Dana White Reveals How He Got Close to Floyd Mayweather

UFC president Dana White is often credited with making mixed martial arts a global phenomenon. However, his journey into combat sports started as an amateur boxer in the late 1980s. In fact, White recently opened up about his association with the sport and his friendship with the crown prince of boxing, Floyd Mayweather Jr. (50-0, 27 KOs).

White was a guest on the latest episode of the Flagrant Podcast hosted by Andrew Schulz. In conversation, he delved into his days as a boxer in Las Vegas and his association with the Mayweathers. Notably, White started his career as an amateur boxer at the age of 17, with a dream of stepping into the professional ring. However, his dream was cut short after he met a boxer with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. White then turned to a career as a ‘Boxercise’ instructor in Boston and then returned to Las Vegas.

“So, when I first came back to Vegas, there was a gym called ‘United Champions,’ and this guy named ‘Nick One-kick,’ who was a Muay-Thai trainer and Roger Mayweather,” he said. “And was Roger as wild back in the day?”

‘TBE’ was under the tutelage of his uncles, Roger and Jeff, at that time. This was due to the fact that his father, Floyd Mayweather, was incarcerated. “So those guys sort of took Floyd under the wing and helped Floyd out while the dad, his dad, was in jail. So that’s how me and Floyd became close and got to know each other early on, and yeah, so it was me, Roger and Nick One-kick that worked out of United Champions,” he said.

“F**king Dumb”

Another fighter who is equally (if not more) iconic as Mayweather is ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson (50-6-2, 44 KOs), and his upcoming fight against Jake Paul (9-1, 6 KOs) is the talk of the town (Recently rescheduled for November 15). In the very same episode, White voiced his disappointment with the matchup. “If you can keep getting paid, right? One hundred percent. If you got people that are f*cking dumb enough to pay for that sh*t, then f*cking, you know, good for you,” he said.

White, however, added that the decision to work with Netflix was a ‘brilliant move.’

“I’m not against it. I love Mike Tyson. He’s f*cking almost 60 years old, you know what I mean?” he said. “I love Mike, and nobody wants to see Mike get beat by this f*cking jerk-off.”

Joshua Ben Joseph

Joshua Ben Joseph is a Boxing writer renowned for his unparalleled coverage of live events and insightful interviews with prominent athletes in the world of combat sports. With a career spanning over several years, he has authored more than 800 articles. As an experienced editorial cartoonist and investigative journalist, Joshua has a keen eye for detail and a passion for delivering quality content. Aside from his writing, Joshua is an avid powerlifter and solo traveler, embodying the same spirit of determination and exploration that he brings to his work. With a deep love for the sport of boxing that dates back to childhood, he is committed to delivering the highest quality content and helping to build a more transparent and credible industry.

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