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Boxing
News
Paramount
Announces Landmark Media Rights Agreement With Zuffa
Boxing
09/29/2025
Paramount+
will become the exclusive home of Zuffa Boxing throughout
the U.S., Canada, and Latin America.
LOS
ANGELES, CA and NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 29,
2025 – Paramount, a Skydance Corporation, (“Paramount”)
(NASDAQ: PSKY) and TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (“TKO”)
(NYSE: TKO), a premium sports and entertainment company,
today announced a long-term media rights agreement
in which Paramount+ will become the exclusive home
of Zuffa Boxing throughout the U.S., Canada, and Latin
America.
Zuffa
Boxing is the new professional boxing promotion formed
by TKO and leading entertainment conglomerate Sela,
with leadership from UFC President and CEO Dana White;
HE Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment
Authority and President of the Saudi Boxing Federation;
Sela Managing Director and CEO Dr. Rakan Alharthy;
and WWE President and TKO Board Member Nick Khan.
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. The bouts will be available via
Paramount’s direct-to-consumer streaming platform
Paramount+, with the potential for select events to
be simulcast on CBS, America’s leading broadcast
network, and other Paramount platforms.
Dana
White commented: “I’m excited to bring great
boxing events to a global audience. There are millions
of boxing fans that will now be able to watch competitive
fights with up-and-coming boxers as well as the biggest
stars in the sport. Paramount will be the home for
UFC and boxing fans to watch the greatest fights in
combat sports.”
HE
Turki Alalshikh said: “This partnership with
Paramount reinforces our vision to redefine the way
viewers consume boxing. More fight fans will now have
access to watch some of the most exciting boxers around.
We have seen the proof that the appetite is there,
this is the future for live boxing coverage and will
ensure the sport continues to thrive.”
Said
Cindy Holland, Chair of Direct-to-Consumer for Paramount,
a Skydance Corporation: “Paramount has long been
a leader in sports and sports storytelling, and this
partnership marks a bold new chapter – not just
for us, but for the future of boxing. It’s a
partnership that advances several of our core priorities:
delivering premium sports to fans, providing audiences
with year-round marquee live events, and creating
long-term value through a differentiated, must-watch
portfolio of content. By combining TKO and Zuffa Boxing’s
world-class production and promotional capabilities
with our subscribers’ passion for sports, we
are confident we will deliver something truly special
to boxing fans throughout the U.S., Canada, and Latin
America for years to come.”
Further
details about Zuffa Boxing, including fight schedules
and the first event to be live streamed on Paramount+,
will be announced in the months ahead.
#
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About
Paramount, a Skydance Corporation
Paramount,
a Skydance Corporation (Nasdaq: PSKY) is a leading,
nextgeneration global media and entertainment company,
comprised of three business segments: Filmed Entertainment,
Direct-to-Consumer, and TV Media. The Company's portfolio
unites legendary brands, including Paramount Pictures,
Paramount Television, CBS – America's most-watched
broadcast network, CBS News, CBS Sports, Nickelodeon,
MTV, BET, Comedy Central, Showtime, Paramount+, Pluto
TV, and Skydance's Animation, Film, Television, Interactive/Games,
and Sports divisions. For more information, please
visit www.paramount.com.
About
Zuffa Boxing
Zuffa
Boxing is a joint venture between TKO Group Holdings,
Inc. (“TKO”) (NYSE: TKO) and Sela, the entertainment
conglomerate. TKO serves as managing partner, providing
day-to-day operational expertise, management, and
oversight of the promotion, with executive leadership
anchored by UFC President and CEO Dana White and WWE
President and TKO Board Member Nick Khan. The promotion
aims to reimagine the sport of boxing by evolving
the current model to restore the sport’s rightful
place in the forefront of the global sports ecosystem.
For more information, follow @Zuffa_Boxing on X; and
@ZuffaBoxing on Snapchat, Instagram, Threads, and
TikTok.
About
Sela
Founded
in 1997, Sela is a Saudi Arabian company specializing
in creating, constructing, and operating unique destinations
and recreational experiences across sports, entertainment,
culture, and hospitality sectors. Initially recognized
as Saudi Arabia’s first FIFA-recognized athletes’
representation company, Sela expanded into sports
marketing
and
has since diversified into broader recreational industries.
About
TKO
TKO
Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports
and entertainment company. TKO owns iconic properties
including UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial
arts organization; WWE, the global leader in sports
entertainment; and PBR, the world’s premier bull
riding organization. Together, these properties reach
1 billion households across 210 countries and territories
and organize more than 500 live events year-round,
attracting more than three million fans. TKO also
services and partners with major sports rights holders
through IMG, an industry-leading global sports marketing
agency; and On Location, a global leader in premium
experiential hospitality.
