There’s a new player in professional boxing and this promotional company is none other than Zuffa Boxing which was launched by basically the moguls behind the UFC.
It was officially formed in 2025 as a joint venture between TKO Group Holdings (the parent company of UFC and WWE) and Sela (a Saudi Arabian entertainment conglomerate).
DANA. Of course, a key figure is Dana White who has long criticized boxing’s structure and wanted to bring a more centralized, UFC-style promotional model to the sport.
With the backing of Turki Alalshikh who is the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority — a major force in modern boxing through big-money events and fighter investments, Dana now has the chance to walk his talk.
He first teased the “Zuffa Boxing” name back around 2017 after the Mayweather vs. McGregor crossover fight, but it took until mid-2025 for the project to become a reality.
ILLS. It’s no secret that the “Sweet Science” is beset with so many ailments that have caused its latest decline in popularity. As this Last Rounder has observed the past few years, I have noticed the younger demographic of fight fans become more familiar with who are the belt holders in the UFC as compared to pro boxing.
Part of the fixes that Dana apparently wants to focus on are matchmaking, fewer weight classes, building new stars, and premium storytelling — similar to how UFC operates.
The latter sounds exciting as there is no comparison indeed with how the UFC comes up with its storylines leading up to a big fight.
Personally, I think boxing needs fewer rounds to make the fights more exciting. Championship fights need to adopt an odd total number of rounds, not even (for example, what we have now are 12 round championship fights). An even number increases the chances of a draw as opposed to an odd number when tallying up the judges scorecards.
Their debut card called “Zuffa Boxing 01,” is scheduled for Jan. 23, 2026 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It features a three-fight lineup of 10-round bouts, including Callum Walsh vs. Carlos Ocampo as a headliner.
Well, as they say, the more the merrier. I do hope this is the infusion that pro boxing needs.
LAKERS FREEFALL. Don’t look now but the LA Lakers are on a freefall, having lost four of their last five games. In their last game, they lost to the Charlotte Hornets 135-117 on their homecourt.
They were totally outrebounded and allowed the Hornets to shoot 46 percent from the three-point arc. To think that the Hornets have a record of 15-26 and are mired at 12th in the Eastern Conference standings.
My take? They haven’t been the same team ever since LeBron James returned. Sadly, he’s just not the player he once was anymore at 41 years of age. He doesn’t play defense and basically demands too much attention
on offense.
LAST ROUNDS. Are on my dear friends from our UP Yakal family, Chris and Rorie Cruz, who are in town with their two beautiful children all the way from Brisbane. Cheers!