While speaking exclusively to Hard Rock Bet, boxing icon “Iron” Mike Tyson discussed the current state of boxing and the impact that UFC CEO Dana White will make on the sport with his newly launched Zuffa Boxing promotion.
UFC vs Boxing
Is the UFC bigger than boxing in America?
Mike Tyson: “Well, listen, you know what’s interesting about boxing? It’s almost like it can’t be canceled. It has this primary group of fans, that they can live on forever.
“Even if it went on boxing on a hiatus, it had the hardcore fans that’s enough that they could survive off.
“Like, no doubt about it, the UFC has more entertainment and excitement. When there’s no fight, when the fights are over, it’s a party until the fight till they start another fight.
“In boxing, they’re waiting around, people are looking at each other’s face, talking, and the UFC is constant activity going on”
Beginning in January 2026, Paramount will exclusively distribute a full slate of Zuffa Boxing events starting with 12 action-packed cards, with plans to grow that number in subsequent years.
Dana White is entering boxing, can he be a success?
Mike Tyson: “I think he would do well to have more options, and I think if he hired me, he would win totally. I knew Dana when he had hair.
“What he does, the UFC [is great]. Now we’re going to get him over to boxing and help him become the greatest promoter at all time.”
Can Dana White fix boxing?
Mike Tyson: “Boxing was created broken, and it’s going to die broken. If Dana can fix it, I want to see it. He has to understand the kind of people he’s dealing with. I think he dealt with Turki [Alalsheik] but I don’t think he actually dealt with the… the core of boxing people.
“He’s going to have to crush every one of them, because they’re all going to have their opinion, as far as what he wants to do with the boxing world. I’m with Dana, I like his audacity to challenge boxing. I tried that before, and they all jumped on me, so I’m going to like this journey.
“Listen, this is what I found out in boxing. Everything in boxing is not on the table. There’s always something underneath the table that we don’t know about. That’s what I know. That’s the golden rule in boxing.
“Everything’s not always on the table. There’s always something underneath the table that we don’t see, and that’s boxing.”
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