Dana White has been branded “a cancer for boxing” by Bob Arum just 24 hours before the Zuffa Boxing boss suggested he could help Floyd Mayweather through his reported $170 million financial dispute.
Arum launched his latest attack on White during an interview with Pro Boxing Fans as the 94-year-old made it clear he has no intention of embracing the UFC boss as a fellow boxing promoter.
“Dana White really is a cancer for boxing. Because you come in, and you want to get rid of all the sanctioning bodies, and we know where that’s going to lead,” Arum said.
“We know what happened with Dana White and the UFC, and how they made a lot of money by underpaying the fighters.
“They pay their fighters peanuts, and they make all the money themselves, and they talk about building the sport and so forth.
“So, if they got a foothold in boxing, in my opinion, it would be the same thing as far as the boxers were concerned. Initially, they’d make money, but ultimately, they’d be like paupers.”
Bob Arum Attacks Dana White
Arum is firmly on the same side as Oscar De La Hoya when it comes to White’s arrival in boxing.
Calling White “a cancer” will grab headlines, but underneath the attack is a genuine concern shared by many traditional boxing promoters.
Old-school promoters sign fighters, spend years building them to world level and take the profits when those boxers begin generating serious money. It means putting in the hard work and investment with no guarantee of a return.
White has a different formula with Zuffa Boxing. A huge television deal means Zuffa gets paid week in and week out for staging regular events through a UFC-style league system with minimal groundwork compared to the years spent building fighters into world champions.
That’s the problem Arum has with White, and he’s far from alone.
Dana White Offers Floyd Mayweather Help
The timing of Arum’s comments is ironic given what White said about Floyd Mayweather at the Zuffa 08 press conference just 24 hours later.
Asked about headlines surrounding Mayweather and his reported $170 million financial dispute, White revealed he has already spoken to Mayweather.
“That’s a tough one. I’ve talked to him about it, but I don’t know enough about it,” White said.
“You hear all these different stories. I think you have to wait to see how this thing is going to play out in court for him.
“When somebody works as hard as he did and amasses the type of wealth that he had, and then they lose it or it gets stolen or whatever the deal is, it’s horrible. It happens a lot in professional sports.”
White Leaves Door Open
White then left the door open to helping Mayweather.
“Who knows? Anything is possible. Maybe we could do something and figure it out for him.”
Zuffa’s boss knows better than most how to make money with Mayweather after helping to put together the lucrative Conor McGregor fight in 2017.
He also told WBN and other reporters in 2024 that he could “try and figure it out” if working with Arum was ever necessary for Callum Walsh.
Two years later, White is using almost identical language about Mayweather.
Arum believes White’s boxing model could eventually leave fighters like “paupers.” White, meanwhile, has already spoken to one of the richest fighters in boxing history and is publicly considering whether he can “figure it out for him.”
About the Author
Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a veteran boxing reporter with 15+ years of experience. He has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside since 2010. Read full bio.
