorts International said he had nothing to add to PBC’s statement.
Before Alvarez took over the revered boxing date (along with Cinco de Mayo weekend), the two Mexican holidays were reserved for Floyd Mayweather (and Oscar De La Hoya before that). This year, the September weekend will be shared by Alvarez and the UFC.
This became possible when Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia, agreed to sponsor UFC 306, continuing to commercialize the season in Riyadh.
“We’ll eat him,” Alalshikh told ESPN about his event, which competed with Canelo’s.
White has repeatedly expressed how steep it is to stage an event at the Sphere, with its immersive screens and the artistic direction required to take advantage of the venue’s audio and video capabilities. The Sphere also boasts the world’s highest-resolution LED display, which wraps around, above, and above the audience.
Sponsorship money from Alalshikh and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia allowed the UFC to become the first live sporting event at the Sphere. White admitted last month at a post-UFC 303 press conference that they had already spent $17 million on the event. He claimed that the experience the UFC provides at the Sphere “will never, ever be replicated… because it costs too much money.”
“This will be an incredible tribute to the Mexican people for their incredible contribution to combat sports,” White said.
Now, however, White and the UFC will have to face the biggest sports star in Mexico, Canelo Alvarez.
Canelo is expected to outshine Berlanga, a sedate outsider, and Alalshikh hopes it will support him secure the biggest fight in boxing: Canelo vs. Terence Crawford, ESPN’s No. 2 boxer regardless of weight class.
Crawford fights Israil Madrimov on August 3 in Los Angeles, in the main event of the first Riyadh Season event outside of Saudi Arabia. If Crawford is successful and wins the title in the third weight class, Alalshikh will look to tie him with Alvarez next year.
“I will give Canelo a price that I think is fair,” Alalshikh said. “If he accepts it, he will be with me directly to complete the transaction. I don’t want anyone in the middle. I guaranteed Crawford a huge fight, I want Canelo for Crawford, and Crawford wants Canelo. But if Canelo is crazy [with his financial demands] I will continue to guarantee Crawford any fight he wants.
Alalshikh has had five boxing fights since taking over the boxing industry in October with the Tyson Fury-Francis Ngannou fight. His biggest boxing fight was the Oleksandr Usyk-Fury fight for the undisputed heavyweight championship in May.
Alalshikh and White hosted the first UFC event in Saudi Arabia in June.
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Boxing
Ryan Rozicki is waiting for Badou Jack’s consent to mandatory cooperation with the WBC
Published
3 days agoon
January 13, 2025The World Boxing Council (WBC) ordered world cruiserweight champion Badou “The Ripper” Jack (20-1-1, 19 KO) to make a mandatory title defense against Ryan “The Bruiser” Rozicki (20-1), number 1 in the WBC ranking – 1, 19 KOs).
If both camps fail to successfully negotiate an agreement, the WBC will organize a tender on February 4, followed by the Jack vs. Rozicki. Rozicki’s promoter, Three Lions Promotions, immediately sent Team Jacek an offer to promote the fight in Canada last week.
“We are waiting for their counteroffer,” explained promoter Dan Otter of Three Lions Promotions. “Boxing has had a huge resurgence in Canada and Ryan is leading the way. He is one of the most electrifying and hardest-hitting fighters in boxing, definitely in the cruiserweight division. He wants the WBC green belt and ultimately the unification of the division. Ryan will fight Jack anywhere for the belt.”
29-year-old Rozicki, born in Sydney (Nova Scotia) and living in Hamilton (Ontario), fought 22 professional fights against 21 different opponents (twice against Yamil Alberto Peralta), stopping 19 of the 20 opponents he defeated. an eye-opening 95-KO percentage.
Jack, 41, was a 2008 Olympian representing his native Sweden. He is a three-division world champion, as well as the WBC super middleweight and World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight heavyweight title holder. Jack has a record of 5-0-2 (2 KO) in world championship fights.
“We respect Jack and I don’t want to sound disrespectful,” Otter added, “but he’s over 40 years vintage and has been relatively inactive for two years (only one fight). He brings a lot of experience and respect to the ring, but he will fight a newborn defender with a lot of power. Jack is going to struggle and honestly, I don’t think he’ll make it past the first few rounds.”
Ryan Rozicki is on a mission to become the first Canadian cruiserweight world champion.
The next move is Badou Jack’s.
