### Dana White’s Boxing Ambitions Face Skepticism from UFC Owners

Dana White, renowned for his role in revolutionizing MMA with the UFC, has expressed a strong interest in venturing into the world of boxing. Back in September, White indicated his readiness to make a significant move into the sport, with plans to announce major developments by early 2025. His support for the undefeated Irish boxer Callum Walsh only underlines his commitment to this new pursuit. “People have been talking about the demise of boxing for 30 years, and we're still here talking about it,” White remarked at the time. “I have always had an idea of how I thought it should be done. I don't know if that's possible, but we're going to find out. I'm coming in guns blazing.”

However, the UFC's ownership at TKO Group Holdings seems to have a more cautious approach. During a recent quarterly earnings call, TKO Group Holdings President and COO Mark Shapiro addressed White's enthusiastic comments, clarifying that these do not yet represent an official strategy for the company. "First of all, some off the cuff comments from Dana White do not translate into a strategy that we're communicating to the street," Shapiro explained. “Dana says a lot of things and has a lot of passions and that's why we love him. He's also the best promoter the sport of MMA and frankly if it was boxing has or will ever see.”

Shapiro also highlighted the current state of boxing as both "confused and fragmented" at its best and "broken" at its worst. While he sees the sport as an intriguing growth opportunity, TKO is not ready to make any major financial commitments. Instead, any move into boxing would likely involve a strategic partnership rather than direct investment or acquisitions. “If we were to get involved in boxing, we would expect to do so in an organic way, not [mergers and acquisitions] way. So i.e. we're not writing a check,” Shapiro added.

It's noteworthy that White's ambitions might mirror his involvement with Power Slap, an organization supported by TKO CEO Ari Emanuel but not directly tied to TKO Group Holdings. For now, TKO remains in observation mode regarding a potential entry into the boxing sector. “Nothing to announce today but this is one area we're going to continue to explore,” Shapiro continued. “If an opportunity presents itself or we can chase one down that does not put much risk or any risk for that matter on us financially, then we're going to pursue it.”

In summary, while Dana White is eager to jump into boxing with full force, TKO Group Holdings prefers a more measured approach. They acknowledge the potential within the sport but insist on finding a risk-averse method to enter the boxing arena. As it stands, any formal ventures into boxing by TKO will be cautiously developed, with future strategies still in the ideation stage.