Dana White’s TKO boxing plans reportedly include fight purses ranging from $20K to 6 figures; Turki Alalshikh responds

The entry of TKO into the boxing market — spearheaded by Turki Alalshikh, UFC CEO Dana White and WWE President Nick Kahn — continues to be the talk of the combat sports world.

In the weeks since the announcement, rumblings have persisted about how TKO will operate in the sport, with many viewing its one-belt UFC-type model as a potentially revolutionary change for boxing. When Alalshikh promised this newly formed entity would “crush boxing,” it was difficult not to take him for his word, considering the impact Alalshikh has already had on the sport with the success of his Riyadh Season shows.

Now we have an initial preview of the company’s plans.

Boxing Scene reported Wednesday the new entity, formally known as Hualapai Ventures, Inc., will include former Top Rank attorney Harrison Whitman and CAA agent Ishmael Hinson among its partners. Hinson represents pound-for-pound star Terence Crawford and was influential in the making of Crawford’s undisputed welterweight title bout with Errol Spence Jr. in 2023.

White wants to revert to the “traditional weight classes” in boxing for his new venture. Pugilism had just eight weight categories 100 years ago; presently the sport has between 17 and 18 divisions. TKO will create its own belts and use its own ranking system, rather than go off the four major sanctioning bodies — the WBA, WBC, WBO and IBF — which are utilized in boxing right now.

The UFC CEO recently told Dan Rafael’s “Big Fight Weekend” podcast he was looking to sign more than 150 fighters. Those fighters would ink three-year contracts following their first bouts, with a stipulation that they must stay on board at TKO for at least two years following their signing.

TKO boxers would be contracted to fight every five months, with a good-faith effort made for them to compete four times in their first year with the promotion. It is rare for a top-10 level contender to fight more than twice in a calendar year, so such a rate of activity would be positive for the sport.

The contracts presented to potential TKO signings would reportedly see them agree to a guaranteed purse depending on their ranking and whether they were fighting for the company’s title belt. According to the Boxing Scene report, the purses would be as follows:

• $20,000 for a 10-round bout by an unranked fighter.

• $50,000 when ranked by “the company” at No. 5 to No. 10.

• $125,000 when ranked by the company at No. 3 or No. 4.

• $375,000 when challenging for the “company” championship.

• $750,000 when defending the “company” championship.

Many of the established stars and top prospects in boxing earn significantly more than the proposed purses in TKO’s reported contracts, leading some to believe TKO will be targeting lesser-known contenders and prospects.

At least three fighters who are struggling to land opportunities on televised boxing cards have held discussions with TKO reps in recent weeks, sources close to the situation told Uncrowned.

The purses listed would be for boxers fighting on regular shows. Should they headline on U.S. pay-per-view, they would receive a higher guaranteed purse to be agreed upon and potentially also earn profits from the pay-per-view earnings, according to the report.

Following the publishing of Boxing Scene’s report, Alalshikh responded Wednesday through his media entity, Ring Magazine, by publicly denouncing the report as “not factually accurate” and criticizing ProBox TV CEO Garry Jonas. ProBox TV acquired Boxing Scene in 2024.