Boxing
Floyd Mayweather’s record is not normal, it can’t happen in 70 years
Published
4 days agoon
January 12, 2025Floyd Mayweather’s incredible 50-0 record is not normal and cannot be repeated in sports for another seventy years.
This is the view of Saudi Arabian president Turki Alalshikh, who wants to adopt the UFC model in which fighters lose many fights during their career.
In a speech as he hosted the Ring Magazine Awards after acquiring the long-running boxing publication from Oscar De La Hoya, Alalshikh was unequivocal in his opinion.
“Now losing some fights in boxing must be normal,” he explained. “All fighters want a career similar to Floyd Mayweather – no losses. This may happen once every 50, 60 or 70 years.
“We need it [to be] like currently in the UFC model, where champions lose and win,” added the matchmaker during the Riyad season.
Mayweather rose through the sport in the tardy 1990s to become one of its youngest superstars. Mayweather’s professional success came after winning a bronze medal at the Olympics after losing to Serafim Todorov.
Winning world titles in five weight classes, Mayweather was untouchable. The Grand Rapids native only came close to defeat a few times. He dominated Manny Pacquiao and overtook Canelo Alvarez and Oscar De La Hoya after heated debates, with decisions that should have been made unanimously.
Towards the end of his career, Mayweather chose to face Andre Berto and Conor McGregor, easily winning and ending his boxing career at the age of 50 without ever going out. Calling himself “the greatest of all time,” Mayweather earned first-ballot Hall of Fame honors and is widely considered one of, if not the greatest defensive fighter of all time.
However, Alalshikh says this type of career needs to end so that fans can get the most out of boxing, as is the case with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Boxing needs to become more attractive, and Alalshikh sees the failures of top stars as a way to keep interest at an all-time high.
In this sport, many boxers enjoy undefeated streaks, the most notable of which is Oleksandr Usyk. The Ukrainian Pound for Pound King is 23-0 and has beaten the best he has to offer in his division and cruiserweight classification.
It remains a mystery how Alalshikh plans to make Usyk suffer while he dominates everyone else. By the time his grand plan goes into action, Usyk will be long gone, and Gervonta Davis, Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney may be more realistic targets.
Boxing
Manny Pacquiao remains the favorite to win the title against Mario Barrios
Published
1 week agoon
January 6, 2025WBN understands that despite alternative options emerging, it is more likely that Manny Pacquiao will face Mario Barrios next.
Bob Santos, coach of WBC welterweight champion Barrios, told World Boxing News that he is currently in contact with Pacquiao’s team. Asked by WBN if he had spoken to Pacquiao or representatives of any other challenger, Santos replied: “Yes, Pacquiao’s promoter, Sean Gibbons.” Pressed on whether Barrios vs Pacquiao might happen next, he added: “It’s challenging to say. We’ll have to see how this plays out.”
WBN contacted Santos after Conor Benn emerged as a potential alternative to Barrios. The British fighter, who recently returned from a suspension following two positive drug tests, is keen to return to competition.
Benn showed favor with the World Boxing Council at the recent WBC Convention, the WBC Evaluation Committee and during an interview with the sanctioning body over the weekend. “The Destroyer” is ranked second in the rankings at 147 pounds, despite less than solid opponents during his time in exile, during which Benn competed twice in the United States while his career in the United Kingdom was in doubt.
As he battled to clear his name and with the British Anti-Doping Authority finding no evidence that Benn had intentionally taken ostarine, the 28-year-old’s career took a pointed nosedive. Despite this, he remains highly rated and at least one step away from fighting for an eliminator or one of the remaining championship titles.
However, Pacquiao remains Barrios’ favorite. Now it’s up to the boxing legend and Hall of Famer who got the first votes to secure his shot. WBN believes a July date – most likely at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas – is the most realistic date for a Nevada swan song.
Pacquiao could extend his record as the oldest welterweight champion by six years if he can secure a huge victory over the 29-year-old world champion. At 46 years antique, such a scenario remains unlikely, but he can never be compared to one of the greatest players of this generation.
Unlike heavier boxers and his training regiment, Pacquiao looks in great shape despite his advanced age. Everything is set for a massive return to the boxing capital of the world, provided Pacquiao and his team can manage his political ambitions, which are expected to run from this month until May. After that time, Pacquiao could find himself in the summer finals and become the all-time champion, regardless of the result.
Barrios is based in the city, where he trained with Santos, and would be the perfect opponent to see out the career of one of the greatest fighters in history.
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