Comments Thread For: 'I felt a little offended' - Oscar De La Hoya weighs in on Turki Alalshikh-Dana White bond

[hennanra1000]

Boxing is just like capitalism. It didn't start in the US but this is where it has always thrived and prospered better than anywhere else. You make good arguments but the reason why it's not thriving as much as it should be in the US is because to many people have come here to try and create the next Floyd PPVweather. It's to many hands in the cookie jar. Eddie Hearn and Warrenn are on the brink of controlling UK boxing. The Saudis have already overrun London politics now they're taking over UK boxing. DAZN will go down as the biggest reason why UK boxing was lost by the Brits and they're trying to take America down too. But we ain't letting that happen cap-pen!

I agree that Warren and Hearn are doing same but their influence is limited at a global level. Hearn has now been sidelined by Saudi in any case.

Regarding capitalism - this is actually the same point i make - 20mn USD purses for fighters who fight 2 times a year and hold up the division isn’t sustainable. If a league has weekly fights where there is a ‘scaling’ then same 20mn USD could fund 100 fights at average of 200k per fight or 10 rosters meaning a ‘better product’ / consumer experience.

Re the Saudi long term plan i can’t say and am nervous that they don’t start flexing but if it’s delegated to Dana White who i don’t like per se but at least he has ‘a model’ that makes it workable (not saying that UFC is without its own issues and corruptions like some fighters jumping the queue etc just much better then boxing at sourcing global talent and creating economically viable business model).

Re earlier point of UFC being white etc - take last main card there is 1 white fighter (Gaethje), 3 black, 4 hispanic and 1 Dagestani. If you look at the bios of most fighters they had to work really hard to break into the league. Nowadays boxers get handpicked early on then protected by promoters. I am loving the fact that more black fighters make it to the top Cormier, Da Silva, Kamaru Usman, Leon Edwards (2 of those amazing wrestlers btw).

Re wrestling - UFC now is different to what it was - no one can stay at top with one element to their game. Ankalaev who is a wrestler spent first few rounds striking, Makhachev evolved his striking game massively.

Boxing was first sport i loved as a kid and frankly greed, tribalism and mismanagement is killing it.

[TMLT87]

I agree that Warren and Hearn are doing same but their influence is limited at a global level. Hearn has now been sidelined by Saudi in any case.

Regarding capitalism - this is actually the same point i make - 20mn USD purses for fighters who fight 2 times a year and hold up the division isn’t sustainable. If a league has weekly fights where there is a ‘scaling’ then same 20mn USD could fund 100 fights at average of 200k per fight or 10 rosters meaning a ‘better product’ / consumer experience.

Re the Saudi long term plan i can’t say and am nervous that they don’t start flexing but if it’s delegated to Dana White who i don’t like per se but at least he has ‘a model’ that makes it workable (not saying that UFC is without its own issues and corruptions like some fighters jumping the queue etc just much better then boxing at sourcing global talent and creating economically viable business model).

Re earlier point of UFC being white etc - take last main card there is 1 white fighter (Gaethje), 3 black, 4 hispanic and 1 Dagestani. If you look at the bios of most fighters they had to work really hard to break into the league. Nowadays boxers get handpicked early on then protected by promoters. I am loving the fact that more black fighters make it to the top Cormier, Da Silva, Kamaru Usman, Leon Edwards (2 of those amazing wrestlers btw).

Re wrestling - UFC now is different to what it was - no one can stay at top with one element to their game. Ankalaev who is a wrestler spent first few rounds striking, Makhachev evolved his striking game massively.

Boxing was first sport i loved as a kid and frankly greed, tribalism and mismanagement is killing it.

Dont forget Gaethje himself is half Mexican too. MMA is a super diverse global sport these days. Every nationality and race represented. The whole American white guy stereotype hasnt been true since the 00s, and even then obviously you had the likes of Anderson, BJ, Rampage, Wand, Shogun, Machida, Nick Diaz, Randelman, Rashad, Nogueira etc etc around and there were already plenty of non white fans, and rapidly increasingly international fans.

As for sustainable business models etc, I totally agree. I mean the purse for Fury/Usyk 2 was allegedly £150m which is ****ing insane. The UFC could put together like 5 stacked PPV cards for that much, if not more, and get a far bigger return. Its just not good value for money and i'm sure it makes the UFC far more appealing to networks and investors.