John Rivera, Getty ImagesZuffa Boxing is officially set to enter the ring.
The Dana White-led boxing venture will host its first branded event on January 23, as confirmed by TKO Group Holdings – Zuffa’s parent company - during an investor's quarterly conference call Tuesday. It will also mark the launch of boxing on Paramount+, on the eve of UFC’s maiden voyage with the streaming platform.
“We are planning to launch our first boxing show on January 23, which is the night before our first UFC show on P-Sky (Paramount Skydance),” TKO president Mark Shapiro confirmed on Tuesday. “Back-to-back nights. A big weekend for TKO, to say the least.”
No further details – such as the main event, any fighters involved in the debut show, or even the location - were provided as this goes to publication. Messages left with Zuffa and TKO officials were not immediately returned.
That said, UFC 324 is scheduled to take place on January 24 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It would stand to reason that Zuffa’s event the night before would also take place in the same city, likely at its intimate Apex venue which regularly hosts smaller scale UFC events and pre-fight weigh-ins.
News of the series launch comes one week after the U.S. Congress held a meeting to introduce bill H.R. 4624 - the proposed Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act (MAABRA), which TKO seeks to have passed as an amendment to the current Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act.
The proposed bill in current form was introduced through bipartisanship support from Rep. Brian Jack (Georgia) and Rep. Sharice Davids (Kansas; also a former MMA fighter). To date, there are 12 confirmed co-sponsors – from both sides of the aisle – and several more prepared to join the movement, given the tenor of the December 4 hearing in Washington D.C.
Should the proposal gain full approval, promoters – such as Zuffa Boxing – would then have the power to operate as a Unified Boxing Organization (UBO). It would not have to comply with the Ali Act, provided that it carries the stipulations outlined in the amendment, such as national minimums for fighter per-round pay, health insurance coverage as well honor anti-doping and anti-betting policies.
To date, the bill is still in the discussion phase with the Education and Workforce Committee. It has yet to gain approval beyond its introduction, required to then make its way to the House of Representatives.
For now, Zuffa will have to operate in accordance with the current Ali Act, though White has previously suggested in an interview with CBS Sports that his company’s success doesn’t necessarily hinge on the passing of the proposed amendment.
UFC entered a 7-year deal estimated at $7.7 billion over the life of that agreement. Such terms for the boxing side have yet to be revealed, other than that the series is a partnership with Turki Alalshikh and Riyadh Season. TKO will receive a $10,000,000 annual fee as “managing partner and to provide day-to-day operational management oversight” according to Shapiro in a previous interview with Sports Business Journal.
Shapiro further expanded on that during Tuesday's call.
“The way we’re going to go value here – on one hand, you’ve got this partnership with our friends in Saudi Arabia (Turki Alalshikh and Riyadh Season). We’re going to run it like we do UFC, bring the whole platform in, sell tickets, sell media rights and sell partnerships and marketing. Ultimately, monetize the site fees like we do UFC and WWE.
“To do that, we’re not taking risks. We’re being paid a management fee (by Riyadh Season) and we’re going to build firm value. In the space of a couple of years after hitting our threshold – which we are well on our way to doing – we will roughly be at 50/50 on ownership of that.”
The January 23 event will mark the first boxing event under the Paramount umbrella since Showtime's exit from the sport at the end of 2023.
