Turki Alalshikh issues fiery retort to claim that Dana White-led boxing league's title won't have same legacy as WBA: "It is the same belt Rocky won"
Turki Alalshikh has responded to the claim that the new boxing title created in partnership with TKO will not have the same impact as the WBA. Alalshikh stated that they do have a belt that is substantially older and has been won by some well-known players in the game.
As the head of the General Entertainment Authority in Saudi Arabia, Alalshikh has joined forces with TKO Group Holdings to launch a brand-new boxing promotion. It will be overseen by UFC CEO Dana White and WWE president Nick Khan.
The latest partnership has garnered reactions from the entire combat sports community, including TV personality Ade Oladipo, who recently made an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show and expressed his skepticism over the newly formed promotion, comparing it with WBA:
''The UFC was the first, so UFC has that history. TKO will never have the history of a WBA, which has been around 104 years. It won't have that. You'll always be able to sell the history... The names that are attached to those belts being the biggest names of the sport. You're saying, you can be like Muhammad Ali, you can be like Floyd Mayweather. Even the kids coming through the Olympics that weren't even born when these guys were fighting will know of these guys. So you'll always be able to sell them that history."
This prompted a reaction from Alalshikh, who hit back at Oladipo by stating that they already have a title, presumably the Ring Magazine belt, which has been worn by various well-known figures:
''We have a belt... It is only 103 years old. It is the same belt Rocky won and Joe Louis and even Muhammad Ali who you mention.''
Dana White praises Turki Alalshikh, shares updates on the new boxing league
During a recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Dana White expressed his admiration for Turki Alalshikh for his relentless work to provide fans with exciting matchups over the years. In addition, the UFC CEO disclosed that the new promotion would kick off with a big boxing matchup:
''These are things that we might wanna pump the brakes on... My friend Turki gets too excited... We actually are getting together with him tomorrow. We're gonna shoot some content... We have a massive fight. Literally and this is what I'm talking about. A massive fight that only [Alalshikh] could make happen... And we will announce it when we're ready to, but this is the guy that has literally brought boxing back."
Check out Dana White's comments below: