Teofimo Lopez says he still has questions about how Zuffa Boxing’s championship structure will work, and mentions the proposed Zuffa title belt “just a trophy” as they discuss the growing influence of Dana White and Turki Alalshikh’s new venture.
Lopez said he believes Zuffa Boxing can eventually become a major force in the sport, but noted that traditional sanctioning bodies still control much of boxing’s championship structure.
“The Zuffa belt, from what I’ve heard, is just a trophy. It’s not necessarily a sanctioning body belt,” Teofimo said. Battle hype. “But things can change within the 10-year time frame. Of course Zuffa have their own promotion and competitors can make it, let’s just say, difficult for the sanctioning bodies. But everyone has to come together eventually.”
Teofimo then pointed to the rumored Conor Benn vs. Ryan Garcia fight as an example of how traditional world titles can still become attached to Zuffa-backed events.
“If they’re talking, and these are just rumors, of Conor Benn and Ryan Garcia, if that’s the case, the WBC is going to be on the line,” Lopez said. “And if Conor Benn is with Zuffa, what are we talking about? In 2015, Al Haymon, when they really started everything, they all overpaid. Then Eddie Hearn came with Matchroom, they all overpaid. Now you have Zuffa Boxing. They all overpay. It’s just a new cycle.”
Teofimo also suggested that some of the resistance to Zuffa Boxing was related to the personalities involved rather than the concept itself.
“Dana White and Nick Khan, people don’t like them. Well, from what I hear, Turki owns 60%. So what are we talking about?”
The comments come as Zuffa Boxing continues to sign fighters and fuel speculation about how the promotion plans to operate alongside boxing’s existing sanctioning body system.
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Last updated on 2026/05/07 at 19:53
