Connect with us

Boxing

Zuffa Boxing plans up to 16 events in 2026 with global expansion

Published

2 months ago

on

Zuffa Boxing is planning 12 to 16 events in 2026, including international fight cards and up to four marquee superfights per year, according to TKO Group Holdings CEO Mark Shapiro during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings announcement on Tuesday.

The promotion, which launched in January 2026 as a joint venture between TKO and Saudi Arabia’s Sela, has already secured a media rights deal with Paramount+ covering the United States, Canada and Latin America, with additional territories currently in negotiations.

“We are encouraged by our initial progress in 2025 in signing a media rights deal with Paramount Plus in the United States, Canada and Latin America,” Shapiro said. “We are signing a robust portfolio of boxers to our roster and are already planning a 2026 fight card calendar that will take us outside the United States.”

He added: “All I can say is: be careful. Our goal is to build this into a behemoth.”

Super Fights and the Sela Partnership

In addition to Zuffa Boxing’s regular calendar of events, Shapiro said the organization will host two to four superfights per year in partnership with Sela. The first confirmed event under this structure will be Tyson Fury vs. Arslanbek Makhmudov, which will take place on April 11 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, with Zuffa Boxing and Sela listed as co-hosts, and will be broadcast on Netflix.

Shapiro also addressed the Conor Benn transfer that made headlines this month, explaining that it is a one-fight deal financed by Sela – not directly by Zuffa Boxing – under the same structure as last year’s Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford event. He dismissed criticism from Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn, claiming he was “stirring the pot in a fictional way” and said the story “took on a life of its own”.

“It’s only one fight!” Shapiro said.

The superfight model is designed to build competition and showcase Zuffa Boxing fighters against the backdrop of larger events, expanding the profile of the promotion’s lineup while Sela absorbs the costs of the main fights.

How the venture works

Shapiro presented the financial structure of the joint venture in exceptional detail. Sela finances all operations, while TKO has no obligation to finance. TKO charges an annual management fee of $10 million to run the promotion, as well as an additional $10 million service fee for each superfight event and commissions from media rights deals negotiated on behalf of the venture.

TKO acquired a 25% stake in Zuffa Boxing in 2025 and expects to achieve a roughly 50/50 ownership stake in the company within a few years, hitting performance milestones that Shapiro says are already within reach.

“The way we have structured the joint venture with our partners in Saudi Arabia, specifically Sela, is that they are financing it,” Shapiro said. “We have no obligation to finance. We intend to build goodwill.”

Zuffa Boxing is treated as an equity method investment in TKO’s financial statements, which means its revenues and losses are not consolidated in TKO’s main figures. This project is included in the “Corporations and other” segment of TKO, next to PBR and general administrative expenses.

The bigger picture

TKO reported full-year 2025 revenues of $4.735 billion across its portfolio, which includes UFC, WWE, PBR and IMG. Business 2026 guidance projects revenues of $5.675 billion to $5.775 billiondriven primarily by fresh media rights deals for the UFC and WWE with Paramount and Disney.

Shapiro positioned Zuffa Boxing as an additional growth channel with the same revenue streams that TKO has built around its other properties – media rights, consumer licensing, ticket sales, site fees and global partnerships. Integration with UFC, WWE and PBR also gives TKO an advantage in negotiations with broadcast and streaming partners.

For a promotion that’s only been around for a month, the infrastructure is growing rapidly. The deal with Paramount+ has been struck, international territories are on the cards, the London superfight is booked for April and the 2026 calendar is full. Whether Zuffa Boxing can produce results on the scale described by Shapiro will depend on how quickly it can build a roster deep enough to accommodate more than a dozen fighters a year – but TKO has made clear that it intends to treat boxing with the same operational machinery it has built around mixed martial arts.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Boxing

Adam Smith reveals Ben Whittaker’s summer fight plan

Published

48 minutes ago

on

April 24, 2026

By

Image: Adam Smith reveals Ben Whittaker summer fight plan

Ben Whittaker’s next few months are already taking shape following his quick knockout victory in Liverpool, and Adam Smith outlines a busy summer schedule that should finally see the delicate heavyweight fighter face stronger tests

Smith said Whittaker is expected to return to the United States in overdue June on the Jaron “Boots” Ennis card, then return to the UK in the summer for a major date in his hometown of Birmingham.


Whittaker stopped Brian Suarez in two rounds last weekend and performed brilliantly throughout, adding another early finish to the stretch that helped rebuild attention around him after his first fight with Liam Cameron ended in a draw.

Smith said the June outing would support expose Whittaker to a wider audience ahead of a bigger national night later in the year.

“He will fight at the end of June in America at the Boots Ennis gala. That’s good. Show him to a global audience. Then he will come back here in overdue summer, maybe early September and fight in Birmingham in a huge fight,” Adam Smith said in an interview with Sport Boxing.

