‘Showing some moves’ – Old footage of Dana White sparring in Boston leaves fans impressed

Dana White ended his dreams of becoming a professional boxer over fears of brain damage after witnessing a ‘f***ed up’ fighter.

But old footage of the UFC kingmaker sparring has left fans impressed and debating what might have been.

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White and boxing have never been more closely linked, with the 56-year-old taking his first step into the sweet science through Zuffa Boxing 1 on Friday.

After co-promoting Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford last September, White’s new — and somewhat controversial — venture now takes centre stage.

Zuffa Boxing 1 is headlined by Irish prospect Callum Walsh, who faces Carlos Ocampo at the Meta Apex.

Ahead of the event, the promotion has already made a statement by acquiring lineal and IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia.

White plans to go big with Zuffa Boxing, building on a journey that began as an ambitious amateur boxer in a small Boston gym more than 35 years ago and led to the creation of the UFC.

The 56-year-old once only cared about the sport and has previously admitted his MMA empire wouldn’t exist without boxing.

So when old footage of White sparring during his boxing days resurfaced this month, combat sports fans couldn’t resist.

Fans react to Dana White’s sparring footage

Responding to the footage on X, one fan wrote: “Dana has better shot selection than half the heavyweight roster.”

Another added: “Dana showing some moves here.”

A third said: “He’s not too bad!”

@full_sned_mma via X

While a fourth responded: “Not going to lie, jab looks clean.”

Another joked: “I’ve seen enough, give him [Francis] Ngannou.”

At one point, White even agreed to an exhibition bout with UFC legend Tito Ortiz.

The bout was ultimately cancelled when former light heavyweight champion Ortiz failed to show up for the weigh-ins, leaving fans wondering how White would’ve fared in the ring.

While that question will forever remain unanswered, what is clear is that White now plans to take the boxing world by storm as a promoter.

Zuffa Boxing and the Muhammad Ali Act

Zuffa Boxing is operated by White and Alalshikh alongside WWE president Nick Khan, with the promotion already linked to sign Ukraine’s heavyweight superstar Oleksandr Usyk.

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It will also not struggle to attract an audience, having secured a broadcast deal with Paramount+ and CBS, just like the UFC, while plans are also in place to bring about new and exciting changes like a new ring.

We will bring lots of different elements to the production and to the sport, and yes, possibly even rule changes,” White told CBS Sports in September.

“I wouldn’t say no to that, so, for all the guys that want to compete with me, I think way bigger than you guys do.”

White and co are also attempting to revise the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act — a law signed 26 years ago to protect fighters from exploitation.

While White has said his promotion will only ‘add’ to the act, rather than making changes, bringing in new terms to the existing law would essentially change it.

On Wednesday, the act was sent to the House of Representatives for the next stage of the legislative process following a 30-4 bipartisan vote.