Dana White has reportedly been unexpectedly removed from his role in promoting the highly anticipated boxing match between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford.
TKO Holdings, the parent company of UFC and WWE, had previously signed a multi-year agreement to launch a boxing promotion in collaboration with Saudi Arabia`s Turki Alalshikh.
The plan included establishing a boxing league similar to the UFC and co-promoting two major super-fights annually with TKO and White involved.
The blockbuster fight between Canelo and Crawford was intended to be the initial event under this new partnership, originally scheduled for Friday, September 12, at the Raiders Stadium in Las Vegas.
However, Alalshikh recently informed Ring Magazine (which he owns) that the date for the bout was being shifted to Saturday, September 13.
He also stated that he was considering moving the fight to New York or Los Angeles, instead of the planned 65,000-seat Raiders Stadium.
This news caused considerable confusion, particularly as the fight was announced under the Riyadh Season banner and slated as a pay-per-view event.
These developments suggested that White and Netflix, previously associated with the promotion, might no longer be part of the picture. The new September 13 date also creates a conflict with UFC 320, which is scheduled for the same day.
Alalshikh has since confirmed that Sela, a Saudi-based company, will be promoting the super-middleweight championship fight for Riyadh Season.
While the specific broadcaster is yet to be announced, Riyadh Season has an exclusive streaming partnership with DAZN, a platform that offers pay-per-view events.
Netflix made its foray into boxing in November with the controversial exhibition match between 58-year-old Mike Tyson and YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.
That event reportedly attracted over 100 million viewers for Paul`s victory, even causing streaming issues.
This unexpected turn of events leaves the future of White and TKO`s boxing endeavors uncertain, despite their stated intentions to launch a new league.
Earlier, on May 12, Alalshikh announced his travel to New York, with White also posting a picture from the city soon after.
It was understood that Canelo and Crawford were expected to join them in New York to film promotional content with Netflix ahead of the proposed bout.
Yet, just one day later, Alalshikh revealed that the fight`s date and location were being reconsidered.
White has not yet made any public comments regarding his apparent removal from the promotion of this major boxing match or the status of his planned boxing league.
He has previously collaborated with Alalshikh, having held two UFC events in Riyadh.
In early May, Canelo defeated William Scull to retain his undisputed 168lb championship, part of his four-fight agreement with Alalshikh.
Terence Crawford`s most recent fight was in August 2024, where he moved up to 154lb to secure the WBA title against Israil Madrimov.
