HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — TKO Boxing’s maiden voyage is set to begin Sept. 13 with the blockbuster event headlined by
Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford on Netflix. UFC President and CEO Dana White is set to be the frontman promoting the event, which kicks off with press conferences Friday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Sunday in New York City at Fanatics Fest.
Once Canelo-Crawford concludes,
TKO Boxing plans to stage 12 events per year for the next five years, including up to four mega matchups per year.
One particular player who will have a prime position shaping the future of TKO Boxing is promoter Tom Loeffler, who has handled the likes of Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko and Gennady Golovkin since the turn of the century.
Loeffler, the founder of 360 Promotions, was a first-mover, linking up with White and UFC in 2022 when he struck a deal to stream his “Hollywood Fight Nights” boxing series on UFC Fight Pass.
Another installment is scheduled for Saturday, headlined by fast-rising Irish junior middleweight contender
Callum Walsh (13-0, 11 KOs) taking on Elias Espadas (23-6-1, 16 KOs) at Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez, California.
Loeffler-linked fighters
Cain Sandoval, Umar Dzambekov, Daniel Barrera, Roxy Verduzco and Gor Yeritsyan will be showcased on the undercard, and the plan is to have them featured on TKO Boxing cards moving forward.
“There are some big plans coming up in the future,” Loeffler told
The Ring. “I can't share much right now but all of our fighters will be an integral part of future TKO plans. Callum Walsh will be a huge part of the future TKO plans moving forward. We're really excited about that. Dana White is 100% committed to building boxing and I support Dana 100%. The cross-promotion the fighters are going to get is tremendous.”
Loeffler said TKO Boxing’s blueprint will follow a similar path of UFC.
“The TKO Boxing concept, in general, is why the UFC is so popular,” said Loeffler. “When fans go to a UFC show, they know they are going to get some great fights. Sometimes the fans don't know the undercard fighters but they are in tremendous matchups. That's what we've tried to model with our 360 Promotions shows. I think that's what Dana is going to bring to the table – competitive and exciting fights for the fans. That's why there are very few undefeated fighters in the UFC. If you lose in the UFC, you can still come back in a big fight. And that's the mantra Dana wants to bring for boxing.”
White has taken a liking to and supported Walsh in recent years, attending his fights in Los Angeles and New York and even promoting the Irishman’s homecoming event last year on the grounds in Dublin. Walsh is also a frequent fixture at UFC and WWE events.
“I love Callum Walsh,” White told The Ring. “I love his style. I love the fact that he's willing to take tough fights, and I just liked the kid personally as soon as I was introduced to him. Promoting him is fun for me, and I am having fun doing it.”
“A lot of fighters want to get on that show, and if there is a way to get Callum and Serhii on the show, I'd love to do that,” said Loeffler. “But there isn't anything that has been finalized yet.”
Manouk Akopyan is The Ring’s lead writer. Follow him on X and Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan