Wednesday TKO announced the long-anticipated boxing league in partnership with Saudi Arabia. White will run the league according to the “UFC Model.”
Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority joined White for the announcement. No specifics, including the name of the league, were identified. But, it appears that the first event will occur in 2026 and include a “highly structured system to develop new talent from around the world, including athlete combines and academies.”
As previously mentioned during the TKO earnings call, TKO’s production and media team will handle in-arena and worldwide broadcasts which will earn it a hefty management fee.
No mention of where the talent will come from as most of the established boxers are under a promotional banner. It appeared that the boxers to start the league will be young up-and-coming and unsigned talent. Or, at least boxers whose promoters are willing to loan out their boxers. We will see if there will be further movement where the Saudis-TKO broker deals with promoters.
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