Is UFC and TKO Boxing Aiming for Alex Pereira vs Oleksandr Usyk? Coach of ‘Poatan’ Explains
Will Dana White’s foray into the world of boxing deliver us a heavyweight crossover clash between Alex Pereira and Oleksandr Usyk?
Last month, White announced that he was finally getting into the boxing business alongside Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority in Saudi Arabia.
Few details have been announced, but the news prompted fight fans to immediately start wondering if White’s boxing promotion would allow UFC athletes to cross over, opening up the possibility of bigger paydays and exciting superfights.
One of the biggest fights the promotion could potentially book is a showdown between undisputed heavyweight boxing world champion Oleksandr Usyk and Pereira, a former two-division UFC titleholder.
Offering his take on the possibility, Pereira’s coach and former UFC champion Glover Teixeira suggested that if ‘Poatan’ and Usyk ever throw hands inside the squared circle, they could do it at heavyweight, or even light heavyweight.
“Maybe they put Usyk and Alex for the heavyweight champion,” Teixeira said during an appearance on The Coach and The Casual podcast. “I think Usyk can fight light heavyweight… He’s what like 230 [pounds]?”
Sorry Alex Pereira, Dana White says no UFC fighters in his boxing promotion
Unfortunately, it sounds like White has zero interest in allowing UFC fighters to swap out their four-ounce gloves for eight-ouncers.
“No, never,” White told ESPN in March when asked about UFC-contracted athletes crossing over into his boxing promotion. “I’m sure there are guys that want to box, but I literally don’t want to see any of that. We keep the boxers in the boxing and MMA guys in the MMA. We’ll never have that.”
For now, it sounds like White’s boxing organization will focus on developing new stars. Of course, if the fans are loud enough and the revenue is big enough, anything is possible in combat sports.
