Teddy Atlas details why boxing needs a "dictator" like Dana White to take the reins: "The fans were starving"
Teddy Atlas recently expressed his support for Dana White's entry into boxing. Atlas claimed that the boxing community needs the likes of White and Turki Alalshikh to take the sport to the next level.
White confirmed his venture into boxing on Sep. 19, following years of hinting at the possible move. The UFC CEO increased anticipation by hinting at big announcements on the horizon during a press conference before a boxing event in Dublin, which featured Callum Walsh as the main attraction.
Atlas recently spoke to Submission Radio and had this to say about White's potential impact on boxing:
"I say come on in - come on in, we need you... This sport shouldn’t be irrelevant, but it was becoming that because of the promoters with the networks, with their sugar daddies. They were just making the fights to keep their guys undefeated, to get to the next big fight - non-competitive fights, and every once in a while they threw you a bone. It wasn’t enough. The fans were starving."
Atlas continued:
''Then Turki Alalshikh came along from Saudi [Arabia] with the money, and in the last year he made fights that the sport needs. Dana White does that. He’s been doing that forever over at the UFC. Yeah, I know it’s one guy in charge and people call him a dictator. Listen, if a dictator ain’t chopping heads off and he’s getting things done, sometimes maybe we could learn a little something."
Check out Teddy Atlas' comments below (20:57):
Mike Tyson likes the idea of Dana White breaking into boxing world
Like his former coach, Teddy Atlas, Mike Tyson has supported Dana White's decision to enter the boxing industry.
Tyson, who has close ties to White, discussed the matter during an appearance on the It Is What It Is podcast. The boxing legend was clearly excited to hear about the UFC CEO's ambitions:
“That’s going to be the best thing to happen to boxing, just like UFC. If you’re in UFC, and if anybody’s booing the fight, you’re not going to see that guy. His next fight is going to be in South Dakota somewhere. Only good fights. If you don’t have a good fight, you ain’t never going to see that guy again.''
Check out Mike Tyson's comments below (32:13):