By: Sean Crose
A very long time in the past, in what might as properly have been a galaxy far, far-off, I shared a number of transient phrases with UFC honcho Dana White on social media. It was throughout the leadup to the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao superfight. Maybe stung by the very fact boxing, moderately than MMA, was at the moment the middle of the fight sport world, White made it clear that UFC fighters may basically mow down each Mayweather and Pacquiao. I responded by stating George Foreman would have crumpled Muhammad Ali in a parking zone, however since their battle was held in a boxing ring, Ali put Foreman on the mat. The purpose? That boxing abides by its personal bizarre algorithm and just about has since across the early Nineties…and that within the boxing ring even the hardest of robust guys might be changed into a punching bag.
White basically responded by stating he was merely making a degree, and that was that. So far as I can recall I haven’t shared one other phrase with the person – although my slight expertise with the UFC has been constructive and spectacular. The reality, as those that have adopted White’s distinctive profession know, is that White has lengthy coveted the thought of stepping into the boxing enterprise as a critical participant. Certain sufficient, White even ran a boxing membership in Boston in his youthful days earlier than gangster Whitey Bulger ran him out of the enterprise. The scary expertise despatched White fleeing to to Vegas – and the remaining is historical past. The person grew to become a part of the world of blended martial arts, then grew to become not solely the UFC’s head honcho, however the very face of the group.
In the present day, in fact, White has moved on to being one of the well-known figures within the sporting world and past. Not solely does the UFC promote out arenas – it additionally recurrently hosts President Donald Trump at its occasions. Nonetheless, White has additionally remained targeted on boxing the whole time. Maybe his present stage of large success isn’t sufficient. Maybe he nonetheless needs to show he could make it in boxing with out having to buckle to the Whitey Bulgers of the world so as to take action. Or maybe he simply loves boxing. Even though boxing and the UFC have been in direct competitors for some time now, White has lengthy made his love of the candy science identified. For no matter motive, the face of the UFC has lengthy dreamed of constructing it within the boxing recreation.
And now that dream has come true. With the announcement Tuesday of this September’s Canelo Alvarez-Terence Crawford superfight, the world has discovered that White will probably be a promoter for the Netflix broadcast extravaganza. Canelo-Crawford isn’t Floyd Mayweather’s a lot hyped novelty throwdown with Conor McGregor. This can be a respectable contest between two of the highest fighters within the present boxing recreation. What sort of influence White could have on the boxing trade stays to be seen. Those that view the present state of issues objectively, nonetheless, must admit the person is off to a robust begin.
