Has Oleksandr Usyk Signed with Zuffa Boxing?

Well, if they sign Usyk and Jai, the recognized heavyweight and cruiserweight world champions, they're on their way.

I just don't understand why they didn't call their organization RING instead of Zuffa and present champions with the RING belt instead of the Zuffa belt.

Turki owns Ring and Zuffa. Ring is a legendary brand. It's certainly a more identifiable boxing brand than Zuffa is.

Seems like the obvious always eludes the guys in control.

 

Then it's probably just to flex for Matchroom and Queensbury, 'cause Turki wasn't even interested in making Usyk-Parker.

Wow... Boxing turning into the UFC, where only fighters within the organization are allowed to fight each other.

 

I don't think this benefits anyone but Usyk and Zuffa. Zuffa probably threw a bunch of money at Usyk because they need a face for their brand. Since they don't have anyone else they probably are going to have some crappy fight for Usyk instead of him facing a serious contender like Kabayel.

 

I think the doommongers saying boxing is finished are speaking prematurely. Usyk has often bounced between promotions and his own promotional company, so this isn't too much of a surprise. It'll be a hugely lucrative deal, and depending on who he fights, it could be a huge loss for Zuffa. If he fights that kickboxer guy or Ruiz/Wilder, there are so many people who will not watch it, especially not on PPV.

Up to now, Zuffa's "biggest" signing is Conor Benn, who will be flatlined as soon as he fights somebody anywhere near the top 10 who isn't dehydrated to within an inch of their life. The deal is also worth $15 million. It doesn't matter how much money someone has; these loss-making ideas have no appeal in the long run. Jai is obviously the most talented one, but nobody outside the boxing world knows who he is, so he will struggle to sell tickets and PPVs, especially in the US.

The Saudis have lost eye-watering sums of money on these events, reportedly eight figures on both the Usyk-Fury fights and Crawford vs Madrimov. It might be a good vehicle to reshape an image for now, but if it wipes hundreds of millions off the balance sheet every year, I don't see it as something with longevity. Also, UFC fighters are used to getting shafted by the UFC's extreme exploitation and horrible payment model. Boxers who are getting paid millions per year are not going to suddenly agree to this model en masse. Hearn and Warren still have a lot of firepower, especially in the UK.

 

Gents . You hype yourself about a tweet . No credible source confirms this .

Usyk might offer himself for free or even bring money to find a home where he can hide from kabayel but i do not think turki has any interest in this .

 

Maybe, but Turki has been involved with TKO for some time, he's connected with them through the WWE and ventures in the UFC, they have been planning this for some time.

 

They can take as many of Warren and Hearn's fighters as they want because of the Saudi money bankrolling ZUFFA.

 

ZUFFA is owned by TKO and Sela.

 

I don't think they can, not as easily as people think, nor will they necessarily want to in the long run. They were unhappy about the eight-figure sum they lost on the Crawford vs. Madrimov fight, and their interest in other sports has cooled, too. Benn is a total snake and a drug cheat, lacking in moral fibre, but there are plenty of boxers who would rather stay with Hearn and Warren than sign up for a monolithic promotional company that will end up paying them much less in the long run. Boxers are better advised than UFC guys; many have their own lawyers and advisors who can see the long game here.

Jai is a unique example because he is so heavily avoided; he thinks Zuffa could get him the fights that Hearn couldn't, but he's likely to face the same problems. Usyk is cashing out as he is 39, probably has a year or two tops at the top. Connor Benn will be found out as soon as he fights a live world-level opponent. He's not a good investment either; without the Eubank rivalry, nobody really cares about Benn, especially not in the US.

If Zuffa attempts a hostile takeover of the sport, it will face significant legal challenges from the sanctioning bodies, Top Rank, Matchroom, Golden Boy, and major networks. It could create a situation in which all these companies come together, making it difficult. Repealing the Ali Act in the US is just the tip of the iceberg; the UK, Japan, and Mexico all have robust frameworks that make it extremely difficult for White to just waltz in with a rich backer and take over, and they'd face huge legal costs from companies who have been around for decades, Warren's lawsuit could just be the beginning of it. Most fans won't recognise the Zuffa belt either. I'm not convinced this is going to be as inevitable as some people suggest.

 

Maybe, however golden boy should be left out of this they are not a top promotion anymore.

 

Interesting, not surprised by some big signings as Turki is well connected.

Curious to see what happens

I really dont care about the sanctioning bodies, I actually hope they crumble. Im just not really sure im comfortable with turki, Dana and that orbit controlling boxing.

As long as fighter safety is promoted and fighters are paid fairly ill be optimistic

 

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I don’t understand the move (if it’s even true at all).
If usyk drops his belts and fights for zuffa, it would make zuffa look good…but usyks near retirement anyway and already dropped a few belts. Others will pick them up.

very bad for boxing if zuffa turn it like ufc.
It’s a free market now where each boxer is either the director of his own business, or working towards that.

The UFC way is good for marketing and for TKO but the fighters are just employees with limited freedoms.

 

Good point, that’s strange. Ring has some pedigree, it was a smart buy but it’s not being used.


It may have happened as a collaboration with Dana wanting to keep his strength in zuffa

 

Dana works for Nick Khan and TKO, they own ZUFFA and the UFC and the WWE.