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Khabib Nurmagomedov's coach, Javier Mendez, recently shared his thoughts on why Dana White may have chosen not to promote the highly anticipated Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford boxing match.
White and TKO Boxing were initially set to co-promote the mega fight scheduled for Sept. 14, alongside the chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, Turki Alalshikh. This marked a significant opportunity for TKO Boxing and White.
However, in a surprising turn of events, Alalshikh recently announced that Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund-owned company, Sela, will now be the sole promoter of the fight.
In the recent episode of the Javier and Mo Show podcast that aired on June 1, Mendez shared his thoughts on the possible reasons for the fallout between Alalshikh and White, stating:
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"The Only thing I can think about is two lions. One's a king lion, the other one has to be below the king lion. So, I know Dana's a king lion and Turki's a king lion. So the only thing I'm thinking about is - There's only one captain. There's only one general. So everybody's got to be below, but Dana's all of the above. He's a general, he's a captain, and he's a leader, and Turki's the same way."
Elaborating further on his hypothesis, Mendez added:
"I think, maybe, that was an issue - they didn't see eye to eye. I could be wrong, but if you know anything about any of them, they're leaders. So I don't know who's going to lead who. I'm not saying I'm right. But, that's my thought process."
Check out Javier Mendez's comments below (2:44):
Khabib Nurmagomedov's coach on what Dana White's return means for the UFC
Fans have expressed growing concerns about the quality of UFC events, prompting questions about Dana White's decision to enter the boxing promotion at a time when the UFC is perceived to be struggling to meet fans' expectations.
Speaking further in the aforementioned episode of the Javier and Mo Show podcast, Javier Mendes shared his thoughts on what White stepping down from the Canelo vs. Crawford promotion would mean for the UFC, stating:
"Potentially, his bosses told him to go back to the UFC because they were hurting. Because they are a fantastic business and they know how to run a business. So maybe they saw [the downsides of White investing time in Boxing] and said, 'Hey, Dana, maybe, now is not the time because we need you [in the UFC].' Because he is a polarizing figure. So him not being the head figure there could hurt them more. Me, I'm a fan anyway. So it wouldn't matter for me. But, he is very important to the sport." [4:11]
The exact reason for White and TKO Boxing's removal from the promotional duties of the mega fight remains unclear. However, logistical and promotional control disputes between White and Turki Alalshikh, or the conflict of interest, given that the fight date coincides with the Noche UFC 2025 event, are speculated to be the possible reasons behind the fallout.
