Frank Warren’s Queensbury Promotions are coming after the powers behind Zuffa Boxing.
Eddie Hearn recently poked fun at Dana White’s connection with Turki Alashikh, which led to their new boxing venture.
The tie-up between TKO Group and Saudi Arabia’s SELA has already been a talking point in boxing circles, especially given some of their early signings and future ambitions.
White might have laughed off his competition as no threat, but now one rival is preparing for a major legal fight. According to Coppinger, they’re planning to file a lawsuit over the creation of Zuffa Boxing.
Queensbury believes they should have been part of the formation of Zuffa Boxing and that being left out has cost them significant income. But even if he wins the case, Dana White is unlikely to see any change in the partnership with SELA.
Frank Warren considering legal action over TKO and SELA’s Zuffa Boxing alliance
The Telegraph revealed on 24 February that Frank Warren’s Queensbury is preparing to take legal action against both TKO and SELA.
According to the report, letters have already been sent to both parties, laying out their position and warning that they will take the matter to the High Court if necessary.
Queensbury argues that it had an exclusive agreement with SELA from 2023, which included several major events like Tyson Fury’s controversial win over Francis Ngannou.
This partnership led to another contract between Queensbury and TKO, which gave TKO access to Queensbury’s existing agreement with SELA.
Queensbury claims that the creation of Zuffa Boxing by TKO and SELA violated these agreements, excluding them from deals they say have cost them $1 billion in potential revenue.
This isn’t the first time Dana White’s boxing promotion has faced pushback. Their approach has already put them at odds with other promoters more than once.
Discontent growing over Zuffa Boxing’s approach goes beyond rival promoters
Some of the methods that have made TKO’s UFC and WWE so successful are starting to show up in the way Zuffa Boxing is being run.
But this has led to frustration among athletes already signed under the TKO umbrella, who feel they’re being overlooked in favour of the newer arrivals.
When Conor Benn signed with Zuffa Boxing on a reported nine-figure deal, it raised questions about pay disparities within the organisation. The talk only grew louder when Benn then called out Jake Paul for a potential bout, which you can read more about here.
This move left some fighters feeling overlooked, and it’s not just speculation. Michael ‘Venom’ Page has already spoken publicly about his issues with the new pay structure implemented by the UFC earlier this year.
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