Smith also named British opponents who could be next, naming Lyndon Arthur, Brad Rea and Craig Richards as possible options once Whittaker returns home.

Smith believes that in the long term, bigger domestic fights with Joshua Buatsi and Anthony Yard should come within the next year if Whittaker continues to win.

“Buatsis and Yards need to be delivered within the next 6-12 months.”

Whittaker has had a lot of notoriety since turning pro, but the activity and matchmaking are looking more grave now. The next two fights should tell more than the first ten.

Click here to sign up for our FREE newsletter

Related boxing news:

Categories Latest

Last updated: 24/04/2026 at 17:38

Continue Reading

Boxing

Oscar De La Hoya admits that he would consider returning on one condition

Published

3 hours ago

on

April 24, 2026

By

Oscar De La Hoya admits he would consider comeback under one condition

Six-division world champion and Golden Boy promoter Oscar De La Hoya hasn’t fought since 2008, but revealed he would be willing to return for one fighter.

De La Hoya is a newfangled pound-for-pound legend, being one of only two six-division champions in the history of the sport – joined by Filipino fan favorite Manny Pacquiao, who has reached eighth in this ultra-elite club.

While De La Hoya has moved on to promote the sport, “Pac Man” recently returned to the pro ranks, challenging Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight world title last July in an attempt to break his own record as boxing’s oldest 147-pound ruler.

Pacquiao could only get a draw in that fight, but now he’s ready for an even bigger fight – at least financially – after signing a contract for a rematch with Floyd Mayweather, who defeated him in 2015 in the “Fight of the Century.”

Time will tell whether this fight will have an impact on Mayweather’s renowned 50-0 record or not. “TBE” apparently wants to change his contract to an exhibition fight despite signing a contract for sanctioned competition.

If that fight takes place in September, Mayweather will come out on top again, De La Hoya said Fighting the noise that he would also be willing to have a rematch with Mayweather.

“I am a fighter. I will always be a fighter. If Mayweather beats Pacquiao, Floyd, you owe me a rematch! Let’s go!”

Mayweather defeated De La Hoya by split decision to win the WBC super lightweight title in 2007, and De La Hoya still maintains he deserved to win the fight.

Continue Reading

Boxing

The Day Wilder vs. Joshua fight died after eight years of failure

Published

4 hours ago

on

April 24, 2026

By

Wilder vs Joshua WBN

Today is April 24, 2026, and after eight arduous years of trying, the Deontay Wilder vs. Anthony Joshua fight is off the table for good, ending one of boxing’s longest-running failed negotiations.

The last window closes

Both sides had one good opportunity to get the job done and promoter Eddie Hearn now closed it down tough. The Matchroom boss has outlined the level of opponent Joshua’s next fight will be aimed at, and it won’t be thrilling for those still hoping for Wilder.

Hearn initially branded Wilder a ‘warm-up’ for Joshua after the ‘Bronze Bomber’ sent Derek Chisora ​​to the points. However, less than a few weeks later, that position appears to have evaporated.

Instead, Joshua will now likely face lower-level opponents outside the top 15 to shake off the ring rust. It is unclear whether these instructions are coming directly from Saudi Arabia or not, but the former two-time heavyweight champion is not expected to enter a potential fight with Tyson Fury this fall after beating the YouTuber over the course of five one-sided rounds.

The Path of Fury takes priority

Joshua, who recorded wins over the likes of Otto Wallin and Jermaine Franklin before suffering a devastating stoppage defeat to Daniel Dubois, is currently in advanced talks with Fury following his performance on Saturday after “The Gypsy King” defeated Arslanbek Makhmudov.

Once negotiations are finalized and the fight is secured, British fans can look forward to the most crucial heavyweight battle in the British Isles since Frank Bruno vs. Lennox Lewis.

To achieve that, Joshua needs to fight a transition fight, and that means he won’t take any chances against Wilder, despite the American’s dwindling strength.

Wilder will now be forced to leave, and given his current form, he may struggle to maintain his current position until any Fury series ends.

Joshua vs. Fury could stretch into two or even three fights, while Wilder will turn 41 in October, which puts him firmly on the wrong side of the age divide.

Heavenly sports

How it all started

The attention for the former WBC ruler could instead turn to Andy Ruiz Jr., who – as WBN reported exclusively in 2020 – was once lined up for a massive pay-per-view clash with Wilder after the Fury trilogy.

It never materialized, but it remains one of the few remaining realistic options that still holds real intrigue.

The plan began with Shelly Finkel’s phone call to WBN in June 2018. It will end in a whimper as Joshua and Hearn choose their next move ahead of the Fury fight.

How it ended

Eight years later, it has only come close to reaching significance once, in 2023, and even then the Day of Reckoning plan fell through.

About the author

Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.

Continue Reading
Advertisement

OUR NEWSLETTER

Subscribe Us To Receive Our Latest News Directly In Your Inbox!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Trending