TKO President Mark Shapiro said Zuffa Boxing will promote the upcoming heavyweight showdown between returning giant Tyson Fury and Russian fighter Arslanbek Makhmudov, which Netflix will broadcast from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on April 11.<\/p>\n
The revelation adds another rift in the war between upstart fight firm Zuffa and boxing<\/a>\u2018s traditional powerhouses like Queensberry Promotions and Matchroom.<\/p>\n It started long before Zuffa even aired its first show in 2026. The events thereafter have taken on a ProBox 2.0 feel, like a modern version of ESPN\u2019s Thursday Night Fights. But, through its alliance with Riyadh Season, who were prominent considerations on marketing material to announce the acquisitions of Jai Opetaia and Conor Benn, it\u2019s clear UFC boss Dana White is staying true to words he told Boxing Social last year, that there\u2019d be room in their event-planning for four marquee shows featuring top names. The cruiserweight champion Opetaia and British banger Benn both fit that billing.<\/p>\n The Benn signing in particular stunned the industry, not least because Matchroom was positioning Conor as the promotional company\u2019s next pay-per-view sensation, following in the footsteps of two-time heavyweight king Anthony Joshua, and women\u2019s pound-for-pound mainstay Katie Taylor, with the latter one fight away from retirement<\/a>.<\/p>\n Hearn even courted controversy over his unrelenting advocacy for Benn when the fighter tested positive for the banned substance clomiphene, circumventing a ban from British boxing by giving Conor dates in the US, before his two-fight series with Chris Eubank Jr., which only elevated the fighter\u2019s profile.<\/p>\n And so it was no surprise to see a contemplative and teary-eyed Hearn lament his own \u201cmistake\u201d<\/a> in his first address since Zuffa lured Benn from under his nose.<\/p>\n It was even less of a surprise to hear an unapologetic White tell Hearn to \u201cstop crying,\u201d<\/a> while saying to reporters that his ability to enter the sport almost unopposed was akin to beating up babies.<\/p>\n The language was not lost on Warren, one of Hearn\u2019s former rivals, who clapped back at White this week. \u201cWe\u2019re not babies,\u201d<\/a> he said.<\/p>\n It comes at a time when Warren is preparing a $1 billion legal complaint<\/a> against the sport\u2019s financier Turki Alalshikh, Sela, and Zuffa, according to The Telegraph.<\/p>\n Responding to the reported lawsuit, Ring Magazine \u2014 which Alalshikh bought from Oscar de la Hoya for a reported $10 million in 2024 \u2014 came out guns blazing<\/a>. <\/p>\n In Ring Magazine\u2019s explosive statement, it leaned on \u201crumors\u201d<\/a> to say \u201cQueensberry is in financial trouble\u201d without its partnerships with Sela and TKO. Ring did not provide supporting evidence in its comments. Queensberry\u2019s most recent records at Companies House show the business posted a profit of $15 million in its financial documents for the period up to the end of March, 2025.<\/p>\n On the same day, Shapiro said Zuffa and Sela are promoting Fury vs Makhmudov during a quarterly earnings call with investors.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udea8 SELA & TKO TO PROMOTE FURY-MAKHMUDOV<\/p>\n \u2705 Mark Shapiro has confirmed that TKO’s Zuffa Boxing and Saudi Arabia’s SELA will be the promoters for the April 11 Tyson Fury-Arslanbek Makhmudov fight at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. pic.twitter.com\/tNEqhgYSIb<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 EverythingBoxing | Darshan Desai (@EverythingBoxi2) February 25, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Such a comment only drives the dagger deeper as Zuffa shows it\u2019s not come to boxing to take part but, perhaps, to take over, as Fury vs. Makhmudov \u2014 on Netflix, no less \u2014 is the clearest sign yet that Zuffa intends to fight the old guard outside the ring, as fiercely as its fighters do inside of it.<\/p>\n Read More:<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n