UFC owner Ari Emanuel announces TKO Group’s entry into boxing market

Ari Emanuel CEO of Endeavor and TKO, the owner of the UFC, announced his entry into the boxing market.

In recent years, Dana White has repeatedly mentioned that he would like to prove himself as a promoter of boxing galas and bring this market back to glory. What the American has failed to do so far is realize Turki Alalshikh, who organizes capably attended boxing galas in Riyadh. At the beginning of the year there were rumors of a possible cooperation between the two men and the creation of a new league.

In November, Mark Shapiro, chief operating officer of TKO Group, the parent company of the UFC organization, said.

– However, if we ever enter the boxing world we intend to do it organically, we will not buy any federations or merge with other companies. Simply put, we don’t intend to write a check. If we ever move forward with boxing promotion it will only be when the right partner comes along to sponsor it all and pay us for the work.

It looks like things are moving in the right direction and they have managed to attract an investor willing to cooperate in this area. Ari Emanuel, owner of the UFC organization and director and chairman of the TKO Group, was a guest on The Pat McAfee Show where he admitted that the company has already begun a study of the boxing market and the process of acquiring information.

– We started talking more often about boxing. We are starting to look at it more strongly and take an interest in it all. I think Ali’s act has hurt the sport. I hope there will be a change in this issue. There are many trees that need to be cut down. Dana White has a plan regarding boxing. We’ll see what comes out of it.

The boxing reform named after Muhammad Ali, known as the Ali Act for short, was introduced in 2000 by the US Congress. One of the main points of this law is a ban on the organization of sports leagues and the signing of long-term contracts by promoters. This means that it is currently impossible to establish a boxing organization similar to the UFC, PFL or GFL.

Perhaps the situation will change thanks to Dana White’ s familiarity with President Donald Trump. The UFC president last year assured that 2025 would be a landmark year as far as the U.S. team’s entry into the world of boxing with a bump is concerned.

– In the last thirty years, people keep talking about the decline of boxing. Well, that’s what we are still talking about boxing. I’ve always had an idea in my head of what it should all look like. I don’t know if it is feasible, but we are going to test it. I’m going to enter the sport full force.