Zuffa Boxing President Dana White has given his opinion on the potential legal action that British promoter Frank Warren is reportedly pursuing.
According to The Telegraph, Warren and his company Queensberry Promotions “sent letters before action” to Sela and TKO Group, who help finance and stage events for Zuffa Boxing, seeking $1 billion for breached contracts. Warren is reportedly aggrieved that Sela and TKO cut the International Boxing Hall of Famer out of the deal that launched Zuffa Boxing in January.
“They all sue each other,” White said in an interview with IFL TV. “That’s what everybody does in boxing. I don’t know anything about the lawsuit. I don’t care about that kind of shit, we’ve got lawyers for that. I don’t think we’ve done anything, meaning Zuffa Boxing, that would warrant a lawsuit from them. And I haven’t actually said anything about them. I actually like those guys. I’ve always had a good relationship whenever I have seen or talked to them. They were always nice people. I have no problem with them. But I don’t know, we’ll see how it plays out.”
Over the last two years, Warren’s Queensberry and Sela have worked closely together to stage major events in Saudi Arabia and the UK under the Riyadh Season banner. The collaboration, which produced two installments of Oleksandr Usyk–Tyson Fury and Dmitry Bivol vs. Artur Beterbiev, has all been overseen by the Saudi government’s Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, Turki Alalshikh.
Warren told BBC Sport shortly after the news broke last week: “It’s just a difference of opinion over the contracts that we signed, so that will just take its course. I can’t make any comment on it. It is what it is and it will take its course.”
Intriguingly, both sides of this legal battle still have to work together in some capacity, with Tyson Fury making his return to action against Arslanbek Makhmudov on April 11. The bout falls under the Sela banner while Fury is promoted by Warren. It also appears that White will be the lead promoter of Fury’s comeback, staged at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in North London, which also features Zuffa’s latest signing, Conor Benn.
White is three fights into his new project, with Zuffa Boxing 04 taking place this Sunday at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. White’s first major signing, IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia, headlines against Brandon Glanton for the inaugural Zuffa world title. However, there has been major confusion and mixed signals as to whether Opetaia will defend his IBF belt alongside the Zuffa title.