(Sources:
Paramount/Zuffa Boxing/TKO Group)
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Boxing
Dana
White Makes TKO Boxing League Official
On
March 5, Dana White, TKO, and Turki Alalshikh announced
a new boxing promotion in association with Sela.
Alalshikh
on record:
“This
landmark partnership between industry powerhouses
sets the stage for an unparalleled experience for
boxers and fans,” Alalshikh said.
“Together,
we are developing the next generation of talent and
delivering world-class events at a time when the sport
is primed for further disruption.”
TKO
President and Chief Operating Officer Mark Shapiro
also expressed optimism for the new boxing league.
“This
is a strategic opportunity to reimagine the sport
of boxing globally,” Shapiro said. “TKO
has the deep expertise, promotional prowess, and longstanding
relationships. HE Turki Alalshikh and Sela share our
passion and vision for evolving the current model.
Together, we can bring the sweet science back to its
rightful place in the forefront of the global sports
ecosystem.”
Rumors
are circulating claiming that Callum Walsh will be
one of the first fighters to sign with the TKO boxing
promotion. Walsh appeared on camera at at least one
TKO (WWE TV_event approx 3 months ago. It would make
sense given that White has attended Walsh’s fights
and has aired them on UFC Fight Pass. At this time,
fighter signings have not been announced for the new
league.
White
told Ring Magazine that the UFC model will be used
for the boxing promotion. He vowed to ensure that
“the best fight the best.”
Dana
White Quote To The Ring:
"Everybody
knows the format - the best fight the best. You work
your way up the rankings, and once somebody breaks
into the top five [and] there is no question [about]
who the best five guys are in each weight class, they
fight it out. And once somebody holds that belt, you
don't need three letters in front of the belt. Whoever
has that belt is the best in the world in that weight
class. It's a very simple model" Dana White
Developing
news story.
News
Dana
White and Turki Alalshikh Plan New Boxing Venture
Dana
White, President of UFC, alongside Turki Alalshikh,
are in talks to launch a new boxing promotion under
the TKO banner, potentially debuting in 2026. This
initiative, while still in the discussion phase, aims
to emulate the UFC's model by introducing a clear
ranking system for boxers to advance towards world
championships. The promotion might also leverage the
UFC Performance Institute for training, aiming to
nurture both established and up-and-coming boxers.
The involvement of WWE President Nick Khan and companies
like TKO, Endeavor, and Sela suggests a significant
overhaul in how boxing championships are structured,
with the goal to ensure top-tier matchups and elevate
the sport. However, these plans remain speculative
until officially confirmed. (Grok)
News
Sources
The
Ring
https://ringmagazine.com/en/news/dana-white-on-new-boxing-promotion-format-the-best-fight-the-best
Grok
TKO
Group Holdings ‘close on an agreement’ to
boxing venture
"It’s
the right strategic place for us to be."
February
28, 2025
The
UFC’s ownership group are closing in on its long
rumoured pivot to boxing.
For
years, Dana White has referenced the possibility of
a move into boxing but pulled back on several occasions
citing institutional problems within the sport. While
that initial venture, dubbed at one point Zuffa Boxing
in reference to the UFC’s original ownership
entity, never came to fruition, it appears as though
the landscape has changed amid the UFC’s new
economic reality as part of the TKO Group, which also
counts the WWE among its assets.
Furthermore,
boxing’s new money men in Saudi Arabia have changed
the platform of the sport — and this is something
that TKO appears to want a part of, after TKO’s
president and chief operating officer Mark Shapiro
confirmed that an agreement appears incoming for a
Saudi-funded boxing league.
“Everybody
knows we’re in talks with the Saudis but to give
you a little more color, I will tell you that we are
close on an agreement with the Saudis on a creation
of a boxing league where we TKO would be the producer,
the promoter and responsible for all day-to-day operations
of the venture, where by we would receive a fee of
$10 million plus,” Shapiro said during a Wednesday
financial call with investors.
“Again,
we’re not putting any money in, we’re not
putting any capital in, we’re not on the hook
for any [costs].”
Shapiro
added: “We’ve just sent a delegation to
London to meet with the Saudi delegation led by Andrew
Schleimer, our CFO and Nick Khan, of course who runs
WWE, and Lawrence Epstein who runs UFC,. They had
a full day meeting earlier this week and we’re
getting awfully close and when we have something official,
we’ll come out.”
Shapiro
also suggested that two high profile boxing cards
might serve as the basis for the launch of the organisation,
which he stressed TKO is insulated from financial
loss.
He
also stated that the knowledge capital within TKO,
particularly Khan and White, means that the group
has the ideal expertise for the venture.
“It’s
thoughtful, it’s the right strategic place for
us to be,” he said. “We have experts in
Nick Khan and Dana White among others that can drive
that business. We can be selective in terms of how
we participate and whatever we do, we will not take
risk and it will definitely be value accretive.”
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